Tyrese Haliburton put on a scoring clinic, dropping 34 points and dishing out 13 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers (8-10) to a 114-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans (4-14) on Monday night.
Haliburton’s season-best nine 3-pointers, including a clutch tiebreaking shot with 3:06 left, propelled Indiana to its second straight win at home.
With the score tied at 104 late in the fourth quarter, Haliburton took over. He sank a three, added a layup, and found Bennedict Mathurin for a crowd-pleasing alley-oop dunk that sealed the victory. Mathurin contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in a solid all-around performance.
Myles Turner played a pivotal role, scoring 17 points and adding seven straight during a fourth-quarter run that gave Indiana the momentum. Turner also grabbed nine rebounds and anchored the Pacers’ defense with timely plays in the paint.
The Pelicans, playing without four starters, were led by Trey Murphy III, who scored 24 points, matching his season high. CJ McCollum, returning after nearly a month out due to injury, added 23 points, while Elfrid Payton tallied a career-high 21 assists, the most in any NBA game this season.
Despite their injuries, New Orleans fought hard, trailing by just three points midway through the fourth quarter. However, Haliburton’s late-game heroics proved too much for the short-handed Pelicans to overcome.
Indiana’s depth shone through despite missing Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. Key contributions from Turner and Mathurin allowed the team to maintain its poise and close out the game in the final minutes.
