Pascal Siakam was one of the catalysts behind the Indiana Pacers’ 116-105 home win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, drawing praise from head coach Rick Carlisle.
The three-time NBA All-Star had 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 10-for-21 shooting from the field in 35 minutes of action.
“Pascal is a guy we take for granted. He just goes out there, and he produces great numbers virtually every night,” Carlisle said of Siakam via Tony East of Forbes. ”A lot of people dismiss it because that’s just what he does.”
Yesterday was another day in the office for Siakam, who has been one of the Indiana Pacers’ most consistent players, averaging 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 steals on 48.1 percent shooting from the field across 23 regular season starts.
Indiana Pacers News: Rick Carlisle closes in on bonkers NBA coaching record
The Indiana Pacers’ home victory against the Sacramento Kings on Monday marked Rick Carlisle’s 999th win as an NBA head coach, and he’ll inevitably reach win No. 1,000.
Carlisle will become the 11th coach in NBA history to reach the milestone, joining Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, George Karl, Larry Brown, Rick Adelman, and Doc Rivers. Save for Rivers, all of these coaches are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I can’t say enough about him and the respect I have for him,” Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Carlisle via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. “I think the whole is better than the sum of the parts. Almost consistently across every year he’s ever coached, the team is better than their sum. I think that’s a reflection of him. His teams play a clear identity, stay in character through all the ups and downs.”
