Pacers praise Siakam for 39-point outburst vs. Knicks

The Indiana Pacers had nothing but praise for Pascal Siakam after the All-Star forward dropped a playoff career-high 39 points in Game 2 against the New York Knicks.

"That's why we brought him here," Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton told reporters following their 114-109 win Friday, including ESPN's Jamal Collier. "That's what he's here to do. He can get a bucket in so many different ways.

"We just kept feeding him, and I thought he did a great job of making big shot after big shot after big shot. Killing momentum. When you're in an environment like this, the crowd's getting into it, a lot of those shots can be backbreakers."

Indiana acquired Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in January 2024 as part of a three-team trade. The two-time All-NBA selection was a pivotal part of last season's Eastern Conference finals run and has continued to play a prominent role in the Pacers' return to the same stage.

Siakam immediately responded from a modest performance in the series opener, scoring the Pacers' first 11 points in Game 2 en route to a 17-point first quarter.

The former Most Improved Player made 7-of-9 contested field goals and 4-of-6 shots when guarded by ex-teammate OG Anunoby.

Siakam has three 35-point games in the playoffs with Indiana, trailing only Reggie Miller and Paul George on the franchise's all-time list, according to ESPN research.

"He was the guy that got us going and got us through some difficult stretches," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's hard to score that number of points in a game like this where you always have a physical matchup defensively and there's a guy crashing and flying at the basket. But he did a phenomenal job. It's a quiet 39 points. It really was."

Indiana can take a commanding 3-0 series lead with a victory on its home court Sunday.