by Wheat Hotchkiss
2023 was a breakout year for Tyrese Haliburton. He earned his first All-Star selection in February and emerged as one of the new faces of the league in the early months of the 2023-24 season, leading the Pacers to the Championship game of the In-Season Tournament and leading the NBA in assists.
So it’s fitting that Haliburton pulled off a historic feat in his final two games of the calendar year. After tallying 21 points and 20 assists in Thursday’s 120-104 victory in Chicago, Haliburton followed that up with 22 points and 23 assists on Saturday in Indiana’s 140-126 victory over the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Haliburton is just the third player in NBA history to record 20 or more points and 20 or more assists in consecutive games. The others? Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and John Stockton.
His 23 assists also tied the Pacers franchise record, set by Jamaal Tinsley against Washington on Nov. 22, 2001.
“I didn’t know 23 was the franchise record, otherwise I probably would have hunted to get 24,” Haliburton joked after the win.
“We had the most threes in franchise history today,” he continued. “It’s a common theme. Assists don’t happen without making shots…It’s no surprise that those things correlate. Guys have to make shots for me to get assists. We’re doing that at a high clip right now. Everybody shot the ball well from three.”
Haliburton’s historic feat was the headliner, but five Pacers finished in double figures as Indiana (17-14) closed out 2023 with three consecutive wins.
Myles Turner finished with a team-high 28 points and eight rebounds, going 10-for-17 from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range. Aaron Nesmith added 25 points while going 7-for-11 from beyond the arc.
The Knicks (16-15) were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and also shorthanded on Saturday after making a significant trade earlier in the day, dealing away RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley — their third- and fourth-leading scorers — to Toronto in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn. Still, New York was competitive for much of the night, with Donte DiVincenzo scoring 38 points, going 15-for-21 from the field 7-for-11 from 3-point range.
FIRST QUARTER
The Knicks jumped out to a 13-4 lead at the start of Saturday’s contest, with Josh Hart, Julius Randle, and Jalen Brunson each hitting a 3-pointer in the first four minutes.
But the Pacers found their offensive groove shortly thereafter. Big man Turner scored nine of Indiana’s first 19 points, then second-year swingman Bennedict Mathurin checked in off the bench and promptly knocked down back-to-back threes to tie the game at 25.
The Blue & Gold took the lead for the first time when second-year guard Andrew Nembhard got a shooter’s bounce on a 3-point attempt from the right wing with 56.1 seconds left in the opening quarter. A Mathurin layup on the next Pacers possession gave the hosts a 32-27 lead after one.
Haliburton had eight assists in the opening frame.
SECOND QUARTER
The Knicks opened the ensuing frame with a 7-2 run to tie the game at 34, but the Pacers answered with a 10-3 surge of their own and remained in front for the majority of the quarter.
New York tied the game once again at 49 on Brunson’s three with 4:08 remaining, but former Knick Obi Toppin answered with a three of his own on the other end. The visitors knotted the score once more at 57 following a Randle free throw with 1:35 to play in the half, but a Turner layup at the 1:02 mark gave Indiana a lead it would not relinquish up through the intermission, as the Blue & Gold led 64-62 at the break.
THIRD QUARTER
The Knicks scored the first five points of the second half to briefly surge in front, but Nesmith, Jalen Smith, and Turner knocked down 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.
Haliburton assisted on the first two of those threes and would connect with Nesmith to set up three more threes in the frame.
Indiana outscored New York 39-20 from the 10:31 mark to 1:04 mark in the third quarter to build a 16-point lead and took a 105-92 advantage into the fourth.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Pacers made eight 3-pointers in their 41-point third quarter, with Nesmith going 4-for-5 and Turner 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Haliburton dished out seven assists in the frame to get to 19 on the night.
He reentered the game with 6:52 to play and Indiana up 117-103, needing just three points and one assist to record another 20/20 game.
The points came at the 5:50 mark, when he drove left and banked in a runner through contact from Brunson, then knocked down the ensuing free throw.
The assist came the very next possession, as he dribbled the left elbow, then kicked back to Turner at the top of the arc. The veteran big man drained his fifth three of the night with 5:27 to play to complete history.
Haliburton found him again for another trey with 4:30 to play for his 21st assist, putting him two behind Tinsley’s franchise record. His 22nd assist came a minute later, when he drove right and found Nesmith spotting up on the left wing for his sixth trey of the evening.
He added two free throws with 1:44 to play and was serenaded with “M-V-P” chants while at the stripe. When Brunson missed a three with 1:12 remaining, Haliburton grabbed the rebound and pushed the break, connecting with a streaking Nembhard for a layup and the record-tying assist.
That prompted a timeout, with both teams electing to empty their benches for the final minute, meaning Haliburton will share the franchise record with fellow Iowa State Cyclone Tinsley for the time being.
“He just keeps getting better and better and better,” Turner said of Haliburton’s performance. “He’s not satisfied with his past performances. It’s easy to get satisfied and say ‘I’m an All-Star,’ but he’s continued to add more and more to his game…He just knows the game so well. It’s been a pleasure to be able to play with him.”
Mathurin finished with 20 points off the bench, going 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Nembhard added 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Randle tallied 28 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists for the Knicks, while Brunson added 28 points and six assists. Josh Hart had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds slotting into the starting lineup after Barrett was traded.
The Pacers will open up 2024 with two straight games against their Central Division rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers and Bucks will meet in Milwaukee on Monday and again at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers went 23-for-42 (54.8 percent) from 3-point range, tying the franchise record for threes made in a game. Indiana first made 23 3-pointers last season in a win at Brooklyn on Oct. 29, 2022.
Nesmith’s seven 3-pointers were a new career high. He made six at Milwaukee on March 16.
Turner’s 28 points were a new season high. He topped 20 points for the 13th time this season and the third time in his last four games.
Haliburton now has 23 double-doubles on the season, the most of any guard in the NBA and tied with Giannis Antetokounmpo for the most double-doubles by any player in the Eastern Conference.
Haliburton’s 43 assists over the last two games are the most by any player in a two-game span since Stockton had 44 over a two-game span in April 1992. Stockton and Guy Rodgers share the NBA record with 47 assists over a two-game span, with Rodgers setting the mark in 1963 and Stockton matching it in 1991.
The Pacers shot 59.5 percent from the field in the win and reached 140 points for the sixth time in 31 games.
Playing against the team that drafted him for the first time, Toppin tallied nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, eight rebounds, and three blocks in just under 20 minutes off the bench.
DiVincenzo’s 38 points shattered his previous career high. His best was 25 points at Charlotte on Nov. 18.
You Can Quote Me On That
“His offensive level is beyond elite…He’s put a lot of work in the last two summers on reads, on being able to create rim pressure and to increase his range. Teams are in a real bind. He causes major problems. Our points per chance when he’s in the pick-and-roll with the five-man is at a galactic rate.” -Carlisle on Haliburton
“It’s fire. It’s pretty cool. Anytime your name is brought up with legends of the game, it’s a blessing and it’s awesome.” -Haliburton on joining Johnson and Stockton as the only players in NBA history to have 20+ points and 20+ assists in two straight games
“We’re playing with pace. That was important…They played last night so we wanted to keep attacking them. I thought we did a good job of it. Ty was finding people, Nembhard was finding people. Aaron had a great game. He got hot pretty early and our guys continued to find him.” -Carlisle on the Pacers’ offense
“It’s just me being more aggressive. I think in those situations, a lot of bigs get the ball and look to pass and distribute. My first look is to the basket. Obviously, he benefits from that because he gets his assists and then on the other hand if they take it away, we have great shooters on the perimeter, so I’m spreading it out and those guys are making shots.” -Turner on finding success with Haliburton in the pick-and-roll
“I pulled Aaron to the side and told him in that third quarter, ‘Your improvement is astronomical just compared to last year.’…It’s noticeable, just the work he’s put in and how he’s embraced his role here. He’s got a starting role now and I think he’s doing a great job of just playing both ends of the floor.” -Turner on Nesmith’s development
“The other thing I want to mention is how well Obi played off the bench and the way he battled Randle. I thought it set a defiant tone to the game. This has been a tough stretch for him, being out of the starting lineup after starting for (27) games. He was a real pro. He knows Randle. Randle’s a really tough matchup, but he made him work and blocked a couple of his shots and he really impacted him. I was really happy for him. It’s always tough playing against your former team.” -Carlisle on Toppin’s contributions
“Just attention to detail. I feel like we’re spending the majority of our time talking about the defensive side of the ball. I think that (Coach Carlisle) trusts me and my teammates offensively. We know how to play. We’re obviously putting up one of the best offensive seasons in NBA history right now…The main focus has been defense. Our shootarounds have been a lot more intense on that side of the ball. Just paying attention to detail. I think there’s just been a big emphasis on that (and) holding guys more accountable.” -Haliburton on the Pacers’ defensive improvements
Stat of the Night
Haliburton joined an exclusive club on Saturday, becoming just the third player in NBA history to tally 20 or more points and 20 or more assists in consecutive games. Magic Johnson was the first to accomplish the feat on Dec. 18 and 19, 1984 and John Stockton did it on March 1 and 3, 1990.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers have won two straight against the Knicks including a 141-136 victory at Madison Square Garden on the final day of the 2022-23 regular season. The Knicks do not visit Indianapolis again in the regular season, but Indiana will travel to New York for two games on Feb. 1 and 10.
- Pacers guard Bruce Brown missed his fourth straight game with a right knee bone bruise.
- The Pacers improved to 7-1 on the season when wearing their City Edition uniforms.
- Toppin faced off against his younger brother, Jacob, a rookie on a two-way contract for the Knicks, for the first time. Jacob Toppin played the final 1:05 and tallied one assist. Carlisle subbed Obi Toppin back in with 28.9 seconds left so he could be on the floor with his brother for the closing seconds of the contest.
Up Next
The Pacers tip off a home-and-home set with the Bucks in Milwaukee on Monday, Jan. 1 at 8:00 PM ET.
Tickets
The Pacers will play their first home game of 2024 when they host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 7:00 PM ET
Originally posted on pacers.com