Tyrese Haliburton's 20-point triple-double propels Pacers to in-season tournament semis
Tyrese Haliburton's incredible season took another remarkable turn on Monday after he led the Indiana Pacers to a 122-112 win over the Boston Celtics in the NBA in-season tournament quarterfinals.
Haliburton finished with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds while shooting 10-of-18 from the field, including 5-of-11 from deep. He broke open a game tied at 105 with a four-point play with 1:33 remaining in the fourth.
Entering Monday's game, Halburton averaged a career-high 27 points while leading the league with 11.8 assists.
Indiana (11-8, sixth in Eastern Conference) is one of the most entertaining teams in the league. Its advancement to the semifinals is a win for the league and the in-season tournament. We have an entire season (and playoffs) to watch the Celtics compete for an NBA title. It's refreshing for an ascending young team such as the Pacers to get the spotlight for once.
They rank first in the league with 128.4 points per game and have the top pace (104.2) in the league while also allowing 125.2 points per game, the most in the league. Per Spotrac, Indiana has the fifth-youngest roster by age (24.6 years) and the lowest payroll in the league ($130.2M).
The Pacers will play either New York (12-7, fifth in Eastern Conference) or Milwaukee (14-6, third in Eastern Conference) in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the in-season tournament on Thursday.
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