by Jordan Morey
In the sixth game of their winning streak, the Indiana Pacers orchestrated a historic passing performance.
Dishing out a franchise-record 50 assists as a team, the Pacers (20-14) built a 24-point halftime lead before going up by as many as 38 in the third quarter in a 150-116 drubbing over the Atlanta Hawks (14-20) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The previous Pacers record for assists was 48 (1971), and it was just the second 50-assist performance by a team since 1990.
Overall, the Pacers shot 63.8 percent from the field in the win, including 19-for-39 from 3-point range. All 14 players who stepped on the floor scored a basket for the Blue & Gold, and 13 players recorded an assist for Indiana.
The sixth win in a row marks the longest Pacers winning streak since the 2018-19 season and moves the Pacers to 4-0 since the start of the new year.
The Blue & Gold shot an incredible 70.5 percent in the first half, while limiting the third-ranked offense of the Hawks to 38 percent overall, to lead 78-54 at intermission. In the third quarter, the Pacers shot 61.5 percent from the field behind a 17-point frame by center Myles Turner (7-for-8 shooting).
Indiana led 117-83 heading into the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Turner led the Pacers with 27 points, Bennedict Mathurin put in 18, Bruce Brown added 17, Aaron Nesmith scored 15, and Tyrese Haliburton recorded 10 points and 18 assists.
Other double-digit scorers for the Pacers included Jalen Smith (11), Buddy Hield (11) and T.J. McConnell (10). McConnell also finished with 10 assists in the game.
“That’s cool to see. We’re sharing the ball, got a lot of different guys contributing,” Haliburton said of the assists record. “When you play basketball like that, it’s just infectious. Everybody wants to be a part of it. It looks fun, it’s fun for the guys that are out there, and appealing to people watching.”
Dejounte Murray topped the Hawks with 30 points (13-for-19 shooting) and Bogdan Bogdanovic supplied 16 points off the bench. All-Star point guard Trae Young had 13 points on 4-for-18 shooting (1-for-11 3-point) and six assists.
All 10 players that took the floor scored for the Pacers in the first half, with four players recording double digits and Haliburton recording 10 assists. The Pacers shot 31-for-44 in the first half as a team, including 9-for-16 from 3-point range.
The Pacers made five 3-pointers and limited the Hawks to 28 percent shooting to lead 38-24 at the end of the first quarter. Nine different Pacers players recorded points in the frame.
FIRST QUARTER
After the Hawks made back-to-back 3-pointers off the tip, the Pacers responded with a 13-5 run, on five points by Turner, to lead 13-11 four minutes into the game.
From 6:14 to 4:25, the Pacers strung together an 11-2 scoring spree, highlighted by an alley-oop slam from Haliburton to Smith, to go ahead 24-15, before a barrage of threes propelled them to a double-digit lead.
Indiana continued pouring on the points out of a timeout, as Toppin drilled two 3-pointers and Mathurin and Hield each hit treys to give the Blue & Gold a 14-point lead at the end of 12 minutes.
SECOND QUARTER
Indiana’s lead swelled to 20 points after a pair of mini 6-2 Pacers runs midway through the second quarter, with six straight points by Smith putting the Pacers ahead 57-37 with 5:46 left in the half.
The Pacers continued their scoring flurry over the final stretch of the first half, with Haliburton, Smith and Turner all drilling 3-pointers before Brown got a floater from 18 feet to fall at the buzzer to give the Pacers a 24-point lead.
THIRD QUARTER
Indiana opened the second half on a 13-5 run – making their first six shots from the field – to lead 91-59 with 9:34 on the clock.
The hot shooting continued from there, as Indiana made it nine for 10 shooting following a 3-pointer from Turner to put the Blue & Gold ahead 98-67 with 7:46 on the clock.
FOURTH QUARTER
In the final 12 minutes, the Pacers sat almost all their starters for the entire frame. James Johnson dished out the franchise record assist — which was previously 48 — with 1:41 left in the game.
To continue their winning streak, Indiana must take down the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, as they host the Boston Celtics on Saturday, Jan. 6, and again on Monday, Jan. 8.
“I liked the way we played. We brought an element of physicality to the game that needed to be there and managed to avoid a lot of fouls … that helped our defense,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “The assist number is tremendous – the ABA and NBA franchise records were really strong – and speaks to the unselfishness of the team. That’s something to celebrate. But, in this league, celebration times are short. We’ll have to get in our beds tonight, rest up and get ready for Boston tomorrow.”
Inside the Numbers
Indiana is 3-0 when eight or more players score 10 or more points.
The Pacers bench outscored the Hawks reserves 70-43.
T.J. McConnell recorded his second double-double of the season.
Tyrese Haliburton recorded his 26th double-double of the season. Haliburton was two rebounds away from a triple-double.
The Pacers shot 11-for-13 from the free throw line and the Hawks finished 26-for-30.
Both teams recorded 39 rebounds.
Indiana outscored Atlanta 66-58 in the paint.
Bruce Brown nearly had a perfect shooting night, going 8-for-9 shooting.
You Can Quote Me On That
“This is the epitome of what basketball is. There’s different energy around the group. The guys are happy to come to work. Even when we have off days, the entire team is working … We’ve created such an environment here that makes it easy to have a night like this – to have 50 assists and have it feel like it’s normal. It’s a big credit to Rick and his staff. Since he’s been here, he has really changed the culture with what Pacers basketball is supposed to be, and then obviously Tyrese coming here leading the charge as well. It’s fun to have nights like these and … feel like a normal night.” – Myles Turner on the win
“Everybody just trusts their work. When the ball comes to you, there’s no hesitation – the shot is going up. We’re not always going to shoot the ball as well as we did tonight, but I think we’re creating something special here at Gainbridge. It makes it fun for fans to come out and see our brand of basketball” – Turner on the culture leading to the performance
“We’ve done a great job offensively for most of the season. I’m just proud of how we’re progressing defensively. … The way we’re flying around and communicating now and covering each other has come a long way since a couple months ago.” – Turner on the defensive improvements
“I think we’ve got something good right now. I think the beauty of our lineup is we can make adjustments when we need to. I think everybody’s being very professional in understanding what it takes to win these games.” – Turner on the current starting lineup
“When I first got it here, some people were worried because they thought Myles doesn’t really roll. But obviously he was playing with another big. And now with him being kind of the lone big on the floor a lot of times and us being able to grow chemistry, it’s been really good for both of us. It’s been a great partnership, I feel like one of the best pick-and-roll duos in the league…He’s been really good at getting better and being patient and letting the offense flow after he catches and taking his time. It’s been a really good partnership, something that we can keep growing.” – Tyrese Haliburton on his connection with Turner
“Obviously it was an adjustment period after the In-Season Tournament. Everybody’s starting to blitz now, so we’re just learning how to beat that. That’s a part of the growth of us as players and us as a group. It’s interesting to see what teams keep doing. The coverages keep changing from team to team. That’s part of the great part of basketball. It’s kind of like a chess match to a sense of figuring out and adjusting to what teams are doing.” – Haliburton on learning how to beat different defensive coverages
“We did a good job of showing hands, frustrating them defensively, and rebounding. Clint (Capela) is obviously one of the best rebounders in the league on the glass. I thought we did good job of boxing out, gang rebounding, and getting out and running.” – Haliburton on defense slowing down Trae Young and the Hawks
“It’s going to be a lot of fun. Obviously the last time we played here, there was a lot of emotion, a lot of energy in this building. And they’re the best team in the NBA, so that’s the exciting part about it. See where we stack up against them. We play them three times this month, which is crazy, but that’s exciting for us. Tomorrow will be an exciting day for Indianapolis and Indiana sports fans with us and the Colts playing at around the same time. We know our fans have been awesome. Assume tomorrow will be a sellout like the last few games have been. Looking forward to that energy in the building and just having a lot of fun out there.” – Haliburton on the upcoming matchups with Boston
“We’re all unselfish and we can all score the ball. We’re playing the right way – getting up and down and easy ones. It’s just great basketball to see.” – Bruce Brown on the 50 assists
“Keep building on that. Keep staying together and playing the right way and we’ll continue to win.” – Brown on the winning streak
“We’ve talked many times about how special they are as a group of guys in the locker room. I think I mentioned last game the kinds of sacrifices that our guys are having to make right now with minutes, shots, everything else, to keep energy in the game, to use our depth. It’s not easy, but for us to win at a level that we aspire to, it’s got to be a true team situation. … Momentum is something you want to keep if you can, but we have the best team in basketball coming here tomorrow and it will be a challenge.” – Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on the team’s connectivity
“Lloyd (Pierce) did a good job of preparing our guys for some of the looks that we would see. We executed well, and they just had an off night. That happens. We’re not going to get too giddy about anything.” – Carlisle on the win
“They had a great year last year. … Having a big guy that can roll and pop is a weapon and Ty has a great feel for utilizing it. Myles has really learned when it’s appropriate to do one or the other.” – Carlisle on Turner and Haliburton’s connection
“You’ll see more.” – Carlisle on James Johnson’s dunk in the fourth quarter
Stat of the Night
The Pacers recorded a franchise-record 50 assists against the Hawks. The Pacers previous record was 48, set in 1971. There have now only been two 50-assist games in the NBA since 1990, and record remains at 53 set by the MIlwaukee Bucks in 1978.
Noteworthy
- Pacers starting forward Aaron Nesmith sprained his ankle in the third quarter and didn’t return to the game.
- Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield made three 3-pointers. He now has 1,801 for his career, and is just the 25th player in NBA history to reach 1,800 made threes.
- Andrew Nembhard missed Friday’s game with a minor back sprain. He has now missed 10 games this season.
- The Pacers and Hawks will play two more times this season: on Jan. 12 in Atlanta and back in Indianapolis on April 14. The Hawks have won the season series the last two seasons.
Up Next
The Pacers continue their five-game homestand by hosting Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 7:00 PM ET.
Originally posted on pacers.com