3 Studs from Indiana Pacers monster victory over Atlanta Hawks

Stud - Tyrese Haliburton

To close 2023, Tyrese Haliburton churned out a pair of back-to-back games with 20 or more assists. It was an absurd display of passing that led to two Pacers wins.

At the core of almost every Pacers win is Haliburton. The All-Star point guard has been nothing short of incredible this year and has a serious chance to start the All-Star Game in Indiana this season.

Well, while he may not have reached the 20-assist mark on Friday night, it was only because the Pacers were absolutely blowing out the Atlanta Hawks.

Haliburton only played 25:12 of action and didn’t play in the entire fourth quarter. Despite that, he still ended the night with 10 points, eight rebounds, 18 assists, two steals, and one block while shooting 4-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-4 from deep.

Putting up 18 assists in just over 25 minutes is absolutely insane and a testament to how great Haliburton is. He completely outdueled Trae Young, who finished with 13 points and six assists on 4-of-18 shooting from the field and 1-of-11 shooting from beyond the three-point line.

Every time it looks as though Haliburton may have reached his peak as a passer, he does something else that’s even more impressive, and leading his team to a 50-assist game definitely falls under that distinction.