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Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton came up big during Monday’s NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinal matchup against the Boston Celtics. Haliburton finished with a team-high 26 points, including 19 in the second half as Indiana secured a 122-112 upset victory. Afterward, the All-Star shared a surprise reason for his success.
During his postgame interview, Haliburton touched on his first-half struggles. Playing in the biggest game of his career to date, he finished the half with just seven points, six rebounds, two assists and one 3-pointer on 37.5% shooting.
According to the star point guard, he had a hard time catching his breath. So, he used an inhaler to do so during the halftime break.
“I was doing an awful job in the first half. I was getting attacked, I couldn't breathe. Had to hit an inhaler at halftime,” Haliburton said. “But I figured it out. The team figured it out. I had a lot of support behind me … and we were able to get the win tonight.”
Along with his 19 second-half points, Haliburton recorded four rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and four 3s on 70.0% shooting. He also converted on a critical 4-point play with 1:33 remaining that gave the Pacers a four-point lead (109-105), which they never relinquished.
With his impressive second-half performance, Haliburton also achieved his first career triple-double. He finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, one steal and five 3s on 55.6% shooting.
Through 17 games, Haliburton is averaging 26.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks and 4.0 3s per game on 52.1% shooting.
Also Read: "Tired of being a loser" - Tyrese Haliburton gives honest self-assessment after rough season start
Tyrese Haliburton says Pacers aren’t satisfied following quarterfinals win
With Monday’s upset win over the Celtics, Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers advanced to the In-Season Tournament’s semifinals in Las Vegas. However, according to Haliburton, his team isn't satisfied.
“The expectation is to win,” Haliburton said postgame. “We're coming out here, we’re a young, hungry group, and we wanna win every night. So, we’re excited to be there, but we're not just complacent being there. We want to win.”
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The Pacers next take on the winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks.
