Hield’s Heroics Power Pacers To Tournament Win

Buddy’s Clutch Buckets Put Pacers in Play-In Quarterfinal

ATLANTA, USA – Buddy Hield took the phrase “no need to get ready when you stay ready” to heart in the Pacers’ 157-152 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

Out of the starting lineup, in favor of 21-year-old sophomore Ben Mathurin’s athletic upside and aggression, however, the basketball part of Mathurin’s game was not translating, with him shooting 41% from the field and 32% from range, prompting a return to the starting lineup for Hield, one of the league’s most prolific three-point shooters since he entered the league. 

This move paid off in the clutch when Hield scored eight straight points in the final minute of the fourth quarter to secure the win for the Pacers, including back-to-back threes to put the Pacers up twice.

He would finish with 24 points on 9-11 shooting, including a perfect 6-6 night from beyond the arc including his fourth-quarter heroics to win the game for the Pacers. 

Tyrese Haliburton led the squad with 37 points and a jaw-dropping 16 assists, and the aforementioned Mathurin, whom Buddy supplanted in the starting lineup had 19 off the bench. 

Buddy and the boys are on to the tournament semis tomorrow where they play against the Toronto Raptors.