Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton just keeps hitting new highs and his team is rising because of it.
Haliburton finished with 27 points and 15 assists, committing exactly zero turnovers in the process, lifting the Pacers into the In-Season Tournament finals with a 128-119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas on Thursday.
“Means the world to us as a group,” Haliburton said, via Tony East of SI.com. “We’re shocking the world right now.”
But for Haliburton, it’s always about more than just the numbers.
“And just like on Monday (vs. the Boston Celtics), he knocked down a massive shot when the Pacers needed it,” Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star wrote of Haliburton. “They led by five with a minute to play, but Milwaukee was charging. Haliburton hit a step-back 3 from the left wing to put the Pacers up 122-114, essentially closing out the game.”
Interestingly, the Pacers (12-8) improved to 6-0 in tournament play, but are just 6-8 in the regular season.
Now, the goal is to go down in history as the first In-Season Tournament champion.
“We’re not coming here to just make it look good, “coach Rick Carlisle said, via Dopirak. “It’s all about getting to the finish line.”
Center Myles Turner also has been particularly good lately, finishing with 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Forward Obi Toppin added 14 points.
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