Haliburton, Pacers snap Sixers' eight-game win streak
Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points and dished out 15 assists as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 132-126 in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday night, snapping Philadelphia's eight-game winning streak.
“We know there was higher stakes in this game with it being the in-season tournament,” Haliburton said. “I've never played in a playoff game, so this is my first chance to compete for a championship and I took it very seriously. ... And I never beat Philly before, so this was an exciting win for me.”
The Pacers improved to 2-0 in pool play to take the lead in the tournament's East Conference Group A standings. The Sixers are now 1-1.
Myles Turner added 17 points for the Pacers, including 15 in the fourth quarter, as their bench outscored Philadelphia's 33-6.
“We had to be up to the mental challenge of playing in difficult situations against a team with two great players and a lot of hard playing guys and our guys got the job done," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said.
Joel Embiid had 39 points, while De'Anthony Melton added 30. Tyrese Maxey was held to 27 points on 9-of-23 shooting after scoring 50 points on Sunday against the Pacers.
In a reversal of the Sixers' victory on Sunday, the Pacers led for the majority of the first three quarters.
The Sixers led for only 26 seconds in the first three quarters, as the Pacers built a 13-point lead early in the third quarter thanks to Haliburton and Toppin's hot shooting. Haliburton was hot from beyond the arc in the first half, going 6 for 8 from deep to help the Pacers build a 63-54 lead at the break.
After allowing the Sixers 23 offensive rebounds on Sunday, the Pacers held them to five on Tuesday.
Haliburton finished the game 11 for 18 from the field and 7 for 12 from beyond the 3-point line. In two games against Philadelphia, he had 32 assists and no turnovers. Toppin shot 12 of 15 from the field.
Philadelphia clawed its way back into the game in the fourth quarter, taking its first lead on a Harris turnaround jumper shortly after re-entering the game after being staggered and removed when Kendall Brown fell on his head and neck area. Harris returned after passing the concussion protocol.
After a back-and-forth stretch, Indiana went on an 11-2 run to gain separation and a lead it never relinquished.
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