NBA: Tyrese Haliburton stars in Pacers victory over Pistons

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Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts after drawing a technical foul while scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

INDIANAPOLIS— All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton had 25 points and 13 assists to help the Indiana Pacers beat the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons 129-115 on Thursday night.

Coming off a 32-point night Sunday in the NBA All-Star Game on his home floor at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Haliburton had his 15th game of the season with at least 25 points and 10 assists.

“Today is the best I’ve felt and best I’ve moved (in a while),” said Haliburton, who had a hamstring strain in January. “I think everybody who is really paying attention to how I look, I think that everybody can agree with that. That’s a relief. But I want to maintain that as time goes on.”

READ: NBA: Tyrese Haliburton thrives in spotlight of busy All-Star weekend

Haliburton was paying particular attention to how quickly he was moving. He thought his energy level was more consistent than in games where the injury caused his play to drop off the more minutes he played.

“I felt like could get to every spot, explosive movements,” he said.

Pascal Siakam added 20 points for Indiana. T.J. McConnell had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Myles Turner finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

“Ty went through a tough five or six weeks with the injury, ” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “To see him have two dunks and really feel good doing it is really good to see.”

Tyrese Haliburton rocked a custom shirt from James Johnson’s son postgame tonight 👀

he’s ready for his own design 😂 pic.twitter.com/wJbQiNZLxi

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 23, 2024

Cade Cunningham had 30 points and eight assists for Detroit, and Jalen Duren added 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Pistons have lost four straight to fall to 8-47. They are 4-24 on the road.

“I thought today was one of those ‘first games out of the All-Star break,’” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “You’re hoping that you get the juice right away. We didn’t get it until the second half.”

The opener of a four-game homestand after the All-Star break started with Indiana falling behind 14-13 before Haliburton hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions. The Pacers led 42-25 at the end of the opening quarter.

READ: Haliburton wins it for Team Pacers in NBA All-Stars Skills Challenge

“I thought our first half was one of the best halves of the year,” Carlisle said, “and then our third quarter was one of our worst quarters. Fourth quarter, we got it back together and we were able to finish. … But we can’t back up the best defensive half of the year with one of the worst defensive quarters of the year.”

Haliburton had 16 points and five assists in the first half as the Pacers built a 72-43 lead. The lead reached 31 points in the third quarter. The Pistons rallied with a 45-point third quarter and cut the deficit to 11 in the fourth quarter.

“I was proud of the way we fought back,” Williams said. “Our guys kept fighting and competing.”

NEXT SCHEDULE

Pistons: Host Orlando on Saturday night.

Pacers: Host Dallas on Sunday.