Turner, Haliburton key to the Pacers’ 116-111 victory over the Hornets
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner scored 29 points, Buddy Hield had 21 and the Indiana Pacers capped the first half of their regular-season schedule with a 116-111 comeback victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Tyrese Haliburton finished with 16 points, 13 assists and five rebounds for the Pacers, who trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter and needed a series of clutch plays in the final minutes to improve their record to 23-18 at the halfway point.
“I’m excited for us, excited that we’re breaking through,” Turner said. “We still have a lot of work to do. We cannot be satisfied.”
PJ Washington had 22 points and five rebounds for the Hornets. Terry Rozier had 19 points, six assists and six boards, and Mason Plumlee finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Plumlee attempted a dunk with 13 seconds left that would have brought Charlotte within a point, but Turner’s blocked shot sent the crowd into a frenzy. The 26-year-old rising star finished with nine rebounds and four blocks. His three-point play with 1:11 left had tied the game.
“Myles is in his prime,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s playing the best he’s ever played. Down the stretch, he was tremendous. I coached Jermaine O’Neal here, and Jermaine had that. He was encouraging to his teammates.”
Two free throws by Aaron Nesmith made it 116-111 with 6.9 seconds left and secured Indiana’s eighth win in its last 10 games.
“Forty-one games — it doesn’t seem like 41 games, but it is,” Carlisle said. “The next 41 will go by pretty fast, too. We’re getting a lot of experience in the clutch. We’re not perfect, but we’re slowly getting better and we’ve got a great crowd that’s helped us over the hump in a lot of these games.”
Charlotte, which fell to 11-30 at the half, has lost four of its last five. Leading scorer LaMelo Ball fouled out in the final minute with 13 points and eight assists.
“It’s tough for us when (Ball) only plays 24 minutes,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “That’s just part of his growth. We had a couple of really bad fouls. We put ourselves in a good spot for three quarters. Our defense in the fourth quarter just wasn’t good enough.”
ADVICES
Hornets: Starting forward Gordon Hayward, a former All-Star, is out for a third straight game with a sore hamstring. The injury cost the 12-year veteran a homecoming affair; played collegiately at Butler and is a native of Brownsburg. … Kelly Oubre Jr., the team’s third-leading scorer at 20.2 points per game, missed his fifth straight game with a torn ligament in his hand that required surgery Thursday.
Pacers: Indiana committed 16 turnovers, but the Hornets forced 18. … The Pacers trailed 27-15 late in the first quarter, but rallied for a 47-45 halftime lead. It was 79-73 Indiana entering the final period. … Andrew Nembhard finished with 19 points and four steals, while Nesmith added 15 points, six rebounds and four steals.
UNTIL THE NEXT
Hornets: Head to Toronto for a two-game set, Tuesday and Thursday.
Pacers: Wednesday at New York Knicks.
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