Siakam propels shorthanded Pacers to first win of NBA season

Pascal Siakam came up with a decisive three-pointer in the final seconds and the injury-stricken Indiana Pacers won their first game of the NBA season, beating Golden State 114-109 on Saturday.

Cameroonian guard Siakam scored 27 points, Aaron Nesmith added 31 points - a career and game high - and Quenton Jackson added 25 points, also a personal best, to help snap the reigning NBA runner-up's streak of five straight losses at the start of the new campaign.

The Pacers, trailing 104-93 midway through the fourth quarter after Stephen Curry scored three of his 24 points for Golden State, closed the game with a 21-5 run to beat the Warriors (4-3).

"Intense, physical basketball"

"We just played intense, physical basketball," Siakam told AFP. "We have to get back to being ourselves. We have to play hard. Teams have to suffer when they play against us. During those minutes, we made it difficult for them."

Siakam, who was part of the NBA championship team with Toronto in 2019, gave Indiana a 112-109 lead with a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left.

"I was just trying to play hard and be in position to help my team," Siakam added. "We all fought for the rebound, I was left with an open shot. Just got to shoot it." Jackson rounded out the victory with a final basket with 5.2 seconds left.

Indiana is missing star Tyrese Haliburton, who will be out for the season after suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the NBA Finals against the Thunder last June. In addition, it has also lost forward Obi Toppin to a broken right foot, point guard T.J. McConnell with a hamstring injury, shooting guard Kam Jones with a back injury, Bennedict Mathurin with a toe injury and Andrew Nembhard with a shoulder injury.

"This is the tough part. A couple of months ago we were on top, trying to win the championship, and then to start 0-5 like that, it's tough," Siakam said. "What I try to do is keep everybody together, keep fighting no matter what, just think about the next game."

Giannis isn't enough to bend the Kings

Zach LaVine scored 31 points and DeMar DeRozan added 29 to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 135-133 victory over Milwaukee. The Kings (2-4) also had 24 points apiece from Dennis Schröder and Domantas Sabonis, who also contributed 13 rebounds.

For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, although the Greek colossus was not enough.

Julius Randle scored 30 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 122-105 win over Charlotte, while Kevin Durant added 26 to command the Houston Rockets' 128-101 victory over Boston.

Paolo Banchero scored 28 points and Franz Wagner added 25 to lead Orlando to a 125-94 win over Washington.

Pistons beat Mavericks in Mexico City game 2025

Dallas faced Detroit in Mexico City in a later game. It was the NBA's 15th regular-season game in Mexico, where the league has also played 19 preseason games.

The Mavericks, without forward Anthony Davis, their leading scorer and rebounder, due to a left leg injury, were outrebounded 122-110 by the Pistons.