Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton on Friday struggled to shoot from the field, but that didn’t stop the rookie from hitting the game-sealing shot over the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half, but managed to cut the lead down to one point with just over a minute left in the game. On the ensuing possession, Haliburton drained a wide-open 3-pointer, his only one of the game, to seal the 126-124 victory.
Haliburton finished with 10 points and a career-high 11 assists off the bench, while shooting just 4-of-10 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range. The performance marked his first career double-double, while he also hauled in six rebounds.
Afterward, Kings head coach Luke Walton called him clutch.
“He has got that confidence and he has that contagious confidence, which is what you like to see,” Walton said. “Even though he was 0-for-6 going into that, I don’t think there was a single person, myself included, that didn’t think that shot was going in. … He has got that clutch gene. Even though he had an off-shooting night, he stepped up and hit that when we needed it.”
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The shot by Haliburton further demonstrated his ability to play well beyond his years. He has often looked to play like a veteran this season with his poise and maturity, and that was once again on display to help the Kings post their third straight win.
It likely won’t be the last time Walton talks about Haliburton hitting a clutch shot, either…
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