Four things you missed during Pascal Siakam's game winner in Pacers vs Bulls
Pascal Siakam was a hero in Pacers-Bulls. But you didn't see everything.
INDIANAPOLIS – Pascal Siakam had a moment on Saturday night. With time about to expire and the score between the Pacers and Bulls tied at 101, the All-Star forward rose up and buried a mid-range shot just before the final buzzer that gave Indiana a 103-101 win.
It was a bucket fitting for a crafty, experienced veteran like Siakam. He used his handle, patience, and poise for just a few beats – skills and traits built over a decade-long career – to rise up over the much younger Matas Buzelis and the aiding Tre Jones in order to hit the shot. It was perfect, or "butter" as Siakam said postgame.
Tony East
"This is why you have max players," head coach Rick Carlisle said of Siakam's game winner. "To put the ball in their hands in those kinds of situations knowing that they can not only get a shot, but they can make those shots and make difficult shots."
The heroic play lifted the Pacers to 4-16 and started their first winning streak of the season. Here are four details you missed in the moment.
Andrew Nembhard, caught red handed stealing Siakam's headband
Who knows why Andrew Nembhard wanted to do this or what inspired him. But he was determined to remove Siakam's headband and fling it away in the post-shot celebrations. And he was not denied – the Bulls broadcast angle made it very clear who the headband thief was.
"I don't know, man," Siakam said of why someone would do that. "I don't know who did that. I've got to check the footage."
Well, there's the footage. Nembhard earned one more steal after the final buzzer.
Kam Jones, telling Siakam to cook
The Pacers bench had multiple players involved in the final play, most notably Tyrese Haliburton pointing out defenders and shouting instructions. Kam Jones had a more simple role. Almost instantly after Siakam turned and sized up Buzelis, Jones raised his arms and stirred the pot, literally.
He signaled for Siakam to cook.
One fan, who knew the shot was going in.
Multiple angles of the final play captured various fans reacting to the shot. If you go frame by frame, you can see this fan raise their arms above their head in quasi-celebration with 1.0 still on the clock. They knew the shot was going in.
Boomer, calm as can be
This one is only visible from the many videos of the final shot that came from media row. Boomer, the Pacers mascot, was courtside hanging out with fans in the front row to take in the last play.
He took a knee to watch Siakam make his move. Some would expect a big reaction from the mascot as the shot dropped. But Boomer, a veteran who has seen several incredible shots this calendar year, had a "been there, done that," reaction.
If you spend enough time watching every angle from every broadcast, you'll find more awesome reactions and involved parties. It was a big moment for Siakam, especially coming just a few days after his shot attempt to take the lead in Toronto was blocked in the final 15 seconds. This time, he got it done and pushed the Pacers to their second-straight win.
Other notes from the Pacers fourth victory
Jay Huff bookended the win with spectacular plays
The first 3:42 of Pacers-Bulls was the Jay Huff show. A three here. Another one there. A putback in the middle. Some defense. Solid work on the boards. He did it all.
With 8:18 on the clock in the first quarter, Bulls coach Billy Donovan took a timeout. His team was down 14-9. Huff had... 14 points. And two rebounds. He was unstoppable as Chicago tried to shut down other options.
After the stoppage, the Bulls turned more attention to Huff. That opened up the lane for the rest of the Pacers and made this shot from Bennedict Mathurin, for example, MUCH easier.
Huff's first quarter line was 14 points and two rebounds. He made four outside shots. Then, he was quiet statistically until the final minutes – Huff's entire statline across the second and third quarter was three rebounds, two assists, and one block.
He started the fourth quarter on the floor and grabbed a rebound but hit the bench for Isaiah Jackson after a few minutes. But with 4:18 to go, Carlisle put Huff back on the floor with the Pacers down five inside the final five minutes. They needed the big man to produce again.
He sure did. With about 2.5 minutes to go, he aided in a stop against Nikola Vucevic and pulled in a rebound. The Pacers scored on the other end and took the lead. Down by one with 88 seconds to go, Huff blocked a layup from Josh Giddey in spectacular fashion – it was impressive enough that the officials initially deemed it was a goaltend, but replay review determined otherwise.
"If it wasn't overturned, I was going to be upset. That one felt obvious to me," Huff said postgame.
Huff was not done. Holding a one point lead with under 30 seconds to go, he blocked a shot from a driving Kevin Huerter. The Bulls rebounded that block, but Huff recovered to swat Vucevic's shot again and get the Pacers possession. He logged three rebounds and three blocks in just the fourth quarter.
huge block from Jay Huff 😤 pic.twitter.com/EzLmcXCuRC
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) November 30, 2025
Almost all of Huff's production came in the first four minutes or final four minutes. The other 40 were just ok. But that's an acceptable way for the game to go when Huff was so dominant in his peak eight minutes that the Pacers don't win without him.
Isaiah Jackson, rolling with the bench
Huff has had many noteworthy successes of late, but Jackson has quietly hit a groove this week. One game after noting that Jackson entered the season with more minutes alongside T.J. McConnell than Huff had total minutes, Jackson continued to feast with the second unit.
Jackson contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds without missing a shot against the Bulls. He added two blocks, one steal, and one assist, and he kept his foul count down enough that he could log over 22 minutes of action. It's essentially all the Pacers have wanted to see from the big man this season.
"As time is going along here, you can see Isaiah getting his natural conditioning back," Carlisle said postgame. "A guy like him who is not an outside shooter is still a rhythm player. There is still a rhythm to his game. Re-connecting him with the team and also doing so considering the adjustments we've had to make as a team, he's been terrific."
In the seven games since Mathurin returned from injury, a mostly-competent stretch of Pacers basketball, Jackson is averaging 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 71.9% from the field. He's rounding into form, and the Pacers are getting solid center play for closer to 48 minutes.
As a result, they're on a winning streak for the first time this season and have won three of their last six. They'll look to keep it going when the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town on Monday night.
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