Indiana Pacers duo Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin made sure they won't fall prey to the New York Knicks again. Powered by the stellar performances of Haliburton and Mathurin, Indiana took down the Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday, 132-121.
Haliburton erupted for 35 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the floor with four 3-pointers on 10 attempts from behind the arc. He also added 14 assists, two rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes. Mathurin, on the other hand, exploded for a career-high 38 points on 13-for-18 shooting from the field, including an incredibly efficient 7-for-8 connection from the 3-point region.
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin went off against the Knicks
With both Haliburton and Mathurin wreaking such havoc on the court, they came away with a historic feat not seen from any Pacers duo before, as they became just the first tandem in Indiana history to score at least 35 points each in the same contest, according to StatMamba.
“Tyrese Haliburton & Bennedict Mathurin are the first duo in Pacers history to each score 35+ PTS in the same game.”
The win was the perfect revenge for the Pacers against New York, which defeated Indiana in the two teams' first meeting in the 2024-25 NBA season back on Oct. 25. In that game, Haliburton laid an egg, scoring zero points while missing all of his eight field goal attempts in a 123-98 Pacers loss at Madison Square Garden. Mathurin was far better, as he had 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting while coming off the bench.
As a team, the Pacers shot 51.1 percent from the field on Sunday. New York shot 55.4 percent but was greatly outclassed by the Pacers in the 3-point battle. Indiana made a living from deep, going 21-for-46 on their 3-point attempts while the Knicks were just 7-for-25. Apart from Haliburton and Mathurin, the Pacers also got a big lift from their frontcourt, with big man Myles Turner coming up with 26 points, six rebounds, and two blocks while Pascal Siakam chipped in 14 points and eight boards.
With their win over the Knicks, the Pacers got back to .500 with a 5-5 record. They are having success turning around their season after a slow 2-4 start. Since a road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 1, Indiana has gone 3-1, a stretch that included victories over the Dallas Mavericks and the Orlando Magic.
The Pacers, who are averaging 116.2 points per game, will look to sustain their momentum as they prepare for a rematch versus the Magic this coming Wednesday at Kia Center.
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