On Wednesday, the Indiana Pacers survived a thriller rematch against the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, in overtime. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam put the nail in the coffin with a crucial game-winning 3-pointer to lead the team past the Celtics. 135-132.
The Pacers and Celtics met this season for the first time since their matchup in the Eastern Conference finals in the 2024 Playoffs. Boston won their most recent matchup and advanced to the NBA Finals. Tonight, Indiana had their revenge game, thanks to Siakam.
Siakam finished the game with 29 points and 11 rebounds. He led the team in scoring and also had a crucial 3-pointer that sealed the win for the Pacers. With less than 15 seconds on the game clock and each team with 132 apiece, the forward gave Tyrese Haliburton a screen that gave him space and a mismatch against Boston’s Derrick White.
At the top of the key, Siakam rose for the 3-pointer, giving a three-point advantage for their team. Watch the sequence of the star’s game-winning shot below.
PASCAL SIAKAM. CLUTCH.
Puts the Pacers up 3 with 6.1 seconds left in OT on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/lVxFwgchpx
— NBA (@NBA) October 31, 2024
His All-Star teammate, Haliburton, had a decent game against their East rival. The point guard finished the game with 17 points and 12 assists. Off the bench, Bennedict Mathurin played a significant role in their win. Mathurin had a team-high of 30 points and 12 rebounds.
Jayson Tatum gave it his all for the Celtics, finishing with 37 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The next time the two teams play against each other will be Dec. 27.
Pascal Siakam hasn’t found his rhythm from deep
Fans held their breath when Pascal Siakam took the shot from downtown against Boston. After all, he’s not having the best year from deep. Siakam started slow when it came to scoring from beyond the arc. In his first game, the forward went 1-for-3 from downtown.
The two-time All-NBA followed it up with a 0-4 outing from beyond the arc when they played against the New York Knicks. The team suffered badly as Siakam was among the five starters who failed to connect from three. Luckily, he came out strong the following game and shot 2-for-4 from deep.
The Pacers forward made two of his five three-point attempts and scored 26 points prior to their matchup with the Celtics. Compared to his shooting percentage of 38.6% when he was traded to the team the previous season, he is currently shooting 31% from beyond the arc overall.
In their win tonight against Boston, however, Siakam took over with his outside stroke. The Pacers forward shot 6-for-8 from deep, including a game-winner.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
