The Indiana Pacers stole Game 1 against the New York Knicks with a thrilling comeback. Pascal Siakam and company once again showed their resilience by becoming the first team in 1,415 attempts to produce a victory after trailing by nine or more points in the final minute of a playoff game.
While Tyrese Haliburton’s fateful shot and Aaron Nesmith’s three-point barrage take the headlines, Indiana plays a team-oriented style of basketball. Siakam’s Game 1 performance will not be one he puts in his all-time games. He finished with 17 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals and registered a +8 rating in the three-point victory.
Heading into Game 2, the Knicks are six-point favorites with -258 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Pacers hold +210 odds of getting the outright victory with the game total set at 224.5 points.
With the stage set, here are my favorite Siakam prop bets for Game 2.
Best Pascal Siakam Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Pascal Siakam’s props are listed at over/under 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 made three-pointers and 28.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Pascal Siakam Under 18.5 Points (-115)
The Pacers took a big swing trading for Siakam midseason last year, which helped propel them into contention. He has undeniably raised the level of this team, but Siakam’s impact does not always reflect as much in the box score. The three-time All-Star averaged 20.2 points per game in the regular season and produced over 18.5 points in 46 of the 78 games played. Since the playoffs started, his scoring average has dropped to 18.6 points per game. Siakam was held to 17 points in Game 1 of this series and has been held to under 18.5 points in six of the 11 postseason games.
From a matchup perspective, this is a difficult series for Siakam. He has drawn the toughest assignment in the series with OG Anunoby as his primary defender. Siakam shot 7-for-16 in Game 1, including 1-for-5 with Anunoby as his primary defender across 48.8 partial possessions. Across the regular season, Siakam shot 5-for-14 across 71.1 partial possessions with Anunoby matching up with him. He is shooting just 31% from the field collectively against his former teammate.
Siakam’s combination of size and athleticism, paired with his sporadic movement patterns, is his primary vehicle for generating shot opportunities. He does not have as clear of an advantage against opponents like Anunoby, and also struggled while matched up against Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride. The inability to create offensive advantages is a concern for Siakam, and there is no clear pathway to an efficient offensive output. Only two of his made shots in Game 1 were self-created, with him needing Haliburton and others to spoon-feed him semi-clean looks. It will take a significant shot volume for Siakam to reach this total, and don’t expect the game script to play out in his favor. Count on him being held to under 18.5 points for the second straight game and for his struggles to grow into a more prominent storyline of the series.
Pascal Siakam to Record 4+ Assists (+135)
One area where Siakam stepped up in the previous game was as a playmaker. He tallied six assists in Game 1, although it is worth noting that two of these came on simple handoffs amid Nesmith’s fourth quarter three-point explosion.
Siakam averaged 3.4 assists per game in the regular season and is producing at the exact same rate in the playoffs. His standard assist prop is set at 2.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the over favored at -175 odds. The New Mexico State product tallied over 2.5 assists in 49 of the 78 regular-season games and produced at least four in 35 games. He has tallied at least four assists in five of the 11 playoff games, including back-to-back matchups leading into tonight.
While the failure to create offensive advantages is noteworthy, look for Siakam to leverage this by drawing additional defenders and creating opportunities for others. Indiana does a nice job utilizing off-ball motion with cutters and providing chances for assists. Siakam is too important to the team to abandon his utilization completely, so expect to still see the ball in his hands. He has averaged as many as 5.8 assists per game across a season and a playoff run in his career, and is a better playmaker than he has been able to show with the Pacers. Look for him to lean on his playmaking chops a bit more and produce at least four assists for the third straight game.
