The Indiana Pacers made the biggest trade of the current NBA season last week, acquiring Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in order to bolster their front court for the home stretch. He was one of the premier names on the trading block this time around, and the Pacers sacrificed a good portion of their near-future draft assets in order to add him to the roster.
NBA: Pacers Will be 0-4 With Siakam If They Lose To 76ers Tonight
The Pacers are 0-3 since trading for Pascal Siakam. pic.twitter.com/1UjaWeVW7w
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 24, 2024
The move was supposed to make the already-surprising Pacers into a legit contender in the Eastern Conference, perhaps with enough firepower to compete with teams like the Bucks or 76ers come playoff time. But given how things have started out with Siakam in the lineup, we may need to think twice about Indiana’s aspirations.
Leading up to the trade, the Pacers had won 9 of 10 games, with their only loss coming to the #1 seeded Boston Celtics. Just before the swap, though, they dropped two straight road games against tough Western Conference opponents, and then somehow beat the Kings despite being shorthanded due to the trade.
But Siakam made his Pacers’ debut the following night, another road game, but this time against the lowly Portland Trail Blazers. It was a big night for the team, as they were also welcoming star guard Tyrese Haliburton back into the lineup after missing games due to injury. The newcomer played 34 minutes in the contest and scored 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting, but Indiana ultimately lost by a three-point margin. Two nights later, he scored 15 points before fouling out of a loss against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
Upcoming Schedule Does Indiana No Favors
welcome to Indy, Pascal Siakam 😤 pic.twitter.com/KbzTdvxDKq
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 18, 2024
When the road trip finally ended, there was hope that the Pacers would be able to right the ship and once again look like one of the top teams in the NBA. But they had to take on the Denver Nuggets for their first of four home games, and ended up being the victims of another triple double from Nikola Jokić, and dropped their third straight game with Siakam in the lineup.
Things won’t get any easier this weekend. On Thursday night, they will take on the Philadelphia 76ers, who have MVP candidate Joel Emiid on their roster, fresh off of the 9th 70+ point game in NBA history. The very next night, they’ll once again face off against the Suns, who have been one of the hottest teams in the league as of late.
They’ll finally catch something of a “break” on Sunday when they take on Memphis, though the Grizzlies have won two in a row themselves.
The Pacers are listed as 4.5-point underdogs against Philly tonight.
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