A special fan in Indiana appeared to motivate Pacers guard T.J. McConnell on Thursday as the team closed out their first-round playoff series against the Bucks with a 120-96 win in Indianapolis.
When speaking to the media after the Game 6 clash, in which McConnell logged 20 points, two rebounds and nine assists, teammate Tyrese Haliburton credited his teammate’s wife, Val, for the dominant outing.
“I knew he was going to respond cause his wife Val is here and I always tell him he plays better when Val is at the game,” Haliburton said.
Haliburton, who added 17 points with six rebounds and 10 assists Thursday, explained McConnell felt “a little down” after his performance in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss, where he logged just six points, three rebounds and three assists.
“I just told him after the game, ‘Hey, we’re going to go home and Val’s going to be at the game and you’re going to be better,’ and it happened so shoutout Val,” Haliburton said.
McConnell, 32, dated Val for years before the couple tied the knot in 2017.
“I felt like tonight was one of my better, ‘Let the game come to me’ games,” McConnell said postgame, according to The Athletic.
“I feel like I’ve tried to force the issue a couple of games and it hasn’t worked out the way I’d like to.”
Undrafted out of Arizona, McConnell began his NBA career with the 76ers in 2015 before joining the Pacers in 2019.
He has averaged 10.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this year.
The Pacers, the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, will face the No. 2 seed Knicks in the semifinal round beginning Monday at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks eliminated the Sixers on Thursday in a thrilling 118-115 Game 6 win in Philadelphia.
