While Siakam shot just 40 percent from the field, his fingerprints were all over Indiana’s Game 5 victory. The complete stat line was his first of the series, with the veteran forward matching his series-high in points. Siakam also recorded series-high numbers in rebounds, assists and blocked shots in helping the Pacers reach the Eastern Conference Finals for a second straight year. Indiana will face New York or Boston in the next round, and they’ll start the series on the road regardless of which team advances.

What a night it was for Siakam, who only missed one shot in the blowout win. He only played 21 minutes, but that was more than enough for Indiana to take complete control of this game. His dominant night has them just one win away from returning to the conference finals for a second straight season. Siakam hadn’t been a significant part of the offense in this series, but the strategy to get him going paid off on Sunday. He’ll look to stay hot in Game 5 on Tuesday with a chance to close out the series.

After shooting 1-of-6 from the field in the first half, Siakam was more productive in the second half of Game 3. However, it was a case of “too little, too late,” as the Cavaliers built a big lead and did not allow it to slip away, as they did in Game 2. Siakam has been relatively quiet through the first three games of this series, with Friday’s point total being his best. With Cleveland returning to full strength on Friday, more production will be needed from “Spicy P” moving forward. Game 4 is on Sunday.

Siakam recorded a low-scoring output for a second-straight game. After turning in just 12 points in Indiana’s Game 4 win, the 2019 NBA Most Improved Player scored even fewer points on Tuesday. Siakam did come alive late, where he scored key fourth-quarter points and down the stretch. As the Pacers move on to a second-round matchup against the Cavaliers, they’ll hope to get the version of Siakam that tallied three consecutive 20-point games to begin the postseason.