Indiana Pacers 50-assist night shows how connected current team is

The Pacers passing was contagious on Friday

The Indiana Pacers set a franchise record on Friday night with 50 assists, a remarkable achievement. They beat down the Atlanta Hawks in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and the game was rarely close as the Pacers passed their way to victory.

The previous franchise-best for Indiana was 48 assists, a number they reached during the 1970-71 season. They beat the Denver Rockets that March 1971 night. Prior to that, they had 46 assists in December of 1970 against the Carolina Cougars. Both of those games were in the ABA. In the team's NBA franchise history, their previous high was 45 assists — a feat accomplished in January of 1987 against the Dallas Mavericks.

"The assist number is tremendous. NBA and ABA franchise record is really strong and speaks to the unselfishness of the team," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the performance.

Several members of the blue and gold moved the ball well. Tyrese Haliburton, the team's leader with the rock, dished it to the scorer 18 times. T.J. McConnell did it 10 times, and Bennedict Mathurin had four. Those three put pressure on Atlanta's defense and fired the ball to the open man.

Everybody who played for at least seven minutes had one dime for Indiana, and Isaiah Jackson was the only player who hit the court and didn't have at least one assist. The ball movement was contagious against an atrocious Hawks defense.

"Everything came easy," Pacers guard Buddy Hield said postgame. He benefited from the ball movement by knocking down three outside shots.

That was another key for the blue and gold — actually making shots. Assists require both a pass and a make, and the Pacers canned a lot of shots. They shot 63.8% from the field and 48.7% from deep. They were setting up good, wide open shots all night, and they deserve credit for burying them.

The Pacers are the only team averaging over 30 assists per game this season. Their passing has always been a strength. But on Friday, it was everything. Atlanta couldn't rotate on defense fast enough, the ball was already soaring over their heads to a cutter or shooter.

"It's cool to see. We're sharing the ball, got a lot of different guys contributing. When you play basketball like that, it's just infectious," Haliburton said. His assist numbers have been outrageous of late. Before his 18-dime outing on Friday, he was averaging 15.2 per game since Christmas, including two games with more than 20. He tied the Pacers franchise record for assists in a game last weekend. "Everybody wants to be a part of it. It looks fun, it's fun for the guys that are out there."

In many ways, his ability to move the ball is why the Pacers are such a good passing team. He, like many stars, leads by example. He is Indiana's best scorer, but if he is willing to move the rock and get others involved, then his teammates will follow suit.

That certainly happened Friday. The Pacers, who average just under 51 potential assists per game, had 61 against Atlanta. Flinging the ball to the next player was infectious. "I think it was just making the right play. We saw what they were doing defensively and we didn't settle for shots," McConnell said. "We made good reads and were just finding the open man."

Carlisle gave credit to assistant coach Lloyd Pierce for his game plan during his postgame press conference. The Hawks made many defensive adjustments throughout the night, but the Pacers were ready for them all. That's why they scored 150 points and why they were able to toss 50 assists.

"I like the way we played," the head coach said.

In many ways, the Pacers ability to share the ball and play together represents the strong atmosphere they have created this season. Carlisle and several players have talked about how connected this group is, and most, if not all, of the roster goes in for practice on off days to stick together and improve.

That culture has created a group that doesn't have any selfish personalities, and it spread to the court on Friday night. They looked unguardable and moved the ball well for 48 minutes.

"Being here as long as I have, this is the epitome of what fun basketball is," Pacers center Myles Turner said. He finished with 27 points in 22 minutes, a fantastic outing scoring the ball. His connection with Haliburton was unstoppable for Atlanta. "We've created an environment here that makes it easy to have a night like this."

Those are meaningful statements coming from Turner, who has been with the blue and gold his entire career. He was drafted by the franchise in 2015 and believes in the current team. He credited Carlisle for many of the positive culture changes.

"Everybody just trusts their work... when the ball comes to you, no hesitation," he said.

"I've talked many times about how special they are as a group of guys in the locker room," Carlisle added, sharing how many guys on the squad have sacrificed something — minutes, shots, or opportunities — to make this team what it is.

That all came together against the Hawks as the Pacers had a record-setting night. 50 of their 60 made shots were assisted, a remarkable accomplishment, and they rolled to their sixth-straight win. They'll hope to keep that style up during a January schedule that features many difficult opponents.

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• Tyrese Haliburton ties Indiana Pacers franchise single-game assist record with second-consecutive historic performance. CLICK HERE.
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