Tyrese vs. New Zealand: First Half
Steve Kerr would not waste any time getting Haliburton his first real World Cup minutes, subbing him in with 4:09 remaining in the first half.This would be a much-needed substitution, as Team USA was trailing 5-14 before this change and the starting backcourt of Brunson and Edwards just wasn’t getting it done yet. Haliburton would make his presence felt in the first quarter, getting a steal, and scoring his first points off a tip in about a minute and a half later. He would also grab another rebound and throw an assist to Austin Reaves before the quarter finished.
After being quiet for the first 4 minutes, Haliburton would once again get himself on the court with a 3-pointer, assisted by Anthony Edwards before subbing out about 20 seconds later. Despite only playing about 7 minutes in the first half, and scoring 5 points and dishing out 1 assist, Haliburton’s presence was also felt on the box score, as he had a +/- of +13 and would have easily thrown a few more assists if his teammates weren’t whiffing open three opportunities.
Haliburton was +13 in his first 7:30 on the floor. Five points on 2 of 2 shooting with an assist. Deserved a couple more but guys missed some open 3-point looks.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) August 26, 2023