NBA

Tyrese Haliburton scores Pacers franchise record 26 points in 3rd quarter vs. Hawks

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated22 Nov 2023

Tyrese Haliburton scores Indiana Pacers franchise record 26 points in 3rd quarter vs Atlanta Hawks

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton scored a franchise record 26 points in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s 157-152 win over the Atlanta Hawks to clinch a spot in the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.

It marked only the seventh regulation game in league history where both teams scored at least 150 points. Indiana’s 157 points are also a franchise record for most points scored in a single game.

Haliburton, 23, ended his performance with 37 points, five rebounds, 16 assists, three steals, and one block in 39 minutes of action. The 2023 All-Star guard also shot 11-of-18 (61.1%) from the floor and 9-of-15 (60%) outside the arc.

Per multiple NBA betting sites, the Indiana Pacers hold 19th-ranked odds to win this season’s championship. However, sportsbooks are giving them sixth-shortest odds to win the in-season tournament’s NBA Cup.


“It is exciting,” Haliburton said of advancing to the quarterfinals. “We are the first team to clinch, and we are ready to go. We have a few more games before the quarterfinals, so we want to take care of what is in front of us first, but we want to win the championship, of course. It would be awesome.”

Through 12 starts of the 2023-24 season, Haliburton is averaging career highs of 24.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 12 assists per game. Along with logging 1.2 steals and 33.4 minutes per contest, he’s shooting career bests of 51.8% from the field, 45.8% from deep, and 92.6% at the foul line.

No player in NBA history has ever averaged at least 20 points per game and 10 assists per game on 50-40-90 shooting splits in a season. 

Tyrese Haliburton could become first NBA player to average at least 20 PPG, 10 APG on 50-40-90 shooting splits in a season

More importantly, Haliburton leads the NBA in assists (144), offensive win shares (2.2), and offensive box plus/minus (10.2). Last season, he finished fourth in assists with 585.

“Tyrese, you just run out of accolades,” Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Fearless, leader, great competitor — so happy for him. … Ever since we got Tyrese, we’ve really been trying to play at a faster tempo. He’s one of the very best at that tempo in all of the game.”

Furthermore, the Pacers are 3-0 in East Group A with one game left in group play. The Hawks dropped to 1-2. The quarterfinals will be held Dec. 4-5. Plus, the semifinals (Dec. 7) and championship (Dec. 9) come after.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the first game since the Pacers beat the Charlotte Hornets on March 28, 1997, that both teams shot 60% from the floor. Indiana shot 60.6% and the Hawks shot 60% on Tuesday night.


The Pacers shot 57-of-94 (60.6%) from the floor and 22-of-45 (48.9%) from 3-point range, whereas the Hawks shot57-of-95 (60%) from the field and 15-of-31 (48.4%) outside the arc.

Although the Pacers have not reached the NBA playoffs since the 2019-20 season, Carlisle is ecstatic to see his team in the in-season tournament quarterfinals for a chance to win the first NBA Cup.

“This essentially is a playoff environment,” Carlisle said. “Atlanta was playing for a lot, too. The in-season tournament is getting a lot of buzz. … This is a real thing. Hats off to the people in New York for coming up with something that, at least to this point, is strong.”

NBA sportsbooks show Tyrese Haliburton with sixth-best odds to win NBA Clutch Player of the Year. Oddsmakers are giving better odds to Damian Lillard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and other stars.