Once upon a time, TJ McConnell was a 23-year-old unarmed guard who needed to prove himself in the NBA Summer League to secure a spot in the squad. Now he is an NBA record holder.
McConnell was a thief in the Pacers’ outfit on Wednesday night against the Cavaliers, racking up nine steals in the first half in the 114-111 victory. This set a new league record for halving steals – an even more impressive feat when considering that McConnell didn’t even start the game.
Bill Streicher / USA TODAY Sports
The sixth-year guard ended the game with 16 points, 13 assists and 10 steals, good for his second triple-double career. He was a little shy of equalizing the record for a single NBA game and became the first bank player to record a triple-double with steals. He was also a perfect 8-to-8 on the pitch.
McConnell’s robberies were practically the only good thing the Pacers defense was able to do. Cleveland hit 51.8% of team shots, but made 26 losses. The Pacers hit 56.6% on field shots, but were unable to convert their steals in many points – Indiana had only 12 loss points, while the Cavaliers had 35.
McConnell, playing in the last year of his contract, has averaged 2.0 steals and 6.8 assists per game this season, both of the best in his career, with 6.4 points per game. He hit 52.1% of field shots in the past three seasons.