Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton struggled mightily with his 3-point shot during Wednesday’s 115-109 season-opening road victory over the Detroit Pistons. Afterward, he jokingly blamed his former Team USA Olympic teammate, Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry.
Haliburton finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. However, he shot only 6-for-18 (33.3%) and 1-for-9 (11.1%) from long distance.
The two-time All-Star’s lone triple came in dramatic fashion, though, as he drilled a 25-foot dagger to put Indiana up 113-107 with 20.4 seconds remaining. The clutch shot ultimately decided the game, as his squad secured a six-point road win, led by center Myles Turner’s team-best 20 points.
During his postgame interview, Haliburton quipped that heeding Curry’s advice to take pregame naps caused his off shooting night.
“Honestly speaking, I’m probably going to blame Steph,” Haliburton said. “He convinced me to try out pregame naps because I told him I don’t nap, and he told me to try it out and text him after the game and see the result. So, he’ll be getting a text from me shortly. No more pregame naps for Tyrese.”
Haliburton won his first Olympic gold medal alongside Curry over the summer, so the two seemingly developed camaraderie.
Despite his latest shooting woes, Haliburton is a career 39.2% 3-point shooter on 6.2 attempts per game. So, he will look to get back on track during Indiana’s (1-0) Friday road matchup against the New York Knicks (0-1).
Steph Curry delivers solid all-around performance after jokingly being called out by Tyrese Haliburton
Steph Curry also suited up on Wednesday night, with Golden State securing a 139-104 season-opening blowout road victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Like Tyrese Haliburton, the two-time MVP had a quiet offensive night by his standards, tallying 17 points, shooting 4-for-10 (40.0%) and 3-for-7 (42.9%) from deep. However, Curry added nine rebounds and 10 assists in just 25 minutes, narrowly missing out on a triple-double.
So, the 10-time All-Star’s pregame nap routine seemingly paid off for him more than Haliburton.
