Tyrese Haliburton Praises 'Amazing' Pascal Siakam after 39 Points in Win vs. Knicks
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was highly complimentary of teammate Pascal Siakam's 39-point performance following the Pacers' 114-109 win over the New York Knicks on Friday to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Speaking to reporters after the Pacers' second come-from-behind win in three days at Madison Square Garden, Haliburton had the following to say regarding Siakam:
"That's why we brought him here. It's what he's here to do. He can get a bucket in so many different ways. He started the game high and we just kept feeding him. I thought he did a great job of making big shot after big shot after big shot, killing momentum.
"I think when you're in an environment like this, the crowd is getting into it. A lot of those shots can be backbreakers at times. He just kept making big play after big play. He was amazing for us."
Siakam led all scorers in Game 2 with his 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
After losing Game 1 in overtime in heartbreaking fashion, the Knicks came to play Friday, leading by two points after the first quarter and by three points at halftime.
Siakam scored the Pacers' first 11 points and 17 of his 39 points in the first quarter, so if not for him, Indiana may not have been within striking distance to pull off another second-half comeback.
Along with Aaron Nesmith, who scored 30 points in Game 1, Haliburton was the Pacers' savior in Game 1, finishing with 31 points, including the game-tying shot at the buzzer to send it to overtime.
Both players took a back seat to Siakam in Game 2, as Haliburton scored only 14 points and Nesmith recorded 12.
While every Pacers starter scored in double figures on Friday, none scored more than 16 aside from Siakam, which speaks to just how key he was in Indiana's victory.
Prior to the Pacers acquiring him last season, Siakam was a two-time All-Star and one-time NBA champion during his time with the Toronto Raptors. He played a key role on Toronto's title team in 2019, and the hope was that his playoff experience could help get the Pacers over the hump.
The returns have been great so far, as the 31-year-old veteran is averaging 20.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest in 12 games for the Pacers this postseason.
Siakam, who was named an All-Star for the third time in his career this season, is one of only two players on the Pacers' roster with a championship on his résumé, and thanks to his showing in Game 2, he is just two wins away from playing for another title.
