Pacers beat Pelicans 123-114 to open home-and-home set
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 13 assists - four on late consecutive possessions - and the Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-114 on Wednesday night.
The teams will complete the home-and-home set Friday night in New Orleans.
“It’s a massively important win,” said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle, alluding to his team’s 34-26 record with 22 games to play. “This time of year, each game has such great meaning.”
Brandon Ingram had 30 points and six rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost for the third time in their past four games. CJ McCollum added 23 points and six rebounds and Zion Williamson also scored 23 points.
Once behind by 20, New Orleans crept within three before Haliburton took over in crunch time. His stepback 3-pointer from the right wing extended the lead to 115-109 with 2:56 to play. Haliburton then assisted on three consecutive baskets by Siakam in the lane, the last a fast-break dunk that put New Orleans behind 121-111 with 1:17 to go, before finding Myles Turner for another basket in the final minute.
“I knew he’s a pass-first kind of guy,” Siakam said about Haliburton, the NBA’ assists leader. “With the gravity that he has on offense, I’m just trying to make the right reads, the right cuts, and I know the ball is going to find me. We’ve got something special. I’m happy to be on the same team.”
Turner finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who shot 49% from the field and made 14 3-pointers. Obi Toppin added 16 points and six rebounds, Bennedict Mathurin scored 16 points, and T.J. McConnell had eight points and nine assists.
Indiana seized control early, finishing a dominant first quarter with a 40-24 advantage. McConnell’s unchallenged learner in the lane pushed the gap to 44-24 and prompted a timeout by New Orleans coach Wille Green early in the second period.
Mixing in some zone defense, the Pelicans slowed Indiana’s scoring over the next 10 minutes and cut the deficit to 64-53 at halftime. A 10-point third quarter from Mathurin helped the Pacers carry a 96-86 lead to the fourth.
“Extremely proud of our group under the circumstances,” Green said. “This was an extremely tough game. For us to get down 20 and battle back against a really good team, this was a growth moment.”
Indiana played without starting wing Aaron Nesmith (sprained right ankle) and reserve forward Doug McDermott (sprained right calf).
Dyson Daniels, one of New Orleans’ top perimeter defenders who was tied for 13th in the league in steals per game, missed his eighth straight because of a meniscus tear. Starting center Jonas Valanciunas, averaging 13.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, played only seven minutes and did not score.
“We knew we were going to have to go small,” Green said. “It allows you to stay in front of them defensively. (Sitting Valanciunas) was the adjustment for us.”
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jonas Valanciunas vs. Myles Turner (CJ McCollum gains possession) | ||
| 11:38 |  | Pascal Siakam blocks Jonas Valanciunas's two point layup | ||
| 11:36 | | Pascal Siakam defensive rebound | ||
| 11:32 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point running finger roll layup | 0-2 |
| 11:18 | | CJ McCollum misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:15 | | CJ McCollum offensive rebound | ||
| 11:15 | | CJ McCollum misses two point tip layup | ||
| 11:14 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 11:09 | | Bennedict Mathurin turnover (illegal assist) | ||
| 10:58 | | Zion Williamson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:54 | | Pascal Siakam defensive rebound | ||
| 10:43 | | Herbert Jones shooting foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 10:43 | | +1 | Myles Turner makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 0-3 |
| 10:43 | | +1 | Myles Turner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 0-4 |
| 10:20 | | +3 | CJ McCollum makes three point pullup jump shot | 3-4 |
| 10:08 | | +3 | Bennedict Mathurin makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 3-7 |
| 9:52 | | CJ McCollum misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:50 | | Tyrese Haliburton defensive rebound | ||
| 9:42 | | Myles Turner misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:37 | | CJ McCollum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:32 | | Brandon Ingram misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:30 | | Pascal Siakam defensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | Myles Turner misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 9:19 | | Andrew Nembhard offensive rebound | ||
| 9:16 | | Andrew Nembhard misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:14 | | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | ||
| 9:02 | | Brandon Ingram turnover (bad pass) (Tyrese Haliburton steals) | ||
| 8:59 | | Herbert Jones blocks Bennedict Mathurin's two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 8:56 | | CJ McCollum defensive rebound | ||
| 8:46 | | Zion Williamson misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:44 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 8:33 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point turnaround jump shot (Bennedict Mathurin assists) | 3-9 |
| 8:32 | | Pelicans 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:16 | | +2 | Brandon Ingram makes two point driving finger roll layup (CJ McCollum assists) | 5-9 |
| 7:58 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point cutting layup (Pascal Siakam assists) | 5-11 |
| 7:49 | | Pascal Siakam personal foul (Larry Nance Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 7:38 | | Trey Murphy III misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:35 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 7:28 | | Naji Marshall blocks Tyrese Haliburton's two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 7:28 | | Pacers offensive rebound | ||
| 7:26 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:23 | | Naji Marshall defensive rebound | ||
| 7:09 | | +2 | Larry Nance Jr. makes two point layup | 7-11 |
| 6:58 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point driving layup | 7-13 |
| 6:44 | | +2 | Brandon Ingram makes two point pullup jump shot (Larry Nance Jr. assists) | 9-13 |
| 6:44 | | Myles Turner shooting foul (Brandon Ingram draws the foul) | ||
| 6:44 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 10-13 |
| 6:31 | | +2 | Jalen Smith makes two point layup (Pascal Siakam assists) | 10-15 |
| 6:20 | | +2 | Brandon Ingram makes two point pullup jump shot | 12-15 |
| 6:10 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point cutting layup (Jalen Smith assists) | 12-17 |
| 5:48 | | Brandon Ingram misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:48 | | Pelicans offensive rebound | ||
| 5:48 | | Larry Nance Jr. turnover (offensive goaltending) | ||
| 5:42 | | Larry Nance Jr. personal foul (Jalen Smith draws the foul) | ||
| 5:29 | | Tyrese Haliburton misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:27 | | Larry Nance Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 5:20 | | Herbert Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:18 | | Tyrese Haliburton defensive rebound | ||
| 4:57 | | Jalen Smith offensive foul (Brandon Ingram draws the foul) | ||
| 4:57 | | Jalen Smith turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:37 | | Ben Sheppard shooting foul (Brandon Ingram draws the foul) | ||
| 4:37 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-17 |
| 4:37 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-17 |
| 4:24 | | +3 | Ben Sheppard makes three point jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 14-20 |
| 4:24 | | CJ McCollum personal foul (Loose ball) (Jalen Smith draws the foul) | ||
| 4:24 | | +1 | Jalen Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 14-21 |
| 4:08 | | +2 | Larry Nance Jr. makes two point hook shot (Brandon Ingram assists) | 16-21 |
| 3:55 | | +3 | Tyrese Haliburton makes three point jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 16-24 |
| 3:43 | | Ben Sheppard blocks CJ McCollum's two point layup | ||
| 3:41 | | Jalen Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 3:39 | | Jalen Smith turnover (lost ball) (Naji Marshall steals) | ||
| 3:35 | | Jalen Smith blocks Trey Murphy III's two point driving layup | ||
| 3:35 | | Pelicans offensive rebound | ||
| 3:29 | | Jalen Smith shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | ||
| 3:29 | | Zion Williamson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:29 | | Pelicans offensive rebound | ||
| 3:29 | | Zion Williamson misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 3:27 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 3:17 | | +2 | Obi Toppin makes two point driving layup (T.J. McConnell assists) | 16-26 |
| 3:17 | | Larry Nance Jr. defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 3:03 | | Zion Williamson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:01 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 2:47 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point cutting layup (T.J. McConnell assists) | 16-28 |
| 2:36 | | Trey Murphy III misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:35 | | Pacers defensive rebound | ||
| 2:35 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:17 | | +3 | Obi Toppin makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 16-31 |
| 1:58 | | +3 | CJ McCollum makes three point jump shot (Naji Marshall assists) | 19-31 |
| 1:43 | | Myles Turner misses two point jump shot | ||
| 1:41 | | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | ||
| 1:26 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point layup (Trey Murphy III assists) | 21-31 |
| 1:18 | | +3 | Ben Sheppard makes three point jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 21-34 |
| 1:01 | | Zion Williamson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 0:58 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 0:55 | | +2 | Obi Toppin makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 21-36 |
| 0:41 | | +3 | Trey Murphy III makes three point jump shot (CJ McCollum assists) | 24-36 |
| 0:32 | | Myles Turner misses two point layup | ||
| 0:31 | | Myles Turner offensive rebound | ||
| 0:30 | | Myles Turner misses two point tip layup | ||
| 0:30 | | T.J. McConnell offensive rebound | ||
| 0:26 | | +2 | Tyrese Haliburton makes two point driving floating jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 24-38 |
| 0:06 | | Myles Turner blocks CJ McCollum's two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 0:03 | | Ben Sheppard defensive rebound | ||
| 0:01 | | +2 | Obi Toppin makes two point running dunk | 24-40 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:50 | | +2 | T.J. McConnell makes two point driving finger roll layup (Ben Sheppard assists) | 24-42 |
| 11:33 | | Naji Marshall turnover (traveling) | ||
| 11:21 | | Ben Sheppard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:19 | | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | ||
| 11:12 | | Myles Turner blocks Zion Williamson's two point driving dunk | ||
| 11:09 | | Obi Toppin defensive rebound | ||
| 11:06 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses two point running layup | ||
| 11:03 | | T.J. McConnell offensive rebound | ||
| 11:03 | | Ben Sheppard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:03 | | Obi Toppin offensive rebound | ||
| 10:58 | | +2 | T.J. McConnell makes two point pullup jump shot (Obi Toppin assists) | 24-44 |
| 10:56 | | Pelicans 60 second timeout | ||
| 10:36 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point cutting dunk (Herbert Jones assists) | 26-44 |
| 10:18 | | Herbert Jones shooting foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 10:18 | | +1 | Myles Turner makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-45 |
| 10:18 | | +1 | Myles Turner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-46 |
| 10:05 | | +2 | Herbert Jones makes two point driving finger roll layup (Zion Williamson assists) | 28-46 |
| 9:48 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:45 | | Naji Marshall defensive rebound | ||
| 9:41 | | +3 | CJ McCollum makes three point running jump shot (Naji Marshall assists) | 31-46 |
| 9:32 | | T.J. McConnell misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:30 | | Pelicans defensive rebound | ||
| 9:18 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point driving layup | 33-46 |
| 9:17 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:58 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point pullup jump shot | 33-48 |
| 8:42 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point pullup jump shot (CJ McCollum assists) | 35-48 |
| 8:27 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point turnaround jump shot | 35-50 |
| 8:15 | | Jordan Hawkins turnover (bad pass) (Myles Turner steals) | ||
| 8:11 | | +3 | Ben Sheppard makes three point running jump shot (Obi Toppin assists) | 35-53 |
| 7:55 | | Zion Williamson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:51 | | Obi Toppin defensive rebound | ||
| 7:45 | | Jordan Hawkins personal foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 7:36 | | T.J. McConnell misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 7:33 | | Herbert Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 7:15 | | Brandon Ingram misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 7:12 | | Trey Murphy III offensive rebound | ||
| 7:12 | | +2 | Trey Murphy III makes two point putback layup | 37-53 |
| 7:12 | | Myles Turner shooting foul (Trey Murphy III draws the foul) | ||
| 7:12 | | +1 | Trey Murphy III makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 38-53 |
| 6:55 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point driving floating jump shot (Pascal Siakam assists) | 38-55 |
| 6:39 | | Brandon Ingram misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:34 | | Obi Toppin defensive rebound | ||
| 6:22 | | Pascal Siakam turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:07 | | +3 | Herbert Jones makes three point jump shot (Trey Murphy III assists) | 41-55 |
| 5:51 | | Obi Toppin misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:49 | | Herbert Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 5:32 | | +2 | Jordan Hawkins makes two point pullup jump shot | 43-55 |
| 5:30 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:08 | | Jalen Smith misses two point layup | ||
| 5:04 | | Larry Nance Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 4:51 | | +2 | Brandon Ingram makes two point driving dunk (Trey Murphy III assists) |