Monday night had some sensational NBA basketball from multiple players during the In-Season Tournament.
But perhaps no one had a bigger impact than Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, who scored his first career triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in a big win over the Boston Celtics.
The praise for Haliburton was swift and ubiquitous after the victory, and Stephen A. Smith was one of many honoring the guard.
“The brother is spectacular,” Smith said on Tuesday’s episode of “First Take.”
.@stephenasmith on Tyrese Haliburton 🔥 pic.twitter.com/52XG3809Vu
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 5, 2023
Fans could use many more words to describe Haliburton and his wildly exciting night.
Because the Pacers aren’t a big-market team and haven’t found a lot of success over the last few years, they don’t play many games on national television.
That means that millions of people were exposed to the outstanding efforts and skills of Haliburton on Monday.
Many of them will certainly be tuning in again to see what else he can do.
Haliburton is now playing in his third season for the Pacers and putting up his best numbers yet with 26.9 points and a league-high 11.9 assists per game.
He has only gotten better in the years since being traded by the Sacramento Kings and, unsurprisingly, the Pacers have slowly improved too.
The team is now one of the most thrilling in the East and has a good chance of returning to the playoffs, especially if Haliburton keeps playing like this.
If his string of stunning games continues, he might also win Most Improved Player or perhaps even MVP.
Every season, a few NBA stars break out in a big way and gain a lot more attention and adoration.
It seems that this is definitely Haliburton’s year.
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