In a playoff game that ended this morning, the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 125-108 on the road to make the series 1-1, and they were able to steal a win on the road in a best-of-four format, which is considered to be expected.
In the face of Haliburton, the star of the house, was heavily defended, striker Siakam stepped up and played the role of the heart of the attack. In the whole game, Siakam played 36 minutes, and scored 37 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists on 16-of-23 shooting, and outside the three-point line, he shot 3-of-4, shooting more than 7 percent.
It is worth mentioning that this is the second consecutive game in which he has played such a dominant performance, just a few days ago, in the first round of the first round between the two sides, he recorded a double-double of 36 points and 13 rebounds on 15-of-25 shooting. In two games, he accumulated 73 points and 24 rebounds, shooting 64.6% overall and 50% from three-point range.
If it weren't for the poor shooting of other teammates in the first game, the Pacers would have had a chance to win both on the road and return to Indiana's home court with a 2-0 advantage.
Siakam's outburst is due to his own technical characteristics, as a number three or four swingman, he has a lot of offensive means, against the big Lopez, he will use his speed to break through, against a guard like Lillard, he will misplace the singles, against the likes of Middleton and Portis, he has a mid-to-long range projection.
In both games, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers tried a variety of defensive strategies against Siakam, including single defense, pinching and packing, but none of them effectively limited his play. Once packed, Siakam had a good passing vision, as evidenced by his six assists in this game, and he and Turner repeatedly played in the number four or five positions to completely destroy the opponent's penalty area defense.
Now, the Bucks' only hope is Antetokounmpo, but he is currently suffering from a hamstring strain and is unlikely to make a rash comeback, so after returning to the home court, Coach Carlisle is expected to continue his previous style of play and further amplify Siakam's central role on the offensive end.
If Rivers can't make a comeback in time, Rivers will have to find an effective strategy to contain Siakam, or they will face the fate of a first-round exit.