By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Tyrese Haliburton’s historic performance propelled the Indiana Pacers to a lopsided victory over the Miami Heat, 128-115, in the ongoing NBA regular season on January 3, 2025.
Haliburton became the first NBA player to have 30+ points, 15 assists, and 0 turnovers in multiple games since turnovers were first tracked in 1977.
In addition to that achievement, Haliburton joined Chris Paul as the only active NBA players to record 15+ assists with no turnovers.
Coming off a disappointing loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, Haliburton immediately smoked the Heat after erupting for 16 points in just the first quarter.
The do-it-all floor general for the Pacers torched Miami with three early treys and dimed the ball four times, helping Indiana build a commanding 13-point advantage, 38-25, heading into the second frame.
Despite early paint baskets from Bam Adebayo that helped the Heat kick off the second quarter on a high note, Haliburton’s insertion midway through the period made the difference for the Pacers, spearheading a momentum-boosting 11-3 closing run to balloon their halftime cushion to 16 points.
It was in the third quarter where Haliburton did most of his damage, spraying timely three-pointers while attacking the interior defense of Miami with his slick one-handed floaters at the top of the key.
Joining Haliburton in Indiana’s offensive clinic was Myles Turner who knocked down three triples in the third en route to a 41-33 quarter scoring.
With the biggest lead for the Pacers now piling up to 28 points heading into the final canto, Miami’s head coach Erik Spoelstra decided to pull all of his starters out early in the fourth and could only watch Indiana outplay them in all facets of the game.
The Pacers mauled them on the offensive rebounding department as the waxing hot squad gathered 13 offensive boards compared to Miami’s five.
Indiana also drained more three-pointers, winning the shooting contest, 17-11, capping off the huge win with 53% shooting from the field.
Haliburton led the way for the Pacers with 33 points, 15 assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block, while Turner added 21 markers, five boards, and two blocks.
It was also a collective effort from Indiana as Pascal Siakam, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Jarace Walker each chipped in double figures in scoring with 18,12,12, respectively.
