Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

“He Fits Perfect With What We Do”- Tyrese Haliburton Heaps Praise on Indiana Pacers’ Bench Player Obi Toppin

Tyrese Haliburton is all praise for teammate, Obi Toppin, after Game 3 win!

Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana Pacers’ point guard Tyrese Haliburton heaped praise on his teammate and forward Obi Toppin after Game 3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. After taking down their counterparts 116-107, the Pacers took a 2-1 lead in the series. The Wednesday-night game saw a stellar bench play from Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and TJ McConnell. While Mathurin led the Pacers with 27 points, four rebounds and one assist, McConnell dropped 10 points, one rebound and five assists.

Obi Toppin scored eight points, six rebounds and one assist for the winners and earned praise from Haliburton. Following the victory, the 25-year-old labeled Toppin as a ‘perfect’ player for the side. He said, “He continues to bring that pace to the game, and he’s flying up the floor, and you’re hitting him ahead. He did a great job today of making the right play. Had a huge tip-in dunk, and those are huge energy plays for this building.”

Haliburton added, “He fits so perfect with what we do, and when we traded for him, I was really excited not only because of our personal relationship, but because of how well he can help this group. He’s going to continue to do that. He was really big. Our bench was really big tonight as a whole, so we need that consistently.”

Notably, Toppin brought the Pacers’ lead to seven points in the fourth quarter, ultimately leading to their victory.

“He is Gifted”-Pascal Siakam Lauds Obi Toppin After Game 3 Victory

Tyrese Haliburton wasn’t the only one who praised Toppin for his gameplay in game 3. In the post-game press conference, the 27-year-old was praised by Pascal Siakam, who praised the former’s natural athleticism. The 2019 NBA Champion said of Toppin, “He’s gifted. We know what he can do and he’s one of the fastest out there in the league as a big to run the floor. He’s perfect for what we want to do, and obviously, yeah, it’s crazy.”

Siakam, who dropped 21 points, six rebounds and four assists for Indiana, added, “I just love when he’s aggressive. Playing defense, running, and again, using his athleticism to just get in the paint, rebound, anything that he can do out there as a big that can move. He’s been great for us, and yeah, the whole bench, not just Obi, but the whole bench tonight was really great and they affected the game and they played with so much energy.”

Coming back to the series, the Pacers will host the Thunder for Game 4 of the series on Friday, June 13.

Obi Toppin

Tyrese Haliburton

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.