Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points and set a season-high with 15 assists, while not turning the ball over, to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Miami Heat 128-115 on Thursday night.
From the start, the Pacers were in control as Haliburton led with 16 points and five assists in the first quarter. In three games against Miami this season, Haliburton has accumulated 36 assists and only one turnover.
Myles Turner contributed 21 points, while Pascal Siakam had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Rookie Kel’el Ware had a career-high 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added three blocks in 21 minutes off the bench for the Heat, scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Bam Adebayo finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, Tyler Herro scored 17 points, and Terry Rozier added 16 points and seven assists.
Miami’s Jimmy Butler began with a layup in the opening seconds, but that was his only score of the first half. It was also the only time the Heat had the lead. After Butler’s basket, the Pacers went on a 12-point run and then added another 12-2 run to lead 38-25 at the end of the first quarter.
The Pacers were efficient at both ends of the floor, hitting 7-of-15 from three-point range and making all eight of their shots inside the paint in the opening period.
While Adebayo and Herro helped keep Miami in the game during the second quarter, the Pacers still outscored the Heat 28-25, pushing their lead to 66-50 at halftime.
The Heat struggled in the third quarter, allowing 41 points as Indiana’s lead grew to 107-83.
Haliburton kept up his strong play, adding 12 points and six assists in the third, while Turner scored 11 points. The Pacers shot 16-of-24 from the field and 7-of-12 from three in the quarter.
Miami’s rookies, Ware and Keshad Johnson, led an 11-1 run to cut the lead to 12 points midway through the fourth, but Indiana quickly responded with a 9-2 run to seal the game.
