Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton only had eight points in their 126-112 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he still made history on Friday night.
With his pass to set up Aaron Nesmith for a three-pointer during the final period, Tyrese Haliburton recorded his 11th assist to break the Indiana Pacers’ single-game record of 713 assists set by Mark Jackson in 1997-98.
“He (Haliburton) should never be defined by whether he’s getting a certain number of points,” said Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. “He’s a guy who’s a master at facilitating for his teammates. Mark Jackson was a really good player. That record stood for a long time. Tyrese Haliburton is going to shatter that record again next season when he doesn’t miss 15 games.”
“I can’t wrap my mind around it. The guy gets 10+ assists in his sleep,” TJ McConnell added about Tyrese Haliburton during the postgame press conference.
Tyrese Haliburton is back at his best for the Indiana Pacers
Since arriving from the Sacramento Kings, Tyrese Haliburton emerged as a bona fide superstar for the Indiana Pacers. This season, the 24-year-old floor general averages 20.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, a league-high 11.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest.
Tyrese Haliburton suffered a temporary dip in form after the NBA All-Star Game because he sustained a hamstring injury in January. It got so bad for him that he laid a goose egg in a 129-109 blowout defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans last month.
But before the win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tyrese Haliburton picked up his production since he averaged 20.6 points, four rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 3.9 three-pointers per game on 45.5 percent shooting from the floor. With him doing his thing, it’s no wonder the Indiana Pacers won nine in their last 14 games.
With a 44-34 record, the Indiana Pacers are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. They will aim to win all their final four regular-season games against the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Atlanta Hawks.
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