Tyrese Haliburton reaches double figures as Team USA crushes Slovenia
In his second outing for Team USA of the summer, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton reached double figures in scoring in a dominant win.
Earlier in the week, the All-Star guard had 12 assists in a victory over Puerto Rico. This time, his statline looked totally different as the red, white and blue began their play over in Europe.
They were taking on Slovenia in Malaga, Spain. Slovenia, though, was without star player Luka Doncic as he recovers from an "unfavorable blow" in a tune-up game earlier this week. They did still have former NBA player Zoran Dragic, though. They aren't slouches.
Haliburton came off the bench, but his team started off fine without him as they raced out to a 7-0 lead. The Pacers guard entered the game for the first time with 3:46 to go in the first quarter and his team leading by seven.
10 seconds later, he tossed his first assist. His passing has shined for Team USA, and guard Austin Reaves praised that skill earlier this week. "He likes to run in transition and he gets everybody involved," Reaves said.
Haliburton, fittingly, launched a full-court pass to Reaves for an assist later in the quarter. Indiana's All-Star had one rebound and two assists at the end of the first period.
He got on the scoreboard with a driving layup in the second quarter, and that's when Team USA really broke the game open. They led by seven after one quarter but carried a 16-point lead into halftime.
Haliburton wasn't pushing the ball in transition as often as he did in the first Team USA scrimmage, but he still was looking ahead and trying to find ways to get his teammates involved. He continued to play in lineups with other guards — such as Jalen Brunson and Reaves — and he doesn't have to run the show constantly in those units.
Haliburton had four points, one rebound, and four assists through three quarters. His team was rolling, and Haliburton had a nice move to earn a layup just before the end of the frame.
Slovenia's deficit was 18 heading into the final quarter, but they were crushed down the stretch. Team USA went on to win by 30, and Haliburton finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and six assists. He filled up the stat sheet in the final 10-minute period to reach double figures in scoring.
The Pacers star had six points, three rebounds, and two assists in the fourth to help put the game away. He reached double figures in scoring on an and-one layup with 58 seconds to go.
In the end, the final score was 92-62. Team USA is now 2-0 in exhibitions leading up to World Cup play.
Anthony Edwards led the squad with 15 points, and Brunson was the leader with eight assists. Dragic had eight points for the Slovenia side.
Team USA next hits the court tomorrow when they take on Spain. They then have a five-day break before another outing.
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