Following Sunday’s brutal loss in OKC, the Pacers needed their superstars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam to step up tonight. A loss at home would put them in a tough spot for the entire series. Understanding the high stakes, the duo did what they were expected to, combining for an impressive 43 points. As a result, Pacers ended up beating the Thunder by nine points. But despite the dominant win, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley had his doubts about Siakam’s consistency.
When Haliburton joined the NBA TV panel for a postgame interview, Barkley asked him an awkward question, “What is the deal with Siakam? Why he go from passive to aggressive from game to game?” As expected, Tyrese quickly jumped in to defend his teammate, pushing back on Chuck’s claim, “You know I don’t think that’s a fair assessment to be honest with you. I think the way that they guard, he operates so well in the mid post. When he catching in the mid post, they’re talking about rotating the guy fully from the baseline. They just got hands, they’re swarming the ball. So, we just trying to make reads and make the right play. Thought he did a great job operating today. Its hard when you catch it at the nail where he really likes to operate, the way they guard is just boxes and elbows. We gotta do a much better job of giving him the correct spacing and just figuring it out.”
Chuck: “What is the deal with Siakam? Why he go from passive to aggressive from game to game?”
Hali: “I don’t think that’s a fair assessment” pic.twitter.com/mXSLfjC4Mi
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) June 12, 2025
(Developing Story)
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