Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin had a big game on Tuesday night. He finished with 21 points and a career-high (tied) six assists against the Atlanta Hawks in a key win for the blue and gold. He was excellent.
Toppin came off the bench for the first time all season, but that put him in position to succeed. He did a ton of damage on the baseline with both his passing and scoring, and it changed the game for both the starting five and bench units. Toppin ended up closing the game for the blue and gold as they held on for a 157-152 victory.
Amid all of that, Toppin did what he does best. He flew above the rim for an eye-popping dunk, and it was the best highlight of the game.
With the Pacers off to a flying start offensively, the Hawks went to a hybrid zone defense late in the first quarter to slow down a poor-shooting reserve group Indiana had on the floor. It worked at times, but Toppin found a way to break it down.
Guard T.J. McConnnell drove into the lane from the top of the key, spun, and drew two defenders. Toppin, noticing that a pair of Hawks just went to contain McConnell, cut toward the basket. Indiana's backup point guard threw a nice pass over his head to Toppin, and the acrobatic forward did all the rest, dunking all over Onyeka Okongwu.
A video of the dunk can be seen below.
"Good pass @tjmcconnell," Toppin wrote on his Instagram story after the game. He's had several awesome dunks already this season, but this one may have been the best.
Toppin and Tyrese Haliburton almost linked up for an even better slam in the second half, but the alley-oop didn't quite connect. Still, Toppin's excellent outing was needed in the win, and his highlight play made it a night to remember for the new Pacer.
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