Pascal Siakam made quite the impact in his NBA Finals debut against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

The Toronto Raptors power forward led his team with 32 points, putting him in a tie for the fifth-most by a player in his first NBA Finals game over the last 30 seasons.

Most Points in 1st NBA Finals Game (Last 30 Seasons)

Year Player Points
2001 Allen Iverson 48
2012 Kevin Durant 36
1991 Michael Jordan 36
1999 Tim Duncan 33
2019 Pascal Siakam 32
 2006 Jason Terry 32
1996 Shawn Kemp 32
 

Siakam matched Kawhi Leonard with a team-high eight rebounds and added five assists in the Raptors 118-109 Game 1 victory over the Warriors. 

"He's one of the better finishers in the paint in the game," Warriors guard Klay Thompson said, "I know we'll step up to the challenge on Sunday to limit his opportunities, which a lot of them came in transition from sprinting the floor."

Siakam's 32 points were a career-playoff high for the Cameroon-born player. He eclipsed his previous playoff high of 29 points, which he scored in a 108-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference second-round series.

"He pretty much found a bucket wherever he was at," said Golden State guard Steph Curry, who finished with a game-high 34 points.

Siakam took his game to another level and added a spacing element to Toronto's offence against a Warriors team that is loaded with talented players like Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green.

Golden State was without star Kevin Durant, who is out with a calf injury but is expected to return around Game 4, according to a report. Durant's absence no doubt helped Siakam and the Raptors, who shot 50.6 per cent from the field, compared to Golden State's 43.6 per cent.

Curry's 34 points gave the Warriors star his sixth-consecutive game of 30 points or more scored, the longest such streak in either regular season or playoffs in his career.