Jay Huff puts together career night as Pacers crush Pelicans
McConnell and Haliburton had noteworthy nights, too.
INDIANAPOLIS – Upon wrapping up postgame media duties after the Pacers beat the Pelicans by eight on Friday night, I had more text messages than I expected to. For a moment, I wondered if I missed something in the news or with my family.
Instead, it was everybody else that missed something. Five of the texts (including three from NBA-connected people) were about Jay Huff. One just said "29?".
Yes, that was Huff's point total against the Pelicans. It's not surprising in that it was Huff's fourth 20-point game this season and sixth of his career. He's reached 20 points in just three quarters on multiple occasions for the Pacers. It is surprising in that he's averaging 8.9 points per game this season and had never crossed 22 points before Friday night.
If not for a missed dunk in the third quarter, Huff would have scored 30 for the first time. "He owes me an assist today too for that missed dunk he had," forward Pascal Siakam said. Huff was terrific in every way and scored with variation. New Orleans could not stop him.
Tony East
"I think he's just playing free, shooting the open shots, playing hard, running hard and then also getting those rolls and he's able to get [in order] to get buckets," Siakam said of his frontcourt partner.
Entering Friday, Huff had never made more than nine shots in a single game. With the Pacers, his field goal peak was eight. Against the Pelicans, he skipped a few steps. His ninth shot went in with 10:41 on the clock in the third quarter. His 10th came 62 seconds later. Not long after was make number 11, then two more came in the fourth quarter.
Huff went from never making more than nine shots in a game to making 10 twos in one outing. A night like this had been bubbling as a possibility. In recent weeks, some of his teammates have praised Huff's growing sense of when to roll and when to pop after setting a pick. He's actually getting screened for to get open looks from deep. More often than not, he makes the right decision when moving out of screen actions.
In the six games prior to Friday night, Huff was averaging 12.7 points per game. He'd been playing well. And it all came together against New Orleans, where his ability to find open space led to six three-point attempts and 11 looks from inside the arc. Many of his baskets came in different ways. A putback, and alley-oop, a hook shot. A three after screening for Siakam. Cutting for a dunk, then racing ahead in transition. No matter the situation, there was a chance for Huff to score.
"A lot of our guys like Pascal and Drew [Nembhard], they draw a lot of attention. So when teams focus on them, it usually results in good things for a lot of other guys. Tonight was a night where I got a lot of that," Huff said. "That's the great thing about this team is that it could be anybody."
In the second half, Huff finished a tip dunk, an easy layup created by Siakam, a spot up three, and (of course) a backwards dunk in the open floor. The variation of his shot diet was striking for a role player. The Pelicans weren't able to slow him down.
Coaches and players have credited Huff for working hard to improve both as an individual and within the Pacers style, which can be involved for centers. He's getting the hang of it. Typically, after reaching a point total somewhere in the 16 to 20 range, opponents tighten up their coverage against the giant shooter.
Not the Pelicans. Their defense never really contained anything, and Huff took advantage of the openings created by his teammates.
"I feel like people think when a guy goes to a new place, and especially a style that we play, it's not exactly easy to learn overnight," guard T.J. McConnell said of Huff. "It takes time. And you can see him getting more comfortable as each game goes."
On top of his 29 points, Huff added nine rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. According to Basketball Reference's Game score metric, it was the best game of his career, and the Pacers were +13 with the big man on the floor. He guided the Pacers to their fourth win in five games.
Siakam (27 points, six rebounds, and five assists) helped in a big way. The bench put together a solid night. But this game will, deservedly, be remembered as the Jay Huff game. He was terrific as the Pacers improved to 10-32.
James Borrego talks Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles tear recovery club
Shakeia Taylor wrote a feature about Tyrese Haliburton and his recovery from a torn Achilles this week that you should read. It's right here. Within, Haliburton shares a growing relationship with Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray, who is recovering from the same injury.
Those two have become closer in recovery. I asked Pelicans coach James Borrego about those two, and other players recovering from Achilles tears, becoming close before Friday's game.
"They look fueled by each other. They're pushing each other just to see who can come back first, maybe? I don't know. Maybe a little group chat, who's going to be first out there on the floor? No matter what they're doing, they're all extremely motivated right now," he said. "High level workers, competitors, and you have somebody that's going through the process with you for your mindset. This is more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge for these guys. Most of them being without the game of basketball, without being on the floor, there's a mental component more than anything. So having that brotherhood or whatever it is to help you through these tough moments, I think is really important for all of them."
T.J. McConnell reaches 3,000 assists as a reserve
McConnell dished out nine assists on Friday night, and along the way he became the second NBA player ever to reach 3,000 assists in games coming off the bench. Lou Williams, a multi-time Sixth Man of the year, is the only other player to accomplish the feat.
It's both impressive in general – 3,000 assists is a ton – and as a longevity stat for a player that didn't get drafted and is just over six feet tall. Yet McConnell has carved out a great career guiding second units and setting up his teammates.
"Please don’t let us act like this ain’t crazy! Undrafted, 11 years in, this is special🙏🏽," Haliburton posted about the accomplishment after the game. A funny subplot: McConnell is 28 assists away from passing Haliburton on the Pacers franchise all-time assists leader list.
McConnell doesn't have a favorite or most memorable assist. When asked, he defaulted to his pass to Jarace Walker that led to 3,000 dimes as a reserve. In McConnell fashion, he made the accomplishment about others since an assist requires a teammate to make a shot.
"Getting an assist, my teammates have to make the shots at the end of the day," he said. "So for me, this says more about the players that I've played with in Philadelphia and especially here. Been fortunate to play with some great players in some great locker rooms, and just thankful for each and every teammate I've played with."
McConnell had nine of the Pacers 37 assists. Their ball movement has been much better of late, and they'll try to carry that to Detroit as they begin a crucial road trip on Saturday.
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