Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton tries to rediscover joy of basketball despite early season losses

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton looked and sounded more like himself Monday night.

He made one 3-pointer after another, found open teammates with nifty passes and, yes, was smiling again. Celebrating a second-straight win certainly helped matters, too.

For the usually unflappable two-time All-Star, the bounce back game came as he finally started letting go of his pent-up frustration by speaking freely about what he's learned over the first two months of this NBA season — and why he needs to stop blaming his early season struggles for Indiana's slow start.

“Everybody wants to say be happy, have fun. That's hard to do when you're not playing well or you're losing,” Haliburton said after the 114-110 victory over New Orleans. “But differentiating the difference between happiness and joy — I've always had a joy for the game of basketball and love and appreciation for what I do. So I think I just got caught in becoming frustrated with myself and this kind of creeped into like job territory, you know what I mean? That's not me.”

Haliburton has displayed an unusual edginess since training camp began in late September.

On media day, he talked about disproving the critics who claimed last season's Eastern Conference finals run was more about luck than skill. He also found motivation in being deep on the bench during the U.S. Olympic basketball team's gold-medal winning run.

He thought it could propel himself and his team to even greater successes.

Instead, a series of injuries have severely thinned the Pacers once-deep roster, Haliburton's shots stopped falling, the losses piled up and suddenly the straight-talking guy who inspired so many with his beaming, trademark smile didn't look or sound like himself.

Others noticed.

“I've got people sending me clips of how I've looked in the media and how I looked on the court and my body language sucks, my attitude sucks,” Haliburton said. “It's hard to get out of what's going on if you're that way. I've been told my whole life to control what I can control and I can't control if the ball goes in every time. But I can control my body language, I can control my energy and I can control my effort.”

Whether it was the short conversation between Haliburton and All-Star forward Pascal Siakam after Sunday's victory over Washington or something else, Haliburton looked like a different player Monday.

He was 12 of 23 from the field, both season highs, made a season best nine 3s and produced his eighth double-double of the season.

Haliburton finished with his second-highest point total (34), matched a season-high with 13 assists and made all the big plays down the stretch — the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3:06 remaining, driving for a layup that gave Indiana a five-point lead and finding Bennedict Mathurin for an alley-oop dunk that brought the crowd to its feet with a minute to play.

He believes it's just a start.

“I think people look at the Indiana Pacers and they're like ‘Man, their pace is down, the energy of the team isn't very good.' Put that on me," Haliburton said. “That's where I've been, and I got caught up in myself. I think for us to go back to playing Pacers basketball, playing the right way, (it's) how can I internalize whatever I've got going on and then put that into the group and our guys? We've got to get back to having the right energy.”

How did Haliburton get to this point?

The 24-year-old has shot 45% or better in just five of 18 games this season, and the NBA's defending assists champ has seen that average drop to his lowest point (8.8) since he was traded from Sacramento to Indiana during the 2021-22 season. Plus, the Pacers are 8-10.

Yes, Haliburton understands Indiana's early woes are not entirely his fault.

Indiana lost two key backup centers, James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson, with torn Achilles tendons just six games into the season. Starting forward Aaron Nesmith hasn't played since Nov. 1 because of an injured left knee and starting guard Andrew Nembhard hasn't played since Nov. 6 because of a sprained left ankle.

But after last season's playoff run, Haliburton is no longer motivated merely making the postseason — something he didn't do at Iowa State or in his first three pro seasons. He wants to win a championship, something he didn't do as a Wisconsin prep star.

And Haliburton knows there's only one way to achieve that goal — by being himself.

“You guys watch us every game and you wouldn't say right now we're playing with a joy, with a passion, with an energy,” he said. “Our energy is up and down and that starts with me. So I can make that promise — that will be there moving forward. Put that on me because when my energy is good and we're holding each other accountable, things are going to go well. That starts with me at the top and it trickles down to everybody else.”

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Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton puts up a shot against Washington Wizards' Kyle Kuzma during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Washington Wizards' Malcolm Brogdon (15) shoots against Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam (43) and Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton (0) makes a pass against New Orleans Pelicans' Brandon Boston Jr. (11) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton reacts after hitting a 3-point shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton (0) goes to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans' Trey Murphy III (25) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday recommended his Cabinet approve a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel stepped up its bombardment of Lebanon in the hours leading up to the Cabinet meeting, killing at least 23 people, according to local authorities. The military also issued a flurry of evacuation warnings — a sign it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah in the final hours before any ceasefire takes hold.

In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers later Tuesday, when they are expected to vote on it. He listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region in recent months. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and would allow Israel to turn its focus to Iran — Hezbollah's backer and Israel's biggest threat in the region. He vowed to strike Hezbollah hard if it violates the agreement.

“If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.”

It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal does not affect Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending.

Lebanese officials have said Hezbollah also supports the deal. If approved by all sides, the deal would be a major step toward ending the Israel-Hezbollah war that has inflamed tensions across the region and raised fears of an even wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah's patron, Iran.

The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of Lebanese troopsand U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance.

But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted on Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, doesn’t provide “effective enforcement” of the deal.

Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities.

An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure.

The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where UNIFIL is headquartered.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate.

Other strikes hit in the southern city of Tyre, where the Israeli military said it killed a local Hezbollah commander.

The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border.

Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the strongest Iranian-backed force in the region, would likely significantly calm regional tensions that have led to fears of a direct, all-out war between Israel and Iran. It’s not clear how the ceasefire will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hezbollah had long insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the war in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition.

Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since.

Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes.

More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon.

After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted there could be last-minute hitches that delay or destroy an agreement.

“Nothing is done until everything is done,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.

While the ceasefire proposal is expected to be approved if Netanyahu brings it to a vote in his security Cabinet, one hard-line member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.”

Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed.

Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Rescuers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Rescuers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Journalists watch the smoke rising between buildings hit in Israeli airstrikes near the Palestinian refugee camp of Rashidiyeh, as it seen from Tyre city, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Rescuers and residents search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A police bomb squad officer inspects the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A police bomb squad officer inspects the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

An Israeli soldier inspects the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Smoke rises between buildings hit in Israeli airstrikes in Hosh neighbourhood, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises between buildings hit in Israeli airstrikes in Hosh neighbourhood, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Police bomb squad officers collect the pieces of a rocket fired from Lebanon that landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli soldiers inspect the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli security officers and army soldiers inspect the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)