"You can't (expletive) with me’: Tyrese Haliburton finds aggression, scores 35 in Game 3 win

INDIANAPOLIS – Rick Carlisle has been quick to try to shut down questions about how much Tyrese Haliburton scores or doesn't score throughout this season, noting the NBA's assists champion for 2023-24 doesn't need points to be effective.

However, what he does need is to be in attack mode, regardless of how that affects his stat line, and that's especially true against a Knicks team led by one of the most relentless scorers in the NBA in Jalen Brunson and a number of other players who simply do not let up.

"Whether he's scoring a lot of points or not," the Indiana Pacers coach said, "his aggression is going to be important in every game this series."

Between Game 1 and Game 2, Haliburton seemed to get that point and he took it a notch further in Game 3. After scoring just six points in Game 1 on 2 of 6 shooting with one field goal attempt and zero points in the second half, Haliburton responded with back-to-back games that were his most prolific in months. He scored 34 points in the Pacers' Game 2 loss on Wednesday, making 11 of 19 field goals including 7 of 11 3-pointers, then followed on Friday by taking it a step further.

Looking more like his early-season self than he has since straining his hamstring on Jan. 8, Haliburton took 26 field goal attempts and made 14 of them. He hit 6 of 16 3-pointers, but also had one of his most effective paint attack games of the season. All eight of his 2-point field goals came in the lane with seven of them coming within 3 feet of the rim. He finished with 35 points, the most he's scored since he had 44 in a Nov. 30 loss to the Heat in Miami.

He still managed seven assists on top of that and played with a clear sense of swagger, jawing back and forth with Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo who had 35 points of his own. At one point cameras caught Haliburton apparently telling DiVincenzo "You can't (expletive) with me." Neither seemed able to stop the other, but that level of offensive confidence was particularly uplifting for the Pacers after they'd seen Haliburton battle through various struggles in the season's second half.

"Just getting downhill," Haliburton said when asked what he's changed in recent games. "Being aggressive. Being who I am."

Haliburton said after Game 1 that as a point guard and one who considers his approach to be "pass-first," striking a balance in terms of creating for others vs. himself is not easy. He frequently faces double teams, especially off of ball screens, so it's usually the right play to move the ball rather than try to drive it or shoot over multiple bodies.

But creating for others is easier when Haliburton can force the defense to move to defend him, to go downhill with him and get out of position when he drives the ball. His poor performance in Game 1 seemed to remind him of that and he has seen the value in forcing the issue a little to try to make things happen.

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The Bucks and Knicks have committed substantial resources to try to keep him from getting downhill, and in both cases he has seen in take some time determining where his spots are to attack. He took just seven shots in Game 1 of the Bucks series. In that case, however, he seemed to slowly turn his level of aggression up. In this case, he's turned it from the lowest point to the highest point of the dial without much hesitation.

"He adapts quickly," Carlisle said. "For a first-timer in the playoffs, he's had to do some pretty significant adjusting in both series. Sometimes, you know you can score but there's a need to get other guys involved. Sometimes it's the other way around. Sometimes we know we need his scoring. ... His aggression was very important in this game."

Haliburton acknowledged that the process of adjustment in his first playoffs has taken some getting used to. During the regular season when the opponent changes game-to-game with the occasional exception of some two-game series, facing one team up to seven times in a row requires a deeper immersion into their game-planning and, therefore, a deeper level of focus.

"In the regular season, it's a little different," Haliburton said. "I'm watching film after every game but it's not as much of a deep dive as it is right now, seeing the defensive adjustments. I'm watching film with (trainer Drew Hanlen), watching film with IY (player development coach Isaac Yaacob), watching film with Rick. Just everybody just diving in, picking the game apart as much as I can to see where I can get better. The attention to detail is the biggest thing with the approach."

All of that deep diving can make it harder to have a short memory when it comes to mistakes, but Haliburton said he's seeing the importance of that as well.

"It's about just getting to the next play whether you're responding to something good or something bad," Haliburton said. "... Figuring out what you can do to get to the next play because every possession matters and you're just trying to win one possession at a time. There's already been certain plays in the playoffs that run in my head on repeat that I just consistently think about where it doesn't really work like that in the regular season. You just kind of move on."

His performance on Friday was a sign he's changed his approach dramatically. He took the ball to the rim with force, didn't shy away from contact, though he managed just one free throw. Though he still clearly trusts his teammates, he also has a sense that he might have to take more ownership of the team's direction. He helped will them back in the game Friday with a stretch in the fourth quarter in which he scored seven straight points to cut a nine-point deficit down to two. He didn't score after the 7:42 mark, but that production changed the game entirely and set them on a path to claiming a must-have victory in Game 3.

"Twenty-six shots is the most I've shot in a very long time, maybe ever," Haliburton said (it was the second-most shots he’s taken in a game). "But I think whatever is needed to win games, that's how I'm approaching these games right now, especially after a rough Game 1. How can I impact the game? Some games it's gonna be scoring. Some games it's going to be facilitating. Some games it's gonna be both. But whatever I gotta do to win is what I want to do."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers Tyrese Haliburton follows 34-point Game 2 with 35-point Game 3