3 takeaways as Tyrese Haliburton's career night lifts Pacers past Heat
It's worth remembering what happened when the Indiana Pacers fell to the Miami Heat on December 12. The team scored just 82 points and star guard Tyrese Haliburton finished with only one point, it was the worst game of his career and the Pacers worst offensive outing of the season.
It's worth remembering that because tonight, Haliburton made everyone forget the game even happened. In Miami, the 22-year old point guard had the best game of his career, carving up the Heat on his way to 43 points, seven assists, and the game-winning jumper. He drilled ten threes, a Pacers franchise record, and looked like just as much of an All-Star as he did two nights prior in Boston.
"I told everybody, 'just give me the ball and the game will be over'," Haliburton said on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast after the final buzzer.
43 points is Haliburton's career high, and his first time exceeding 35 as a member of the Pacers. Indiana was a +4 with their star point guard on the court for the night, which proved to be vital in a three-point win; the final score was 111-108.
Haliburton was unstoppable, and he lifted the Pacers to their second-straight win. Indiana improved to 17-16 with the victory, and they have now won consecutive games for the first time since November 21.
Buddy Hield added 21 points, all on three-point shots. Jalen Smith had a double-double off the bench. Many other Pacers players had big plays in key moments.
But this was the Haliburton game, and the clutch shot was the biggest moment of his Pacers tenure. He has earned the chance to take clutch shots for the blue and gold, and he will continue to take them going forward.
The biggest takeaways for the Pacers tonight could all be Haliburton-based, but there are others that stand out after an impressive win.
Tyrese Haliburton is a star
The Heat gave Haliburton unique defensive coverages just 11 days ago, and it slowed down the talented point guard. Now, less than two weeks later, he has already learned how to deal with more defensive attention and tore apart the same defense that gave him fits earlier in the month.
That is what stars do. They learn from their bad games, regroup, and get better. Haliburton is only 22, but he is already capable of doing exactly that. And he did it against a top-eight defense.
A career-high scoring night, combined with one of the biggest moments of his NBA career, means that this isn't a night Tyrese Haliburton will soon forget. It also could be remembered as the one that he became known as a star throughout the league.
The Pacers respond to their struggles
Haliburton responded to his struggles against the Heat by going from a one-point game to a 43-point outing. That's reflective of what the Pacers have done all season.
Every time the blue and gold get down, they bounce back up. Prior to Wednesday, the team had lost four out of five and hadn't won two straight games in a month. But then, they beat the Celtics in Boston and the Heat in Miami. They bounced right back, and they are over .500 again.
The Pacers are now tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference standings and are one game out of sixth. They have surprised many this season and continue to impress as the calendar reaches Christmas.
Buddy Hield stepped up
Haliburton was amazing, but he couldn't have propelled the Pacers to a victory alone. Buddy Hield stepped up in a huge way.
The sweet-shooting guard hit seven threes, one-third of the team's total for the night. All 21 of his points came from long range, including qw in the first half. He was excellent, and he played off of Haliburton well.
"Buddy got us going," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.
Indiana now has two days off and will play next on Monday in New Orleans. They will look to keep up their strong play against the 20-12 Pelicans.
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