Team Pacers leaned into their chemistry and confidently won the All-Star Skills Challenge for INDY
Haliburton, Turner and Mathurin came out on top in the only group event on All-Star Saturday night, another small win for Indiana's team on the rise.
It was fitting how the Pacers’ trio of Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner wore the team’s City Edition ‘Indy’ uniform at NBA All-Star Saturday night because they represented the city well.
Together, they formed Team Pacers and took home the hardware after winning the three-round series of events (plus overtime) in the All-Star Skills Challenge.
All season, the Pacers have leaned into being a collection of talent with the top-scoring bench in the NBA. While the other two Saturday night events, the 3-point shootout and slam dunk contest, are individual contests.
This one, however, was won as a unit.
“It makes it fun,” Mathurin agreed afterward. “Makes it fun going with them, and also the skills challenge is a good thing not only for us but for the whole city of Indianapolis.”
And like the Pacers during the season, they were led by Haliburton. And when they were tied after the relay, passing and shooting challenges, Haliburton sank a half-court shot to secure the overtime win over Team All-Stars.
“Felt good,” he said with a big, shining smile. “There was a lot of energy in the building, and a lot of people want to see us succeed. Yeah… feels good to win.”
Their opponents: Team All-Stars (Scottie Barnes, Tyrese Maxey, Trae Young) and Team Top Picks (Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama).
The skills challenge wasn’t something you could exactly plan out. They arrived on the special glass court, complete with thousands of LED bulbs underneath that made the playing surface like a giant television, just a few hours before the event and walked through it.
“I thought it was pretty cool, honestly,” Turner said of the court. “It didn't really bother me. I feel like I play a full 48 like that. I thought it was cool. Probably looked great on TV for the fans. I wasn't mad at it.”
Added Haliburton: “We didn't know what the passing or the shooting looked like. We felt like we probably had the best team chemistry just because we're actually teammates. So we could use that to our benefit.”
And that’s exactly what they did.
The team chemistry also stood out during a hilarious moment as all three sat together on the dais to answer questions together. First, Haliburton put his trophy on the ground, but was advised to prop it up on the table in front of them like the other two.
“I didn’t know, might cover my face from some angles,” he joked.
Haliburton was later asked where winning this ranks among his incredibly busy and remarkable list of All-Star weekend events as the current face of the franchise.
“This weekend is about basketball,” he responded. “When we're out doing basketball, we were able to win. This has been number one for me so far. I don't know if Benn would agree.”
So then Mathurin chimed in: “Totally, 100 perfect. For sure.”
Then, almost in unison, Turner and Haliburton said “cap,” — which means you’re lying.