Team Giannis tops Team LeBron 184-175 in All-Star Game, Tyrese Haliburton scores 18

Tyrese Haliburton made the most of his minutes, scoring 18 points with three assists, hitting four threes.

Despite making a push in the fourth quarter, Team LeBron found themselves down too heading into the fourth, falling for the first time since the beginning of the format. Team Giannis pulled away in the third quarter behind 27 points from Jayson Tatum, who wound wind up with an All-Star record 55 points.

It was an explosive third quarter in which Tatum dueled with his Team Giannis teammate Donovan Mitchell from three, only to have Damian Lillard step in and make his own shots, ultimately giving Team Giannis a 158-141 lead heading into the final period. With the 24-point threshold drawing ever closer, Team Giannis nearly gave up the lead trying to close the game out with half court shots, allowing Team LeBron to draw to within seven before Lillard iced it on a three pointer.

One of the key players in the comeback run for Team LeBron was Tyrese Haliburton, representing the Indiana Pacers. Haliburton was chosen midway through the reserves draft by LeBron James, joining former Pacer Paul George on the team. The other former Pacer, Domantas Sabonis, was chosen to Team Giannis. The two finished with eight and six points respectively.

Haliburton was at the tail end of the first half rotation, joining Jaren Jackson Jr. as the last players to see the court and playing just five minutes. After dishing a pair of assists to Anthony Edwards and James, Haliburton scored seven straight, including a layup for his first All-Star points.

He would punch in a dunk to follow, wrapping up his scoring stretch with a corner three courtesy of Nikola Jokic, bringing Team Lebron to with one point at 75-74 when he left the game.

That’s when things got out of hand for Team LeBron. James would suffer a finger injury by playing some semblance of defense, an almost karmic punishment. Meanwhile Mitchell and Lillard traded threes, pushing the Team Giannis lead to seven at halftime. The third quarter explosion spelled the end for Team LeBron in general, even with Jaylen Brown and Kyrie Irving trying to go shot for shot with Tatum, Mitchell, and Lillard.

Haliburton returned to the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 straight to open the quarter, including three triples, to help cut the lead to 12. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to lift Team LeBron from the loss, but it was a solid show for the first time All-Star, finishing with 18 points and three assists in his 14 minutes of action.

With a fun, Pacers-filled All-Star Weekend wrapping up, it’ll still be a few days yet before Haliburton and the Pacers return to the court, enjoying the remainder of the All-Star Break which will carry through until Thursday. The Pacers will return to the floor then, hosting the Boston Celtics, before packing their bags for a road heavy March, playing 11 of 14 away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.