Pascal Siakam has near triple double game as Indiana Pacers defeat Charlotte Hornets

Two of the younger teams in the NBA faced off on Sunday night, and the Indiana Pacers came out on top against the Charlotte Hornets 115-99 at Spectrum Center behind a monster Pascal Siakam trade.

Spicy P spent his first 7 seasons with the Toronto Raptors. The 29-year-old was drafted 27th overall in 2016, and in his tenure with the team up north, he was a 2-time All-Star, a 2-time All-NBA player, a Most Improved Player, and an NBA champion. After a tough season for the 2019 NBA champs, they decided to trade away some of their core players for younger assets, and Indiana was on the other end of one their deals to acquire the 2-time All-Star. With young superstar Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers are looking to make a push for playoff success this season and in the near future.

Siakam ended the night with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Tyrese Haliburton recorded 17 points, 4 assists, and 2 blocks on 75% shooting while Aaron Nesmith finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists on 8/11 shooting.

For the Hornets, rookie Brandon Miller had a career-high 35 points. The 2nd overall pick has scored over 20 points in his last 4 games and he’s been showing his high potential, which must be promising for this organization. Miles Bridges scored 19 points with 6 rebounds while PJ Washington contributed 22 points and 9 rebounds off the bench.

This win improves the Pacers to 28-23, which makes them 6th in the Eastern Conference. Indiana is now 3.5 games behind the 5th seeded Philadelphia 76ers and 1.5 games above the 7th seeded Orlando Magic. They are 4-6 over their last 10 games and this win snaps a 3-game losing streak. Their next game will be on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets.

On the other hand, this loss drops the Hornets to 10-38, which makes them 13th in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is 2-8 over their last 10 games and currently on a 7-game losing streak. They will look to turn things around tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Lakers.