Tyrese Haliburton planted himself at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night, soaking in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces.
Cameras caught Haliburton laughing with fans, chatting with players during warmups, and reacting to every big bucket.
Haliburton has been one of the Fever’s biggest supporters all season. He and Pacers teammates have dropped by games throughout the summer, and the Fever have returned the love by showing up at Pacers events. Mutual support has become an integral part of the basketball fabric in Indianapolis. With Caitlin Clark energizing the Fever and Haliburton leading a Pacers team on the rise, the city has embraced a true year-round hoops culture.
The Fever needed that energy in Game 3. Coming home tied in the series against the defending champions, Indiana looked to feed off every ounce of crowd noise. The Aces came armed with A’ja Wilson’s dominance in the paint and Chelsea Gray’s steady playmaking, but the Fever countered with Kelsey Mitchell’s consistent scoring and by pushing the pace.
Haliburton did his part to turn the arena into a cauldron. He sprang out of his seat on key 3s, waved his arms to rally the crowd, and greeted players with high-fives during breaks. It was a small but meaningful boost for a young team looking to seize momentum in a pivotal playoff game. Haliburton’s presence in the stadium has made a big difference, after all, he’s the face of the franchise, and seeing him pop up on the big screen sends a jolt of electricity through the arena as fans start cheering. Indianapolis is in the middle of a basketball boom, and both teams are feeding off each other’s success and energy.
For the Fever, every bit of support still mattered, even if the night didn’t end the way they hoped. They fell 84-72 to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, who used a dominant fourth quarter to close the door. The loss puts Indiana on the brink in the semifinals, but the young team showed flashes of the grit and pace that powered their surge this season.