WATCH: Tyrese Haliburton makes Ausar Thompson touch earth and drills a deep 3-pointer over him
Indiana Pacers' All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton is developing into one of the more entertaining young players in the NBA. He displayed that once against after putting on the moves on Detroit Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson in their NBA In-Season Tournament game on Friday.
Midway into the second quarter of the game, Haliburton shook off and dropped Thompson with a nifty crossover move before draining a three-pointer. He fittingly celebrated after, which the fans in Indy cheered him for.
The triple extended the Pacers’ lead at that point to 12 points(52-40). As of writing, the Pacers lead 97-93 in the third quarter of the game with less than a minute on the clock.
Indiana (3-0) are looking to complete a sweep of their NBA In-Season Tournament East Group A assignments and book a spot in the next round of the “tournament within a tournament.”
Detroit (0-3), meanwhile, are out to claim a first victory in what has been a rough In-Season campaign.
The NBA In-Season Tournament is being implemented for the first time this season to add another dimension to the league year. The tournament has a similar format to that of in-season European football tournaments and the WNBA Commissioner's Cup. All 30 NBA teams are competing in games set from Nov. 3 to Dec. 9.
Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton has been solid not only in the In-Season Tournament, but also the ongoing NBA regular season. In 13 games, he has posted averages of 25.3 points, 12.3 assists, four rebounds and 1.1 steals. The Pacers are currently second in the Central Division with an 8-6 record.
Tyrese Haliburton signed to max contract extension by Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton signed a lucrative extension worth $260 million to stay with the Indiana Pacers for five more years in the offseason. It was something not at all surprising considering the splendid showing he had last season that saw him become an NBA All-Star.
Selected 12th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2020 NBA rookie draft, Iowa State product Haliburton saw his stock rise when he was traded to the Pacers midway into 2021-22 season.
He showed his All-Star-caliber abilities last season, posting a double-double average of 20.7 points and 10.4 assists in 56 games. In the process, he became only the 15th player in NBA history to average 20 points and 10 assists in a season.