guard does a number of things exceptionally well on the
basketball court. But in the eyes of former teammate Buddy Hield, one of those things was not dunking. While Haliburton leads the
NBA with 11.0 assists per game and currently averages 20.3 points, he skied for a strong dunk in the team's 133-111 victory over the on Monday. And when the postgame presser rolled around, he was more than a bit excited about it. In fact, he wanted to make sure Hield witnessed it. During the scene, teammate Obi Toppin trolled his teammate a bit, so , who's now with the , and what ensued was a great scene. Haliburton got his flowers from Hield, who agreed he "got up" on the dunk. As excited as Haliburton was about his dunks, it's surely a bit easier to be in a good mood after the strong performance he put on display during an important late-season victory. Haliburton Leads Pacers to Big Win Over Nets While the Pacers, 43-33, are playoff bound, the focus remains on holding the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference and avoiding the play-in tournament. Indiana took a step toward securing that fate with the 22-point victory over the Nets. It was none other than Haliburton who led the way, posting game-high marks in points with 27 and assists with 13. He shot 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range while tallying a plus-minus of +26. Haliburton received plenty of help in a well-rounded effort from the Pacers, as six players in total scored in double figures. Indiana's bench play was strong in this game, led by Jalen Smith and Toppin with 17 and 14 points. Veteran guard T.J. McConnell nearly posted a double-double in 18 minutes, scoring 10 points with eight assists. Pacers' Pursuit of No. 6 Seed in NBA Playoffs While the NBA's play-in tournament is far from a worst-case scenario, if Indiana does hold on to the No. 6 seed, they'd avoid the top-two teams in the East, the and , in the first round. This year's No. 6 seed in the East is arguably the most important we've seen in recent history. The are currently in the No. 7 spot, one game behind the Pacers, while the 76ers sit at No. 8. Considering what fans witnessed "Playoff Jimmy" do last year with the Heat, and impending return for the 76ers, a play-in game against either team would be less than ideal. The Pacers have six games remaining, four of which are against top-six playoff teams or those likely to take part in the play-in tournament. But the matchup which could ultimately decide Indiana's fate will be on Sunday, April 7, when the Pacers welcome and the Heat to town.