East Notes: Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton, Celtics, Bulls

Pacers

All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton recorded 11 assists in the Pacers’ win over the Thunder on Friday, breaking the single-season franchise mark of 712 set by Mark Jackson in the 1997-98 NBA season. Haliburton exited the game with 713 this year.

“(Haliburton) should never be defined by whether he’s getting a certain number of points,” coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “He’s a guy who’s a master at facilitating for his teammates. Mark Jackson was a really good player. That record stood for a long time. (Haliburton) is going to shatter that record again next season when he doesn’t miss 15 games.”

• The Pacers (44-34) have won nine of 14. “We got a great group,” point guard T.J. McConnell said. “I feel like our bench really has an identity. I’m just trying to do my job. We’re all really excited. We’re all looking forward to the playoffs.”

Celtics

Guard Payton Pritchard scored 21 points as the Celtics held off the Kings by a 101-100 count on Friday, with coach Joe Mazzulla leaving the reserves on the court for the fourth quarter.

It may be something we see more often as Boston (61-16) nears the clinching of the top seed in the Eastern Conference and perhaps the entire NBA.

“It’s good for our team chemistry — those kinds of moments,” forward Kristaps Porzingis said of the fourth quarter. “And seeing Joe all hyped up on the sidelines. It was pretty cool. A good win for us.”

• Guard/forward Jaylen Brown missed the game with a sprained left hand — though Mazzulla indicated it’s not likely to keep him out for the remainder of the regular season.

Bulls

The Bulls (37-40) continued their up-and-down trend with a win over the Knicks on Friday, assisting their efforts to get home-court advantage for at least one game in the NBA play-in tournament.

Recent signee Javonte Green recorded career-highs of 25 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.

“The energy, the enthusiastic style of play he brings, the person he is off the court — he’s one of those guys you want to have on your team,” small forward DeMar DeRozan said. “It’s been a tough year for him just trying to get healthy. For him to come out and be doing what he’s been doing since he came back, it’s amazing.”

• The Bulls lead the Hawks by one game for the ninth seed in the East. Chicago owns the tiebreaker should they finish with identical records.