NEW YORK — As Pascal Siakam watched Tyrese Haliburton make his latest game-breaking pass — this time by throwing the ball off the backboard to himself and then firing it out to his new All-Star teammate in the corner — there was only one thought crossing Siakam’s mind.
“Just make it,” Siakam told ESPN with a laugh inside Madison Square Garden’s visiting locker room following Indiana’s 125-111 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night.
Siakam did just that, burying a 3-pointer in the corner in front of New York’s bench with just under eight minutes to go in the third quarter, putting the Pacers up by eight and forcing a timeout from Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
It was just one of many highlights for the Pacers, who shot 61% from the field and went 14-for-29 from 3-point range as they claimed their third victory in their past four games.
There was only one play, however, that anyone was focused on afterward.
“One characteristic that all great players have is resourcefulness and the ability, in a split second, to invent something special,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Haliburton’s pass. “And he did just that.