INDIANAPOLIS — It may not come through on the broadcast, but the All-Star Saturday Night Skills Challenge is often when people in the arena get their beers and pretzels, settle into their seats, and get up their TikTok posts.
Not this year — the Indiana Pacers fans were into the event from the start because their guys were in it. Team Pacers — Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin — gave the fans what they wanted.
Team Pacers won the Skills Challenge.
But it came with lots of drama in a tiebreaker — half-court shots — and it was Pacers’ hometown All-Star Halliburton that ended it.
ICE IN HIS VEINS.
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
Haliburton ends the halfcourt shootout tiebreaker.#KiaSkills https://t.co/WVjJ1JNRLz pic.twitter.com/eEWZaFv4tK
It looked like the Team Pacers would run away with this early as they won the first skill, the relay, with some flair.
Through the legs, off the backboard 😱
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
Hali ended the 1st round in STYLE. https://t.co/k6HTtflz5X pic.twitter.com/byCNLHGMDQ
Then they won the passing competition, but that was much tighter with the All-Stars team — Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes and Trae Young — pushing them to a playoff.
Team Pacers top them by 2 to take the Team Passing Round in the tiebreaker!
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
The hometown team take the first 2 rounds... Team Shooting coming up next.#KiaSkills x #StateFarmSaturday on TNT https://t.co/DxdKlQYnXL pic.twitter.com/a75TcqnVES
Then team All-Star won the shooting contest running away, setting up the half-court tiebreaker.
“I had a blast,” Tyrese Maxey said. “I thought we had a chance to win, giving ourselves a chance to win, winning the shooting competition, and couldn’t make a half-court shot. It happens like that.”
Pacers fans couldn’t be happier.
