INDIANAPOLIS — Tyrese Haliburton scored 18 points and dished out 11 assists and gave the Pacers the lead with a 3-pointer with 1:17 to go to lead Indiana to a 111-109 win over the Kings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday night.
The Pacers came back from a 16-point third quarter deficit to improve to 44-31, increasing their lead over the Pistons for fourth place in the Eastern Conference to two games. The Kings fell to 36-39 and are in 10th place in the West.
Forward Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 24 points and was 9-of-9 at the free throw line, hitting critical foul shots to preserve the lead. Forward Obi Toppin scored 19 points. Forwards Jarace Walker and Pascal Siakam had 15 and 11, respectively.
Guard DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 31 points. Former Pacers center Domantas Sabonis had 25 points and 16 rebounds. Guard Zach LaVine scored 20 points.
Here are three observations:
Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam's big 3s save Pacers
The Pacers spent much of the fourth quarter on the brink of completing the 16-point comeback but missed 3-pointer after 3-pointer with a chance to either tie or take the lead and saw opportunity after opportunity slip way. They missed five 3-pointers that could've given them a lead and two that could have tied the score in the fourth quarter
But in the final two minutes, the Pacers got two giant 3s when they had to have them which put them in position to put the game away. Haliburton hit a step-back 3-pointer with 1:17 to go that made it 100-98 after the Pacers spent most of the previous two minutes stalled just behind the Kings. The Pacers got a stop on the other end with Siakam stopping Malik Monk, and then Siakam hit a 3 to make it 103-98. The Pacers still had to face a strong comeback from the Kings, but held them off with free throws.
After failing to get a double-double in the past two games, Haliburton started a new streak, though he also had five turnovers. He was 7-of-13 from the floor, 2-of-4 from 3. Siakam was 4-of-15 from the floor, 1-of-4 from 3, but got a huge shot when he had to have it.
Obi Toppin's shooting helps get Pacers back in it again
Toppin went off from 3 for yet another time this month and this time the Minnesota Timberwolves weren't on the floor.
Toppin scored in double figures for the sixth straight game, scoring 14 of 19 points in the second half. He was 7-of-11 from the floor including 5-of-8 from 3-point range and his scoring late in the third and early in the fourth quarter helped get the Pacers back in the game after they fell behind by 16 points.
Jarace Walker scores in double figures again
After a three-game stretch earlier this month when Walker didn't play at all and an extended stretch after that when his minutes were limited, Walker has received more opportunities in recent games especially with wing Bennedict Mathurin out with left calf soreness. He continues to make something out of those opportunities, and Monday night he scored in double figures for the third straight game.
After scoring 16 points in Thursday's blowout win over the Wizards and 10 points in the ...
