Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton goes off backboard for 'special' assist - ESPN

NEW YORK — As Pascal Siakam watched Tyrese Haliburton make his latest game-breaking pass — this time by throwing a pass off the backboard to himself and then fire it out to his new All-Star teammate in the corner — there was only one thought crossing Siakam's mind.

«Just make it,» Siakam told ESPN with a laugh inside Madison Square Garden's visiting locker room following Indiana's 125-111 victory over the New York Knicks here Saturday night.

Siakam did just that, burying a 3-pointer in the corner in front of New York's bench with just under eight minutes to go in the third quarter, putting the Pacers up by eight and forcing a timeout from Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.

It was just one of many highlights for the Pacers, who shot 61 percent from the field and went 14-for-29 from 3-point range as they claimed their third victory in their past four games.

There was only one play, however, that anyone was focused on afterward.

«One characteristic that all great players have is resourcefulness and the ability, in a split second, to invent something special,» Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. «And he did just that.

»That's a play that created momentum for us. And, if for some reason that possession was unsuccessful, it could have created a lot of momentum for the Knicks. The only word I can really say is just, it's just special… just special stuff."

For Haliburton, it was a special night on a few levels. He claimed his first victory at Madison Square Garden, something he was happy to remind everyone — including the locker room attendants — after the game. It also was the first game in which he has played at least 30 minutes since his latest return from a hamstring injury that has bothered him for the past month.

And, on top of it,