Tyrese Haliburton’s Reaction to Pistons-Pacers Chippy Matchup

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton discussed the chippy matchup against the Pistons.

Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball while Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser (25) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Since the Detroit Pistons picked up a major win in an NBA Play-In matchup against the Indiana Pacers in November, the Pacers have approached their following battles against the Pistons with a little more motivation.

When the Pistons hosted the Pacers on January 16, Indiana was getting their revenge as they collected a double-digit win over a Detroit team that could’ve made a major move up in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Pacers let the Pistons hear it as the clock winded down on that mid-January night. The Pistons made it clear that they looked forward to the January 29 rematch.

Wednesday’s battle between the Pistons and the Pacers was a chippy one. Early on in the game, the Pistons lost their key defensive standout, Isaiah Stewart, who admittedly took the bait of Indiana’s mental warfare. Stewart couldn’t contain his emotions and got himself ejected early on in the game.

Isaiah Stewart was ejected from Pistons-Pacers after shoving Thomas Bryant. pic.twitter.com/y28vkYjaPL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 30, 2025

Although Stewart left the matchup early, the intensity remained high. Detroit’s side remained frustrated after the matchup, leading Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff to stand up for Stewart’s ejection.

On the other side, Pacer star Tyrese Haliburton reacted to the chippy game with an eye roll.

“It’s just hoops,” Haliburton told reporters after the game.

“I mean, After they played us here and beat us pretty bad, they were talking. We said, ‘Hey, we’re going to come and respond Game 3.’ We responded in Game 3. They didn’t like that—they talked after Game 3 and said they were gonna come in here for Game 4, and they couldn’t wait for it. We couldn’t wait either. We beat them.”

The Pacers put the Pistons away with a 133-119 victory. Indiana benefitted from a big night from their top three as Pascal Siakam posted 37 points, while Haliburton collected 30 of his own. The center, Myles Turner, produced 24 points, collecting 10 of those points from the charity stripe alone.

Indiana advanced to 26-20 on the year, moving to 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Pistons dip under .500 for the first time in weeks, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.

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