The Indiana Pacers have just blown out the Dallas Mavericks 133-111. This game was certainly one of the most satisfying wins so far this season for the Pacers, as they enjoyed double-figure nights from seven players, and Myles Turner once again played his heart out against his hometown team, scoring 33 points for a new season-high and grabbing eight rebounds.
Since this was a blowout, there wasn't much drama or many tight situations to notice, but one situation stole the show for a while and may have helped the Pacers in some way. To put it simply, Luka Doncic was electric, scoring 33 points and dishing out six assists to go with six rebounds.
He was by far the Mavs' best contributor, and while Indiana got fantastic defense on Doncic from the likes of Bennedict Mathurin, perhaps the biggest assist came from the most unlikely source, Tyrese Halibuton's father, John.
If you have watched the Pacers this season or the last, you may have noticed the bald man sitting courtside, usually with a custom jersey on. That man is John Haliburton, Tyrese's father, and he has created quite the buzz for himself.
With his hilarious antics, quotes, and energy on the sidelines supporting the Pacers and his son, John Haliburton has become somewhat of a cult hero in Indiana hoops this season, and that legend may have just grown after Sunday.
With less than a minute remaining in the first half, and Luka Doncic sending a Bennedict Mathurin shot attempt out of bounds, Doncic took a moment to stop and shake the elder Haliburton's hand to show some respect.
John may have gotten a bit too caught up in the moment, which led to him shaking Doncic's hand for a bit longer than usual and holding on pretty tight, which ended up being quite amusing as Doncic tried to get Haliburton's grip away from him and was even seen wincing a bit after the handshake as if John Haliburton's hand was powerful enough to affect his play.
The real MVP for the Pacers tonight was John Haliburton for almost ripping Luka’s hand off with his iron grip pic.twitter.com/N6RcUNu7g6
— The House that Kami Built (@KamitronPTW) February 26, 2024
While this would be enough on its own as a light-hearted headline, the fact that this might have affected Doncic's play makes it even more notable.
After scoring 25 points on 8/13 from the field in the first half and generally lighting up the Pacers defense, Doncic's play slowed down quite a bit in the second, as he only scored eight points on 2/8 shooting, looking noticeably more tired as the time went on.
Now, while this was probably the result of playing basketball for a while longer, it is worth mentioning that Doncic was visibly in some discomfort after the handshake and, while it probably didn't affect his play, as the Pacers switched up their defensive approach in the second half to slow him down, it is still a fun anecdote to note in an otherwise lopsided Pacers win.
Long live the Indiana Pacers, and long live John Haliburton!