“I blame Buddy for not reaching 20 assists. I tried, but they made mistakes”. Tyrese Haliburton can laugh, he will one day reach 20 assists in an NBA game. That night, he set his personal best with 19 assists. That’s two more than his old record, but it’s also one more than all the Rockets combined! Better, he adds 29 points, including 12 in overtime to allow the Pacers to win 134-125 against Houston.
“There is no pressure. It’s just basketball. It’s in the rhythm of the game.” explains the NBA’s second-best passer. “It’s having in mind that guys expect me to create the game. That’s what I’m here for. It’s part of the maturity of an NBA player and a point guard in this franchise. I love that, and I love that people expect that of me. »
All-Star, the former Kings point guard has raised his level of play in overtime, and Rick Carlisle dares to compare him to the greatest legend of the franchise. A legend that he also had under his orders… “He took the game on his own in extra time. He showed his worth. He loves those moments, the same way Reggie Miller does.”
Perhaps most impressively, Tyrese Haliburton was not having a great night in terms of skill, going 0 of 7 from 3-point range before overtime. But in overtime, he signs a 4 out of 4, with a 2 out of 2 from afar. He had saved the best for last.
Pacers one win away from play-in
“I just found my rhythm… Buddy made a big 3-pointer in overtime. Andrew (Nembhard) stole a ball. I had to put a 3-pointer, and once I put it, the rest followed. »
The fact remains that the Pacers struggled to repel the Rockets, and Tyrese Haliburton points to the shortcomings of the evening.
“It was ugly and it’s not normal… They dominated on the offensive rebound. They scored a lot of points on second chances. 23 I think is a lot. They never stopped penetrating… We lost balls and that allowed them to project themselves into the transition game. They have a lot of youngsters ready to race. They play fast, like us. »
But more importantly, Indiana won, and Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates are just one win behind the Wizards, current 10th in the Eastern Conference.
