NEW YORK – As Pascal Siakam watched Tyrese Haliburton make his final decisive pass, this time flicking the ball off the backboard toward himself and then firing it to his new All-Star teammate in the corner, there was only one thought that crossed his mind. Siakam.
“Just do it,” Siakam told ESPN with a laugh inside the visiting locker room at Madison Square Garden following Indiana's 125-111 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night.
Siakam did just that, hitting a 3-pointer in the corner in front of the New York bench with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter, putting the Pacers up by eight and forcing a timeout by Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. .
It was just one of many highlights for the Pacers, who shot 61% from the field and were 14 of 29 from 3-point range as they earned their third win in their last four games.
However, there was only one play that everyone focused on afterwards.
“One characteristic that all great players have is ingenuity and the ability, in a split second, to come up with something special,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Haliburton's pass. “And he did just that.
“That's a play that created momentum for us. And, if for some reason that possession wasn't successful, it could have created a lot of momentum for the Knicks. The only word I can really say is just, it's just special… just stuff.” special.”
For Haliburton, it was a special night on several levels. He earned his first win at Madison Square Garden, something he was happy to remind everyone, including the locker room attendants, after the game. It was also the first game in which he played at least 30 minutes since his last return from a hamstring injury that has bothered him for the past month.
And he also made a signature new play, something he said he was actually contemplating trying in the first half, before finding an opportunity to do it in the third quarter.
“I've never done that before,” Haliburton said with a smile after finishing with 22 points and 12 assists in 30 minutes. “You see so many guys in the NBA trying [to make plays off the backboard].
“I was going to try it in the first half, a little bit out of the right slot, but it was a little bit of a weird angle. In transition, I felt like there was a lot of space in the paint. So, yeah, just playing basketball, having fun. “
It's hard not to have fun playing with Haliburton, who led the Pacers to the season tournament championship game and has them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. But Indiana is just one game ahead of the eighth-place Miami Heat and is tied in the loss column.
Part of the reason is Haliburton's lingering hamstring injury, which has prevented him from playing more time with Siakam, who came to Indiana in a blockbuster trade last month from the Toronto Raptors. Siakam has quickly established himself as Indiana's second option and scored 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists against New York.
This was the eighth game the two stars played together since the trade, although Haliburton played all eight with limited minutes due to his hamstring. And, as Siakam saw on Saturday, you have to get used to Haliburton's level of creativity, and he's still adjusting to it.
“We had a couple turnovers, he was looking at me and looking at me and then I thought he was doing something else and then he passed it,” Siakam said. “So I always had to be ready and we had to figure out the rhythms. He understood my rhythms and I understood his rhythms too. I definitely haven't played with someone like him before, so I'm learning as I go. And I think the more we are there, we will feel more comfortable.
