Iowa State basketball alum Tyrese Haliburton has historic night in NBA – Des Moines Register
Iowa State alum and NBA assists leader Tyrese Haliburton had a career-high 20 assists without a turnover and scored 21 points to help the Indiana Pacers hold off the Chicago Bulls 120-104 on Thursday night in Chicago.
Questionable to play before the game because of a sore lower back, Haliburton became the fifth player in NBA history to have 20 or more assists without a turnover, following Kevin Porter (1978), John Lucas (1983), Rickey Green (1984) and Chris Paul (2016).
“You don’t get 20 assists without guys making a lot of shots,” Haliburton said after the Pacers shot 50.6% from the field. “I’ve done a terrible job of taking care of the ball lately, so it’s good to see zero turnovers again.”
Haliburton made three late 3-pointers to quell a furious Bulls rally, which had seen them take a 93-90 lead with eight minutes remaining after trailing by as much as 25.
“This morning he had to step out of shootaround, his back was tight,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I was surprised that he played based on how he was presenting this morning, but we have the best medical staff in the league.”
Of his late 3-pointers, Haliburton said: “People look at me to be a closer for this team. Guys trust me, guys give me the ball in the right spot.”
