As of Monday, Indiana Pacers point guard TJ McConnell had never scored more than 23 points in an NBA game. He had never finished a game with more than three outside jumpers in his career. His skills include driving and kicking more than scoring, so filling the net is rarely something the experienced guard does.
At the end of Monday, all of McConnell’s career-best digits changed. He had 25 points and four made three-pointers against the Milwaukee Bucks, both of which were career highs. But those weren’t his final stats. Those were his stats at halftime.
McConnell burned against the Bucks in the first two quarters. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle failed to get him off the floor as he played the entire second quarter. He didn’t miss a shot in the first half and went off the field at 9/9 as the Pacers led 76-65 at the break.
“We’re excited about what TJ is doing out there,” said Pacers assistant coach Mike Weinar at halftime during the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game. “He takes what the defense gives him.”
In addition to 25 points and four threes, McConnell had three rebounds, six assists and two steals in two quarters. He never turned the ball over and was a +11 for the half. The Pacers were buzzing and his game was a big reason for that.
Prior to this half, McConnell had only made seven three-pointers all season. He only had tries four three-pointers in a full game seven times during his career before Monday. But against the Bucks, that outside shot was a weapon.
McConnell has been working on his shot for some time. He has spent time with his father, who was himself a basketball coach, and has worked on his jumper in the past, and he can often be seen at the end of practice setting up free throws and three-pointers. His accuracy has improved as a result, he’s only had one season with a better three-point percentage than the current one, and he currently has a career-best free throw percentage.
“My man. Boy shoots, man. He’s been working on that,” Pacers center Myles Turner said of McConnell and his jumper at halftime on the Bally Sports Indiana show.
Early in the game, McConnell shot 30.4% from long range this season. Now that number is up to 40.7%. His free throw percentage increased from 89.7% to 90.6%. He’s approaching the rare 50/40/90 club, although his tally of three-point attempts at the end of the season likely rules him out of the group.
McConnell burned to the point where he took two heat check threes and buried them. Both also came from dribbling. He felt it, and his game was so strong that the Milwaukee defense changed their game plan to try and slow him down. With the defenders unable to break away from the red-hot veteran guard, he initiated further action with big man screens and dished out four assists for the second quarter. He was great and a guiding force for the blue and gold.
The magic didn’t carry over into the last two frames. In the second half, the 30-year-old guard had four points on 2/7 shooting, two rebounds, three assists and a steal. Those numbers are solid for a half, but they look dull compared to his play from earlier in the same game. He finished the night with 29 points and nine assists. He has topped his old career high by six points.
The Pacers couldn’t hold their halftime lead, falling 132-119. McConnell even had a plus-minus on the 13-point loss, showing how effective he was all night.
For the season, the eight-year-old pro now has 6.6 points and 4.6 assists per game. His per-36 numbers are all offensively at or near career highs. He will look to continue his impressive offensive game Wednesday when the Pacers travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder.
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