All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of his Indiana Pacers teammates will make it difficult for the Detroit Pistons to end their misery as the losses continue to mount.
Haliburton, who has played his last six games and is averaging 27.8 points and 13.3 assists, is likely to be Detroit’s primary focus, as the team has lost 10 games in a row. On Saturday and Monday, the Pistons will play Haliburton in consecutive home games.
On Thursday, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Houston Rockets in overtime by a score of 134-125. Haliburton scored 29 points and had a career-high 19 assists.
Indiana lost an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter after Haliburton shot just 5-for-16 from the field during regulation, including two misses in the final 39 seconds. On 4-of-4 shooting, he lit up the extra session, scoring 12 of the Pacers’ 19 points.
Haliburton is averaging 20.8 focuses and 10.4 helps for the season and made the Elite player group interestingly. He enjoys his new role as the franchise’s closer.
Indiana has won five of its last eight games with Haliburton passing on one of those misfortunes. Haliburton contributed 24 points, 10 assists, and five steals in a 124-115 home victory for the Pacers on Oct. 22 against the Pistons, their Central Division rival.
Bennedict Mathurin, a rookie for Indiana, will not be there. On Thursday, during the first quarter, he injured his right ankle.
The Pistons just lost to Charlotte, 113-103, on Thursday. They still have a long way to go before they match the franchise record for longest losing streak. In the early 1980s, they lost 21 games in a row, and they lost 14 games in a row last season.
The only victory for Detroit in its last 14 games came in double overtime against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 10.
After committing eight turnovers in the first quarter, the Pistons were nearly behind the Hornets the entire game. They ended up making 19 mistakes, which led to 18 points for Indiana. For the game, Detroit only scored two fast-break points.
Cory Joseph, a veteran guard, scored a team-high 17 points, and James Wiseman, a center, added 16 points and 13 rebounds. Casey lamented that none of his teammates appeared to be concerned enough.
