Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton dominates in Team USA’s win over Italy

Tyrese Haliburton has done it again.

Following an embarrassing loss to Lithuania in which he only recorded three points, it is safe to say that the Indiana Pacers point guard found his footing again in Team USA’s knockout stage win vs. Italy, scoring a career-high 18 points.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton dominates in Team USA’s win over Italy

In Team USA’s loss to Lithuania, there was some concern with Haliburton’s touches, as it seemed as though the squad was actively leaving him out of the offense in favor of Jalen Brunson and other ball-handlers despite Haliburton’s proven effectiveness. While his defensive improvements have been a pleasant surprise, his offensive production left a lot to be desired.

As for Haliburton’s defense, the point guard has made significant strides to improve on that end and has blossomed into a decent defender for Team USA, even recording some highlight blocks and turning defense into offense at times.

This was Team USA’s first look at this iteration of the Italian national team, and they have been without usual standout Danilo Gallinari, who is at the back end of his recovery process after tearing his ACL last summer during FIBA play.

Luckily for Team USA and Pacers fans, Haliburton got a chance to show off his skills, earning serious minutes and touches against Italy. It worked out well for everyone involved, as the star point guard showed out when his team needed him most.

With that, let’s break down Haliburton’s and Team USA’s performance against Italy, in which they punched their ticket to the semifinals of the tournament.

Tyrese Haliburton and Team USA win vs. Italy: First half

Tyrese Haliburton got subbed in with 4:24 left in the first quarter and got to business as usual, hitting a pullup three about a minute later. He then hit up Brandon Ingram for a three just a minute after that for his first assist of the game.

Haliburton’s best assist, however, would come a short while after that, as he threw another one of his patented no-look passes to Bobby Portis right under the rim for a dunk, which had the bench and the announcers out of their seats.

https://twitter.com/FIBAWC/status/1699046283997041055

He finished the first quarter with three assists in 4:24 on the floor, capping them off with this dish to Paolo Banchero. Spoiler alert: This wasn’t even their most spectacular connection of the game, that’s for sure.

Haliburton didn’t do much to start the second quarter, recording a rebound and a steal before getting subbed out after two minutes.

However, somewhat uncharacteristically, head coach Steve Kerr put him back in the game with 3:28 left in the half, allowing Haliburton to keep running the show. The Pacers star got another rebound, blocked a shot, and hit his second three-pointer of the game off a Banchero assist, wrapping up an impressive first half.

Tyrese Haliburton and Team USA win vs. Italy: Second half

After a productive ten or so minutes in the first half, Haliburton was subbed back in with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter and picked up right where he left off. He hit Austin Reaves in the corner on a beautiful drive-and-kick during a fastbreak that followed a Paolo Banchero block.

A couple of minutes later, Haliburton hit his third three-pointer of the game, upping his point total to nine and increasing Team USA’s lead to 39, doubling up Italy’s total.

However, Haliburton’s magnum opus of the game would come at the tail end of the third quarter, as he nabbed a steal, began a wide-open fast break, and threw a between-the-legs alley-oop to Paolo Banchero for a two-handed slam. This got the fans, players, commentators, and everyone on social media hyped.

https://twitter.com/FIBAWC/status/1699061488818999347

The play had every member of Team USA, from the starters to the bench, out of their seats and celebrating with Haliburton and Banchero.

Surprisingly, this was Haliburton’s fifth and final assist of the game, as he focused his attention on scoring during the fourth quarter.

In said fourth quarter, Haliburton hit three three-pointers in just over a minute, increasing his point total to 18, a new career-high for his Team USA career. It was good for second on the team in scoring for the day behind Mikal Bridges’ 24 points.

Some of the shots he hit were remarkable.

Following these heat-check three-pointers, Haliburton was subbed out of the game with 5:26 remaining in the fourth quarter and did not see any action for the rest of the game. However, his night was more than complete, with his mark being felt on both the box score and the highlight reel.

Tyrese Haliburton and Team USA win vs. Italy: Final stats and takeaways

Tyrese Haliburton was nothing short of spectacular against Italy. In 20 minutes, Haliburton recorded 18 points (6-for-9 FG, 6for-8 3PT), five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and a block while finishing second on the team in +/- with a rating of +23. Team USA cruised to a 37-point victory, winning 100-63.

This game was a prime example of what Indiana Pacers fans and FIBA viewers have wanted from Steve Kerr and Team USA. Since the exhibition games, fans have been clamoring for Kerr to give Haliburton more minutes, or at least more touches, as he usually makes magic happen when the ball is in his hands.

Haliburton didn’t even have to drive to the rim to get his 18 points, as he scored all of them by way of three-pointers, most of which came off the dribble, and some with a hand right in his face.

The point guard’s effort against Italy paid off on the stat sheet, too, as Haliburton is now Team USA’s best player, according to HoopsHype’s player ratings system.

https://twitter.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1699092635674132516

It kind of makes you think that the NBA would benefit from having him and the Pacers on national TV more often…

Once again, fans on social media noticed how comfortable Team USA’s players are with Haliburton on the floor, with some even noting that Brandon Ingram, who has been struggling so far and was even taken out of the starting lineup for Josh Hart, has been playing better with Haliburton on the floor rather than Jalen Brunson.

https://twitter.com/Kameron_Hay/status/1699044182050926978

Paolo Banchero certainly thinks Tyrese has helped him, too, as he also took to social media to commend the point guard’s passing ability. The Orlando magic star insisted that Haliburton has never thrown him a pass he didn’t like.

https://twitter.com/Pp_doesit/status/1699091572162527678

Banchero even stated in his post-game interview that he was not expecting Haliburton to go between the legs on the fast break and referred to him as a “showman” for his flashy passes and ability to show off on the court.

https://twitter.com/BasketNews_com/status/1699072054321131952

All in all, Haliburton has put on a show so far, averaging 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 62.5% from the field and an impressive 56% from beyond the arc.

He has done wonders for Team USA’s chemistry on and off the floor, making his teammates better along the way. This will unquestionably translate to the regular season when he goes back to his familiar teammates in Indiana.

Team USA, seeking their sixth World Cup gold medal, will face the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between 11th-ranked Germany (5-0) and 29th-ranked Latvia (4-1) in the semifinals on Friday at 8:40 AM on ESPN2/ESPN+.