by Jordan Morey
In a Friday night battle in the Bay Area, the Indiana Pacers put on a show.
On an evening featuring record-breaking blocks, buzzer-beating shots, clutch closing minutes, and a fifth straight road win, the Pacers (40-31) outlasted the Golden State Warriors (36-33), 123-111, at Chase Center.
The Pacers trailed by one point at halftime before dropping 36 points in the third quarter and taking a 102-88 lead into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, the Pacers withstood a late Warriors rally and closed the game with sound defense by allowing just two points in the final 3:06 of play.
Early in the second half, Pacers center Myles Turner rewrote the franchise’s history books.
With 9:35 left in the third quarter, Turner passed Jermaine O’Neal (1,245) for most blocks in a Pacers career by pinning a dunk attempt by Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga at the rim. Turner, 27, has played all nine of his NBA seasons with Indiana, and now has 1,248 blocks after logging five swats against the Warriors.
“To be here as long as I have, just to be at the top of the shot-blocking record is incredible for me,” Turner said.
Also with the win, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle moved to 936 career wins as a skipper, passing Dick Motta for 13th place on the all-time coaching list.
If that wasn’t enough, in the postseason race, the Pacers also had some help across the association going into the weekend. The Miami Heat (38-32) and Philadelphia 76ers (38-32) both lost their games on Friday and are now 1.5 games behind the Eastern Conference sixth-place Pacers.
Six Pacers finished in double-digit scoring against Golden State. Pascal Siakam topped the Pacers with 25 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, Tyrese Haliburton recorded 26 points and 11 assists for his 40th double-double of the season, and Myles Turner finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks.
Steph Curry led the Warriors with 25 points on 9-for-24 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, while Klay Thompson (17) and Chris Paul (12) supplied 29 combined points off the bench. Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard and forward Aaron Nesmith took on the majority of the defensive duties against Curry and Thompson on the night.
Overall, the Pacers shot 48.5 percent from the field (15-for-36 from 3-point range) and the Warriors shot 40.6 percent (14-for-48 3-point).
While both teams shot under 50 percent in the first half, Indiana made 11 threes, and Golden State drilled 10. At the halftime buzzer, Haliburton drained a 3-pointer from 30 feet off a long pass from Siakam to make it a one-point Pacers deficit, 67-66.
Curry and Thompson each scored 15 points in the first half, while Siakam had 13 points for the Pacers.
The Pacers shot 55.6 percent in the opening quarter, but Curry scored 13 points early, as the teams deadlocked at 38-38 at the end of the first frame.
FIRST QUARTER
Golden State made its first five shots following the tip, with a different player recording each basket, to lead 11-7 two minutes into the game.
After the Pacers cut the lead to one point midway through the period thanks to a variety of baskets from Siakam, Curry scored 11 straight points for the Warriors on a trio of 3-pointers, and Brandon Podziemski drilled his second three of the night to put the Warriors up 28-22 with 3:38 on the clock.
Out of a timeout, the Pacers strung together an 11-4 run, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Haliburton and a trey from rookie Ben Sheppard, to go ahead for the first time at 35-34.
In the final 23 seconds of the first frame, Thompson hit a 3-pointer for the Warriors before Jalen Smith drilled one from deep with five seconds left for the Pacers to keep the game tied at 38.
SECOND QUARTER
Thompson came out hot to start the second quarter, making three of his first four shots to help the Warriors go on a 10-3 run and take a 47-41 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the half.
A second run by the Warriors, this time 12-3, extended their lead to 60-48 before the Pacers answered with a 12-4 string behind 3-pointers from Andrew Nembhard, Siakam, and Turner to cut it to 66-63 with 1:46 left in the half.
After Kuminga made a free throw for the Warriors near the end of the half, Haliburton’s clutch shot from deep made it a one-point game.
THIRD QUARTER
In the third quarter, Haliburton scored 11 points to lead the 36-point third-quarter effort, while the Pacers held the Warriors to 30.8 percent shooting in the period.
Neither team went ahead by more than four points in the first six minutes of the third quarter until a 14-3 run, anchored by two close-range buckets by Siakam and a 3-pointer from Smith, propelled the Pacers in front 91-79 with 4:19 on the clock.
That scoring spree extended to 22-9, and again at the buzzer, Haliburton drilled his second straight 30-plus-foot three at the buzzer to put the Pacers ahead by 14.
FOURTH QUARTER
Five quick points by the Pacers’ T.J. McConnell, a 3-pointer by Obi Toppin, and a crafty basket off two ball fakes by Nembhard put the Pacers ahead 112-96 with 8:10 left in the game.
The Warriors constructed a 13-4 run to narrow the score to 116-109, but Indiana put the defensive clamps on from there.
Indiana outrebounded 64-50 but won the points in the paint margin 60-46.
“I loved the way we played,” Carlisle said. “Tough game, with both teams playing well. This building is as loud as any building in the league. To survive an early onslaught of shotmaking, which you expect in here … our guys kept their poise.”
Indiana next heads to the City of Angels for back-to-back games, as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday before playing the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. The Pacers will conclude their five-game road trip on Wednesday in Chicago.
Inside the Numbers
In the second half, the Pacers limited the Warriors to 34 percent shooting.
After scoring 15 points in the first half, Klay Thompson recorded just two points in the second half on 0-for-5 shooting.
Both teams made four 3-pointers in the second half.
The Warriors recorded 24 offensive rebounds, which is tied for the most given up by the Pacers in a game this season.
Jalen Smith and T.J. McConnell both scored 11 points off the bench for Indiana.
Indiana assisted on 32 made baskets to the Warriors’ 24 dimes.
Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, a Greenwood native and the son of Pacers legend Dale Davis, finished with nine points and 10 rebounds in 25:46 of playing time for the Warriors.
You Can Quote Me on That
“Myles (Turner) was dominant tonight. Five blocks, and every one of those was needed. A hardy congratulations to him. Check out the celebration on Pacers Instagram. Pretty cool.” – Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Turner’s new franchise record for career blocks
“Tyrese (Haliburton) put together a masterpiece tonight. Scoring, assists, playmaking and defense, too. He was great. (Pascal) Siakam was great. A lot of guys really contributed. (Andrew) Nembhard and (Aaron) Nesmith in particular did a great job chasing (Steph) Curry and (Klay) Thompson around.” – Carlisle on the win
“When you’re playing against a team where three guys you’re playing against, you just call them by their first name, they’re going to be in the Hall-of-Famers, you’re going against something special. This is a great win for us.” – Carlisle on the win
“We had to amp up our attitude in the second half. Our overall nastiness to compete, and get physical. … The important thing was to keep concentrating defensively and keep running. We were able to do those things.” – Carlisle on the second half
“We’re building this team to be a playoff team and a contending team. These games against high-level teams that are physical and emotional are essential.” – Carlisle on the win
“Any time you keep Steph Curry under 30 in this building, you’ve done an amazing job.” – Carlisle on Nembhard defending Curry
“The shot at the end of the third quarter was enormous. It takes it from 11 to 14 and that’s an enormous difference. Special players do special things. He was great tonight.” – Carlisle on Haliburton
“I think it’s our defense, man. I think we’ve really turned up to a different level. We’ve got guys committing more to that end of the floor. I think from where we started … to where we are now, I think it’s incredible.” – Turner on the Pacers’ defense
“It’s amazing I can leave with something no matter what happens in the future. I can tell my kids and grandkids about this moment.” – Turner on the blocks record
“It’s cool. He has been here for so long, it’s nice to see him breaking records and making a name for himself even more. I’m happy for him. Great locker room guy, great teammate. He’s always helped me ever since I’ve been in the league. Love him.” – Nembhard on Turner
“I think the last two weeks or so we’ve had a real physical mindset. We’re just being dominant in that sense and putting our will into it.” – Nembhard on the team’s improved defense
“He works very hard and is elite at what he does. I feel blessed to just be a part of the team and the moment that he got.” – Nesmith on Turner’s record
“It’s tough. You have to be alert at all times. … You just have to be locked in at all times.” – Nesmith on guarding the Warriors
“We’re doing a good job. If we continue to go at this pace, the way we play on offense, nobody can keep up with us over 48 minutes. We just gotta keep building. … (Turner) is our anchor and is going to keep leading us on that side of the floor.” – Nesmith on the improved team defense
Stat of the Night
By recording five blocks on Friday night, Myles Turner passed Jermaine O’Neal (1,245) for the most blocks in Pacers franchise history. Turner now has 1,248 blocks in his nine seasons wearing the Blue and Gold.
Noteworthy
- With a loss by the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, Indiana is guaranteed at minimum a Play-In Tournament berth in the 2024 postseason. The top six seeds automatically earn a playoff spot while teams seven through 10 make the Play-In.
- Indiana and Golden State split their regular season series 1-1.
- The Pacers are 5-0 playing in the Chase Center in San Francisco.
- The Pacers have won five straight road games by at least 10 points.
- Friday’s matchup was the 100th regular season game between the Pacers and Warriors. Indiana leads the all-time series, 53-47.
Up Next
The Pacers travel to Los Angeles to take on LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday, March 24 at 10:00 PM ET.
Originally posted on pacers.com