In the hopes of pairing dynamic Tyrese Haliburton with another superstar, the Indiana Pacers traded for NBA champion Pascal Siakam last February.
Three months later, that blockbuster deal seems to pay off well especially in the playoffs.
“Just happy to be here. We just wanted to respond as a team and I thought we did that well tonight,” Siakam said after his 25-point outing propelled the Pacers past the New York Knicks in Game 6. They force a do-or-die Game 7 on Monday, May 20 (PH time).
🏆 FRIDAY'S FINAL SCORES 🏆
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2024
Pascal Siakam and the @Pacers move to 6-0 at home this postseason and force Game a 7 in New York!
Tyrese Haliburton: 15 PTS, 6 REB, 9 AST
Myles Turner: 17 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST
Andrew Nembhard: 15 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST
Game 7: Sunday, 3:30pm/et on ABC 🍿 pic.twitter.com/naty8RV7yP
Siakam provided an all-around game of 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 31 minutes of play to help the Pacers secure a critical win after a lopsided Game 5 loss.
[ALSO READ: Pacers stay alive after pivotal Game 6 win over Knicks, force do-or-die Game 7]
Indiana remained unblemished at home this postseason at 6-0.
“I just want to play my game,” Siakam added.
He certainly did.
The former Toronto Raptor started hot with a 19-point first half, aggressively finding his shots around the basket over the Knicks defense.
Being part of a couple of Games 7 in his career, Siakam expects an all-out battle for both teams, but emphasizes the need of the Pacers to stick together throughout the game.
“It’s going to take everything. A lot of crazy stuff is going to happen. [We] just got to stay within what we do. As long as you come to the game with pure energy, you just play as hard as you can to stay together, [which] I think is the most important part.”
“There's going to be a lot of things we just need to manage. Whenever things are not going well, [we] just need to stay together and continue to fight.”
It will be the first time that the Knicks and Pacers face in a Game 7 in a playoff series since 1995.
