National Basketball Association
Indiana 121, Brooklyn 100
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 16, 2024
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #34 Kevin Cutler, #78 Evan Scott
Attendance: 17009

Pascal Siakam totaled 28 points and 11 rebounds as the host Indiana Pacers pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 121-100 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.

Siakam's double-double helped the Pacers (38-30) improve to 8-5 in their past 13 and moved to within 1 1/2 games of the fifth-place Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference.

Siakam finished 11-of-22 shooting and scored 24 over the final three quarters to help the Pacers score 82 points in the paint. Tyrese Haliburton struggled with his shot and added 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting, including 1 of 9 from beyond the arc.

Aaron Nesmith contributed 16 points, T.J. McConnell finished with 13 while Myles Turner and rookie Ben Sheppard chipped in 11 apiece as the Pacers shot 6-of-30 from 3-point range but finished at 47.6 percent overall thanks to their inside scoring.

The Nets (26-41) dropped to 1-4 on a six-game road that ends Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs and fell 3 1/2 games behind the 10th-place Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot in the East.

Cam Thomas scored 22 points to lead the Nets, who were outscored 35-22 in the fourth quarter and gave up a late 13-0 run. Cameron Johnson added 14 and Dorian Finney-Smith finished with 12 but Mikal Bridges was held to seven on 1-of-8 from the floor as the Nets shot 42.9 percent and gave up 30 points off 21 turnovers.

Brooklyn held an eight-point lead when Finney-Smith hit a 3 with 7:44 remaining in the second quarter. Indiana outscored the Nets 23-13 the rest of the half and held a 59-57 lead by halftime.

The Pacers began finding their rhythm midway through the third, ripping off a 14-2 run in nearly four minutes to take a 79-68 lead on Turner's dunk.

Indiana took a 15-point lead on Haliburton's three-point play with 90 seconds left in the third and gave up the final seven points of the quarter to settle for an 86-78 lead.

Thomas hit a 3 to get the Nets within 91-83 with 10:23 left and Indiana pulled away again, taking a 99-83 lead on a layup by Andrew Nembhard a little over a minute later. Siakam's 17-footer with 7:12 left and Haliburton's first 3-pointer of the night with 5:54 put the Pacers ahead 106-87 to essentially finish it off.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Brooklyn   Indiana
Cam Thomas 22 Scoring Pascal Siakam 28
Dennis Schroder 5 Assists Tyrese Haliburton 4
Nic Claxton 10 Rebounds Pascal Siakam 11
Cam Thomas 6 Free Throws Made Pascal Siakam 6
Cameron Johnson 2 Steals Pascal Siakam 3
Nic Claxton 2 Blocks Aaron Nesmith 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Brooklyn 100 42.9 10-25 24-31 18 45 3 8 21
Indiana 121 47.6 6-30 15-16 21 50 4 13 13
Upcoming Games
  • Indiana will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Pacers have a W/L % of .514 after a win and .613 after a loss.
  • Brooklyn will play their next game on the road against San Antonio. The Nets have a W/L % of .370 after a win and .400 after a loss.