Pascal Siakam found his voice and his shot on the biggest stage, erupting for a playoff career-high 39 points to power the Indiana Pacers past the New York Knicks 114-109 at Madison Square Garden.
After a subdued Game 1, Siakam came out with fire, scoring Indiana’s first 11 points and 17 in the opening quarter alone. He finished 15-of-23 from the field, disrupting a raucous Garden crowd and delivering the kind of performance the Pacers envisioned when they traded for him in January.
“That’s why we brought him here,” said Tyrese Haliburton. “He can get a bucket in so many different ways, big shot after big shot after big shot.”
Siakam’s scoring burst gave Indiana a 2-0 series lead heading back to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Sunday. His calm presence and veteran experience, shaped by his 2019 title run with Toronto, are now the backbone of this young Pacers side.
“You can’t ride a wave,” Siakam said postgame. “Can’t get too high with the highs, can’t get too low with the lows.” That measured mindset has made him a pillar both on and off the court.
Coach Rick Carlisle praised his star’s poise: “It’s a quiet 39 points. But he got us going and through some tough stretches. It’s hard to do that in this kind of atmosphere.”
Matched up with former Raptors teammate OG Anunoby, Siakam used their shared history as fuel. Held to just three attempts in Game 1 by Anunoby, he went 4-for-6 against him on Friday. “It just gives you extra motivation,” he said.
The Pacers’ win wasn’t a solo act. Six players hit double figures, including Haliburton’s 14 points and 11 assists and Myles Turner’s 13-point fourth-quarter surge. “We just have so many different people contributing,” Haliburton added.
