Another game, another win for the red hot Indiana Pacers, who continue to show that they have no desire to tank for Victor Wembanyama. In a New Year's Eve matinee on Saturday, they outlasted the Los Angeles Clippers, 131-130, to pick up their third consecutive win and fifth in their past six games.
Paul George poured in a season-high 45 points for the Clippers, and Kawhi Leonard added 24 points, five rebounds and seven assists in a solid all-around performance, but those two were not enough against a well-balanced Pacers team that had seven players score at least nine points and shot 52.3 percent from the field.
Myles Turner led the way for the Pacers in the scoring department with 34 points, but the main story from this game was Tyrese Haliburton's stunning fourth quarter. The third-year guard had another terrific game, finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, zero turnovers and four steals on 8-of-13 from the field. Eighteen of those points came in the fourth quarter as he stepped up to duel George and hit what turned out to be the game-sealing free throw.
After trailing by 14 points in the first half, the Clippers fought their way back into the game thanks to George and Leonard, who took turns scoring from all over the floor. When they finally took the lead in the fourth quarter, conventional wisdom suggested they would pull away down the stretch and show why they were one of the preseason title contenders in the Western Conference.
Haliburton had other ideas. One particular stretch in the final minutes, when he went shot-for-shot with George and scored 12 consecutive points for the Pacers, was a showcase for Haliburton's offensive gifts. During that run he had an off-the-dribble 3-pointer, a driving layup, a turnaround leaner in the lane and a handful of free throws. The Clippers had no answer for his quickness and ability to get into the teeth of the defense.
"Tyrese's fourth quarter was monster," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "Eighteen in the fourth, made just about every play you can imagine. Really just breathtaking stuff to watch."
While Haliburton has been awesome all season, and is a leading candidate for Most Improved Player, the past few weeks have really been something. During this 5-1 stretch -- which includes wins over the Celtics, Cavaliers and Clippers -- he's putting up 27.3 points, 7.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point land. In addition to his clutch fourth quarter in this game, he had a career-high 43 points and the game-winning 3-pointer against the Heat on Dec. 23.
"He's a basketball savant type guy," Carlisle said. "People like him, people like [Luka] Doncic, people like Reggie Miller, they sense when their time is coming. He's resourceful and he finds ways to help our team get the ball in the basket. Sometimes it's not him. Sometimes he makes the play that leads to the bucket or the pass that leads to the pass, but his will to win is spectacular for a young player. ... It's amazing to watch him continue to grow, grow, grow every single game."
With Haliburton leading the way, the Pacers are now 20-17 and just three wins shy of hitting the over for their preseason win total projection of 22.5. They also sit alone in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, which as things stand would give them a guaranteed playoff spot for the first time since 2020. Not a bad way to head into 2023.
