Yahoo Finance T.J. McConnell posts rare triple-double with steals — off Pacers bench
T.J. McConnell fell one steal short of the single-game record on Wednesday.
He still walked away with one of the most unique stats lines in basketball history. The Indiana Pacers point guard posted a triple-double with 16 points, 13 assists and 10 steals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Where McConnell's wild stat line lands
According to NBA.com, that's the first NBA triple-double with points, assists and steals since Mookie Blaylock logged 14 points, 11 assists and 10 steals for the Atlanta Hawks in 1998 — nearly 23 years ago. According to NBA Stats & Info, it was the 11th triple-double of any kind to include steals since the NBA recognized steals as a stat in the 1973-74 season.
He did it all from the bench. And he was perfect from the field, connecting on all eight of his shots. The Pacers walked away with a 114-111 victory. Not a bad day's work for the sixth-year veteran with career averages of 6.4 points, 4.9 assists and 1.2 steals.
McConnell did break another steals record
McConnell put a scare into the single-game steals record in the first half alone, where he recorded nine of his swipes. That did add up to a record for one half.
But Kendall Gill (New Jersey Nets, 1999) and Larry Kenon (San Antonio Spurs, 1976) remain safe in the record book with 11 steals in a single game.
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