Tyrese Haliburton makes history: Joins Magic Johnson as only player with 700+ points, 400+ assists in 32 games

Tyrese Haliburton has been having a breakout year for the Indiana Pacers in the 2023-24 season. The Pacers are the No. 1 offensive team in the league, leading in almost all offensive categories and Haliburton is the engine behind it.

The 23-year-old made history against the Boston Celtics with his first two assists on the night. It was his 400th assist of the season, which puts him in an elite category alongside NBA great Magic Johnson.

Haliburton and Johnson (1988-89) are the only two players in NBA history with 700 or more points and 400 or more assists in the first 32 games of the season.

The Pacers star is averaging 24.2 points and 12.7 assists per game in 32 games this season. He has a total of 405 assists this season and has already had 14 games this season where he has 10 or more assists in a game. Haliburton also joined the elite club with 20 points and 20 assists in two consecutive games.

The Indiana Pacers lost to the Celtics, snapping their six-game losing streak. Haliburton had one of his worst individual games of the season. He scored 17 points, shooting 29.4 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from the three-point line. He also ended the game with seven assists.

Tyrese Haliburton makes history with 23 assists against the Knicks

Tyrese Haliburton had an excellent game against the New York Knicks, which came at a perfect time and perhaps against a perfect opponent. He scored 22 points, five rebounds and 23 assists in the 140-126 win.

The Pacers star tied the franchise record and joined the elite club of LA Lakers greats Magic Johnson and John Stockton in the process. He became the first player in over 30 years to have back-to-back at least 20 points and 20 assists a game.

The last player to do so was Stockton on March 1 and 3, 1990. Before the Knicks game, Haliburton had 21 points and 20 assists in the game against the Chicago Bulls.

Moreover, he also tied the franchise record for most assists in a game. He tied Jamaal Tinsley for the record who held the franchise record since Nov. 22, 2001, against the Washington Wizards.

After the game Tyrese Haliburton candidly commented to reporters that had he known it was the franchise record, he would have gone for 24 assists in the night:

"I didn't know 23 was the franchise record otherwise I would've hunted to get 24," Haliburton said. "Assists don't happen without guys making shots…Guys have to make shots for me to get assists and we're doing that at a high clip right now."

It was a historic night for Tyrese Haliburton, but not everyone seemed impressed. Knicks commentator Wally Szczerbiak, who called the Pacers guard a "wannabe All-Star" was also present on the historic night. Szczerbiak later apologized for his comments and said that he was wrong.