Tyrese Haliburton drives the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2, 2023.
Tyrese Haliburton rejoined the Pacers starting lineup Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing the previous 10 games with knee and elbow sprains.
The Pacers went 1-9 in that stretch without Haliburton, who was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve during the first quarter of Thursday’s game. The Pacers arena announced the news to the delight of Indiana fans, who saw Haliburton replace their most recent All-Star, Domantas Sabonis, via trade last year.
First NBA All-Star appearance: ✅@TyHaliburton22 is a 2023 #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/SFAK93JRai
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 3, 2023
That trade has worked out for both teams. Sabonis, an All-Star again this year, has potentially galvanized the Sacramento Kings toward snapping the longest playoff drought among the four major North American men’s sports leagues.
Haliburton, meanwhile, has flourished as the young floor general of a Pacers team that has proven far more competitive than many predicted before the season. The 12th overall pick in 2020, Haliburton entered Thursday night averaging 20.2 points and a league-leading 10.2 assists per game while shooting 48 percent overall and 39.9 percent from deep.
Tyrese Haliburton with 11 points so far in the first quarter.👀
📺: @BallySportsIN
💻: https://t.co/xEvSMVi2qu@BallySportsIN | #sponsored pic.twitter.com/24NVBsYpAq— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 3, 2023
