Game Rewind: Pacers 111, Heat 108

Friday, Dec. 23 at 8:00 PM ET at FTX Arena

Less than two weeks ago, Tyrese Haliburton endured a rare off night against the Miami Heat. Indiana's leading scorer managed just one point in an 87-82 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, going 0-of-9 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range.

Haliburton flipped the script in Friday's rematch in Miami, torching the Heat from start to finish. The third-year guard dropped a career-high 43 points and set a franchise record with 10 3-pointers -- the final one breaking a tie with 2.6 seconds left -- to lift Indiana (17-16) to a 111-108 win.

Haliburton was sensational all night, hitting four 3-pointers in the first seven minutes and never cooling off.

"I had to respond," Haliburton told Bally Sports Indiana's Jeremiah Johnson after the win. "Last time we played these guys, they really held me in check. So I just wanted to come out here and respond the right way."

He converted a three-point play with 4:34 remaining to get to 38 points. At 3:26, he drew a foul on Victor Oladipo and converted both foul shots to reach 40 points for the first time in his career.

That gave Indiana a 107-98 lead, but a Tyler Herro three and Haywood Highsmith layup trimmed the margin to just four with 1:57 remaining.

After the two teams traded misses, Oladipo fouled Oshae Brissett on the baseline with 1:01 to play. Brissett missed the first, but hit the second. On the other end, Herro drove into the paint and drew a foul on Myles Turner, then converted both foul shots to make it a one-possession game.

The Pacers had two looks on the other end, but Brissett and Andrew Nembhard both missed shots before Miami secured possession with 16.9 seconds remaining. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra called timeout and drew up a great play for Herro, who came off a screen and got a clean look at the top of the arc, which he drilled to tie the game at 108 with 14 seconds remaining.

After an Indiana timeout, Haliburton brought the ball up and took it himself, capitalizing on a switch and draining a stepback three with 2.6 seconds to play to give Indiana the lead.

Miami was out of timeouts and couldn't muster more than a halfcourt heave from Herro, which didn't fall, as the Pacers picked up a massive win to head into Christmas on a high note.

"When Tyler made that shot, I just told everybody give me the ball, the game will be over," Haliburton said.

While Haliburton was the clear star of the night, Buddy Hield was a great supporting actor for Indiana, going 7-for-11 from 3-point range himself en route to 21 points.

As Haliburton conducted his walkoff interview with Johnson on television, Hield snuck up behind Haliburton, who had already been doused with water by his teammates at the beginning of his interview, and dumped two more water bottles on his head.

Johnson then turned the microphone to Hield and asked for his thoughts on Haliburton's performance.

"He's an All-Star," Hield said with a smile.

Fresh off a 33-point performance on Wednesday night in Boston, Haliburton picked up where he left off in Miami. He missed his first 3-point attempt, but connected on his next four, all in the first seven minutes of Friday's contest.

The first quarter was a duel between the two team's stars, as Haliburton tallied 14 points while six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler scored 12 for Miami, going 4-for-5 from both the field and the free throw line.

Indiana led 24-17 following Jalen Smith's hook shot with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter. The Heat responded with an 11-2 run, taking the lead on Oladipo's layup with 53.8 seconds left in the frame. The Blue & Gold countered with a T.J. McConnell layup and a three from Smith to put the visitors back in front, 31-28, after one.

After Haliburton's first quarter barrage, it was Hield who had it going from beyond the arc in the second quarter. The veteran sharpshooter knocked down three straight triples for Indiana's first nine points in the frame.

After Miami tied the game at 40, Haliburton drilled his fifth three of the night with 5:49 remaining in the half. The Pacers maintained a narrow lead for the next few minutes, until back-to-back treys by Herro and Kyle Lowry put Miami back in front, 54-52.

The Pacers quickly moved back in front on an old-fashioned three-point play by Smith, but Bam Adebayo's layup with 43 seconds left in the half put the Heat ahead. Miami ultimately took a narrow 58-56 advantage into the break.

The Heat led for much of the third quarter and were up 75-68 following two Butler free throws with 4:39 remaining in the frame. That's when the Pacers mounted a rally. Smith scored on the inside and then Hield and Haliburton knocked down threes on consecutive possessions to put Indiana in front. Smith added another hook shot from the right block at 2:28 to cap a 10-0 Pacers run.

After a technical free throw by Butler, Haliburton drained his eighth three of the night to set a new career high.

Indiana took an 84-82 lead into the fourth quarter. Miami briefly tied the game on Highsmith's bucket in the opening minute of the final frame, but Hield quickly responded with his sixth and seventh threes of the night.

Indiana stretched its lead to nine at 95-85 following a three-point play by Turner -- where he converted an acrobatic finish over former teammate Oladipo -- with 7:59 remaining.

After an Adebayo jumper shaved two points off that margin, Brissett found a trailing Haliburton for an open three on the right wing with 6:41 remaining -- tying the franchise record with his ninth trey of the night. Haliburton wasn't done there, converting a tough finish on the next Pacers possession that pushed the lead to 12 and forced a Miami timeout.

The Heat would fight all the way back, but Haliburton got the last laugh.

Smith recorded a double-double off the bench for Indiana with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Nembhard was the only other Pacer to reach double figures with 10 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Herro led Miami with 28 points. Lowry added 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Butler had 20 points, six boards, three assists, and two steals over the first three quarters but did not play in the fourth.

The Pacers will return to Indianapolis for Christmas, then hit the road once more to take on the Pelicans in New Orleans on Monday. They will be back in Indiana to open a four-game homestand on Tuesday.

Haliburton's previous career high was 38 for Sacramento at Philadelphia on Jan. 29 of last season and his most points in a Pacers uniform prior to Friday was 35 against Brooklyn on Dec. 10. His 43 points were the most by a Pacer in a game since T.J. Warren scored 53 in the NBA bubble on Aug. 1, 2020.

Haliburton, who continues to lead the NBA in assists, also dished out a game-high seven dimes on Friday.

Hield made seven threes in a game for the third time this season to match his season high. With Haliburton and Hield leading the way, Indiana went 21-for-47 (44.7 percent) from beyond the arc. That tied for the third-most 3-pointers made in a game in franchise history.

Turner battled foul trouble most of the night and scored all five of his points in the fourth quarter, but he was a presence defensively, pulling down 11 rebounds and blocking two shots.

Miami outscored Indiana 17-5 off turnovers in the first half and 21-10 for the game.

"Tyrese's performance was amazing. Set a franchise record for made threes. And this is franchise that has Reggie Miller's number hanging in the rafters, so that's pretty special." -Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Haliburton's performance

"I'm locked in right now. No external motivation, it's all within me. I'm just trying to prove that I belong in this league, I belong with this opportunity to help take these guys to another level." -Haliburton on scoring 76 points and making 16 3-pointers over his last two games

"Great players find a way to get that shot off. We ran a simple action and he made a move that created a pocket of space and allowed him to get his feet set. I was standing right behind it and it looked good all the way." -Carlisle on Haliburton's game-winning shot

"The last time we played these guys, they didn't allow us to play in transition because we didn't get enough stops. We were fouling, it was a grit, grind-it-out game. Today we were able to get enough stops to play in transition. And we're number one in the league in fastbreak points for a reason." -Haliburton on playing more at Indiana's tempo

"I thought Myles Turner's defense in the fourth quarter, after he really had been taken out of the rhythm of the game with fouls, was spectacular and a big part of us being able to be in position to win." -Carlisle on Turner's contributions

"Offensively, he made plays. Defensively, he blocked shots. He was in the right place at the right time...Jalen Smith -- that was an impactful a game as probably any of our backup centers have had all year." -Carlisle on Smith's performance off the bench

Haliburton went 10-for-16 from 3-point range on Friday, becoming the first player in franchise history to make 10 3-pointers in a game. The previous record was set by Paul George when he made nine threes in an overtime win over New Orleans on Nov. 11, 2012 and matched by T.J. Warren in his aforementioned bubble performance on Aug. 1, 2020.

The Pacers travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans on Monday, Dec. 26 at 8:00 PM ET.

The Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after Christmas to host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 7:30 PM ET. Find Tickets >>