TORONTO, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam scored 15 of his team-high 23 points in the second half against his former team - the Toronto Raptors - in a 127-125 victory on Wednesday evening.
Siakam returned to Toronto for the first time since being traded to Indiana on January 17. The 29-year-old native of Cameroon had played his entire career with the Raptors, who selected him with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft.
During his eight-year tenure with Toronto, Siakam was a two-time All-Star (2020, 2023), named All-NBA Team twice (Second Team in 2019-20, Third Team in 2021-22), awarded Most Improved Player in 2018-19 and helped the team capture their lone NBA Championship in 2019.
"For me to come in here after eight years and seeing the reception, people genuinely being happy for me," said Siakam after the win. "I tried to just stay focused on the game and not think about anything, but it's hard."
Siakam struggled out of the gate with only eight points at the half on 2-for-9 shooting with three fouls. The veteran battled in the second half and finished the game strong, scoring five of the team's final six points.
With 3:41 left in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 121, Siakam connected on a bank shot in the paint to put the Pacers up two. With 25 seconds left in the game, Siakam hit another bank shot to extend the team's lead to 126-123.
"He was great down the stretch. He's at the stage of his career where at the beginning of the game, things weren't flowing great," said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. "One of the things he's learned over the years is to stay patient and disciplined to look for openings and situations to take advantage of."
Since joining the Pacers nearly one month ago, Siakam is averaging 21.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and shooting a career-best 57.1 percent from the field on 8.8 attempts a game. ■
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