Tyrese Haliburton got out of his slump on Monday night in the Indiana Pacers' win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Haliburton entered Wednesday's shootaround wearing a protective face mask, which he's expected to use against the Portland Trail Blazers. But why is the Pacers star wearing a mask tonight?
The Pacers didn't list Haliburton in their injury report ahead of the game versus Portland. However, according to Pacers Post Up on X, formerly known as Twitter, the All-Star guard will wear the mask as a precaution. He got elbowed in the nose against the Pelicans, though he didn't suffer any injury since he's not on the team's IR.
Haliburton shook off the hit to finish the game with 34 points, three rebounds, 13 assists and three steals. He hit nine 3-point shots, going 12-for-32 from the field. It was only his second 30-point game of the season and has had a slow start to the season.
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Tyrese Haliburton opens up about his slump, wants to find his joy back
The Indiana Pacers found a gem in Tyrese Haliburton when they acquired him from the Sacramento Kings in 2022. Haliburton has been one of the best point guards in the NBA and had a great campaign last season. He was an All-Star starter, led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals and won an Olympic gold medal.
However, Haliburton also suffered setbacks with a couple of hamstring injuries that might have affected his confidence heading into the new campaign. He has struggled to start the season, averaging just 16.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Those are great numbers, but people are expecting more from a max and franchise player. Speaking to reporters after an explosive night against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, Haliburton opened up about his slump and explained wanting to get back his "joy" from playing.
"What I have to do is keep my joy for the game of basketball," Haliburton said, according to IndyStar. "Everybody wants to say, 'Be happy, have fun.' Well, that's hard to do when you're not playing well or you're losing. But I think it's differentiating the difference between happiness and joy.
The Pacers star added:
"I've always had a joy for the game of basketball and a love and appreciation for what I do in this game my whole life. I think I just got caught in getting frustrated with myself and this kinda creeping into, like, job territory and that weighing on me. I think it's just been big for me to keep that joy and that love and passion for the game of basketball because I genuinely do love what I do. I love this organization. I love my teammates."
Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 8-10. They are 0-2 in the Emirates NBA Cup and are more than likely out of contention to move on to the next round.
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