Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle urged the fans and the media to give Pascal Siakam his due by voting him into this year’s NBA All-Star Game, despite their challenging season so far. As of this writing, they’re the only Eastern Conference team that has yet to reach double-digit wins with a 6-31 record.
“The guy that I feel for the most is Siakam because this guy’s an All-Star. My sincerest of hopes is that the fans & his fellow players & media recognize the kind of year he is having, the level of excellence, the level of integrity he’s leading & playing with,” Carlisle said of Siakam via Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files.
The Indiana Pacers’ losing streak reached a record 13 games following a 120-116 home loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite having six players in double-digit points.
For the sixth consecutive match, Pascal Siakam led the Indiana Pacers in scoring, contributing 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals on 9-for-23 shooting from the field across 35 minutes of action.
Indiana Pacers doomed by disastrous fourth-quarter showing vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Indiana Pacers looked on their way to finally ending their losing streak, as they won each of the first three quarters against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the visitors outscored them 36-23, as Darius Garland scored 14 of his 29 points in the final period. As a result, Rick Carlisle remains stuck at 999 career wins in his NBA coaching career.
“We had a couple miscues early in the fourth. We made some very good plays in the fourth. But we’re a group that is fighting hard, and we’re going to keep fighting,” Carlisle said postgame.
“This is an extraordinary situation, and we’ve got guys that are fighting their butts off. They really are,” he added. “It’s going to continue be next man up.”
