Pascal Siakam leads the Pacers in scoring this series, 17.0 points a game. Indiana does not have a 20-point-a-game scorer for the very best of reasons: no Pacer has reached 20 points in any single game this series.
In Game 1, Siakam led Indiana with 19 points, followed by Obi Toppin’s 17, Myles Turner’s 15, Tyrese Haliburton’s 14, Andrew Nembhard’s 14 and Aaron Nesmith’s 10.
In Game 2, Haliburton had 17, Turner 16, Siakam 15, Nesmith 14, Bennedict Mathurin 14, Nembhard 11 and T.J. McConnell 11.
The Thunder defense, led by Luguentz Dort, has done yeoman’s work on Haliburton. But maybe it’s time we praised the defensive work on Siakam.
The 6-foot-9 forward, a nine-year NBA veteran, led the Pacers in scoring this regular season, 20.2 points a game. Over the last six seasons, with Toronto and Indiana, Siakam has averaged 22.2 points a game. Siakam is no superstar, but he’s a skilled and savvy veteran who is a two-time all-star and two-time all-NBA.
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He’s also a matchup nightmare for teams without a true power forward, which includes the Thunder.
But Jalen Williams, giving away about three inches and at least 10 pounds, has dogged Siakam consistently. Siakam has made 10 of 26 shots.
Mark Daigneault warns that containing Siakam isn’t necessarily a given.
“I don’t want to, like, make that a foregone conclusion at this point,” Daigneault said. “They’re coming home. He’s going to be very aggressive, Haliburton is going to be very aggressive. They play really well here.”
Williams’ defensive versatility is invaluable to the Thunder. He consistently guards up — Aaron Gordon in the Denver series, Julius Randle in the Minnesota series — and while it hasn’t always gone great, Williams has held his own.
And if the Thunder holds down Haliburton, and Siakam can’t shake free, huge advantage, OKC.
“He’s obviously a really good player,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Siakam. “He can attack you in many ways. Very versatile. We’ve seen it throughout the playoffs. He’s won at a high level. He knows what it takes.
“Honestly, with guys like that, you just try to make it difficult for them. They can almost check every box. You just try to make it as complicated for them as possible. It’s a hard job. But if you want to win, you’ve got to get it done.”
The Thunder has gotten it done through two games. Keep doing it, and an NBA championship gets nearer and nearer for Oklahoma.
berry.tramel@tulsaworld.com
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