Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam was the only player on the team who really had true playoff experience entering Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. Siakam scored 36 points for the Pacers, but his team fell to the Bucks 109-94.
Milwaukee led by as many as 30 points in this basketball game against Indiana. A lot of people took the Pacers to win this series against the Bucks, but one thing Milwaukee has that Indiana doesn’t is playoff experience. Along with Siakam’s 36 points for Indiana, he also grabbed 13 rebounds, recorded two assists, blocked two shots, and recorded one steal.
What is huge about Pascal Siakam showing up for the Indiana Pacers is that he won an NBA Championship in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors as either the second or third scoring option for Toronto. Siakam will need to be one of the main scorers for them in order to advance to the next round.
Hopefully, for his sake, some of his other teammates will be much better in Game 2. Game 1 seemed to be too big of a moment for Tyrese Haliburton. He only scored nine points, but he also grabbed seven rebounds and recorded eight assists. There was a reason why Haliburton led the NBA in assists per game during the regular season.
He must be more aggressive with scoring the basketball in Game 2. Damian Lillard erupted for 35 points in Game 1 for the Milwaukee Bucks and all of his points were scored in the first-half.
Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers Will Need More Help In Game 2 Against the Milwaukee Bucks
This was the most embarrassing moment that the Pacers have felt this season against the Bucks. Indiana was an elite offensive team during the regular season and the offense disappeared in Game 1. Pascal Siakam was one of three players for the Pacers who scored in double figures.
Myles Turner scored 17 points for Indiana and T.J. McConnell scored 10 points off the bench for the Indiana Pacers. There is nothing wrong with Siakam dropping 36 points. He is a very good talent for his basketball team. Haliburton can’t go disappearing into the night against the Bucks after he had a great regular season against them.
Tyrese Haliburton is learning that the playoffs are different than the regular season. Hopefully, Siakam’s playoff experience will help them as this series progresses, but it remains to be seen. The Milwaukee Bucks will look to make it a 2-0 series lead when Game 2 hits.