Hate it or Love it: In-Season Tournament player performances

Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks

Love it: Tyrese Haliburton's point guard masterclass

Last night, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 128-119. There's a lot to love about this. Everybody likes an underdog and Milwaukee was favored by 5.5 points heading into the matchup. However, Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers had other plans in mind.

With Gainbridge Fieldhouse 1800 miles away, and without their city edition jerseys (5-0 when wearing those this season), the Pacers still found a way to win and expose the Bucks. Remember, this was a Milwaukee Bucks team that was coming off a season-high 146 points against the Knicks. Although this was a team effort, Tyrese Haliburton's impressive performance stood out.

Haliburton created efficiently for himself and others. In the first half, the Pacers were 5-of-5 on shots Haliburton assisted on. Haliburton finished with 27 points, 15 assists, seven rebounds, and 0 turnovers. This is the third game this season where Haliburton has had 25+ Points, 15+ Assists, and 0 turnovers. In fact, no player in NBA history has recorded this stat line three times. So, at 23-years-old, Tyrese is already in the record books. 

Here's a mind-blowing stat: Haliburton has recorded at least a double-double in all but three games this season. Last night, Hali was three rebounds away from a triple-double. He faced a NBA top-75 member in Damian Lillard and came out victorious. By doing this, Haliburton sent a message to the whole league: It's T-time. 

Hate it: Damian Lillard's 1st, 2nd, and 4th quarter struggles

Things didn't go as planned for the Milwaukee Bucks last night. Sure, Indiana's bench outscored Milwaukee's 43-13. However, the Bucks needed more from their stars, specifically, Damian Lillard. 

Lillard finished the game with 24 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. However, he struggled to find his shot early and late in the game. Apart from the third quarter, Lillard shot 3-of-15 from the field last night, an abysmal 20 percent. Thankfully, Lillard picked things up in the third quarter by hitting four 3s. However, these were the only 3s Lillard made all night.

Dame-Time, one of basketball's best closers, went 1-of-5 in the fourth quarter. By comparison, Haliburton shot 3-of-5 in the fourth quarter. It could be said that this lack of steady production by Lillard, combined with his three turnovers, allowed the Indiana Pacers to continue their run and steal this game from Milwaukee.