Indiana Pacers fans rejoiced on Monday as the team won its third straight game for the first time in the 2025-26 NBA season. It was a close game against the Boston Celtics, but Pascal Siakam saved the Pacers with a much-needed floater, which gave Indiana the 98-96 win. The star forwardtook his time and found an open window to shoot a floater and give the team a two-point lead.
Siakam finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists on 66.7% shooting. Defensively, he took charge of the game with a pair of steals and a block. The Pacers’ frontcourt was unstoppable for the Celtics. Center Jay Huff added 20 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block.
Following the win, the Pacers are now 9-31. Although they are still at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, winning against the Celtics is still an outstanding feat. The 2025 East champions took advantage of a Boston squad that didn’t have Jaylen Brown.
PASCAL SIAKAM HITS THE FLOATER TO GIVE INDY THE WIN 🚨
3 straight wins for the Pacers! pic.twitter.com/3JqfrwJMmV
— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2026
Following the win, fans were energized by Siakam’s late-game shot. Here are some of what the fans said on X.
“The Eastern Conference is getting interesting, the Pacers are on a serious roll right now 🔥” a fan said.
“that floater was everything ngl, what a way to end the game,” another fan commented.
“An incredible game-winner! What a clutch shot!” one fan said.
Celtics fans, however, wanted to point out Pascal Siakam’s illegal screen before the play.
“Show the illegal screen before this,” someone commented.
“Conveniently didn’t show Siakam’s illegal screen before getting the ball,” a comment read.
“Illegal screen and a hook? Doesn’t count,” a fan commented.
Even Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla called it out on his postgame presser. In every question that was asked, he only answered with “illegal screen.”
Pacers’ Rick Carlisle campaigns for Pascal Siakam to be an All-Star
Without Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam has the green light from coach Rick Carlisle to do what he wants on the floor. After hitting the game-winning bucket, Carlisle told the media that Siakam has a clear case to be in the All-Star Game this year.
“It’s so fitting that Pascal has the ball on our last possession, and it’s what ends up being the game winning shot. He played one of his better games. The stats weren’t spectacular but his level of discipline, patience (were),” the coach said via Alex Golden on X. He goes 10-15 in a game that was very much a possession game, really big time. Congratulations to him. Further makes the case for the All-Star game.”
Through 38 games, Siakam has averaged 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. The star forward is averaging his second-highest scoring average this season.
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
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 on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
