Indiana Pacers beat New Orleans Pelicans, reach .500 behind career night from Myles Turner
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night behind a career night from Myles Turner and a huge second half performance.
In the first half, it was a tight battle. The score difference was under ten for all but 14 seconds. The teams traded blows with both squads taking the lead at various times, but neither unit could find a groove for long enough to take over the game.
Myles Turner kept the Pacers ahead when halftime rolled around. He had 19 points and eight rebounds at the break — both of those numbers are above his per game averages over the entire season. He was getting strong post position on the interior, and New Orleans struggled to keep him away from the rim.
On defense, he had a block and forced several misses. The eight-year pro showed what makes him valuable by controlling the game on both ends, and others followed suit. Buddy Hield and Andrew Nembhard, who was starting for the first time in his career after a big game last Friday, both also reached double-digit points in the first half.
In the third frame, Indiana started to take over. Turner continued scoring. Tyrese Haliburton started raining in three-pointers. Jalen Smith came alive. All of those things happening at the same time helped the team balloon its lead as high as 13, it was one of the team's best frames of the season.
"I think we just got out in transition. We felt offensively that we really could get whatever we wanted in the first half. I thought we really did a good job of ball moving, we didn't really make enough shots, we got some really good shots, we just weren't hitting them early," Haliburton said of the team's focus in the third quarter. "We knew for us, if we got some stops and played in transition, that was going to make our offense easier."
The Pacers have rarely looked that good this season. They've had a few strong stretches this season — in Brooklyn, in Washington, and the fourth quarter against San Antonio, but the third quarter on Monday was one of their more complete offensive performances of the season. They finished with 42 points in the frame and carried a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Pacers shot out quickly to start the final frame, expanding their lead to 18 at one point. New Orleans cut into the score margin slowly over the quarter, but it was far too late. They had no answers for Turner, Hield, or Haliburton down the stretch, and the Pacers cruised to a 129-122 victory. It helped them improve to 5-5, they are now .500 for the first time since they were 15-15 in February of 2021.
"It's positive to get a win at home in front of these great fans. It's such a tough place to play for teams when we're out here winning and getting the crowd involved and playing the way we should," guard T.J. McConnell said after the game. "The vibes are very good, we've just got to keep it going."
Turner was excellent throughout the night, and he finished with a statline of 37 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. He got to the free throw line 11 times, the third-most in his career, and 37 points is his second-best scoring performance ever. His offensive output was tremendous, and the great defense he added made his performance one of the best of his career.
He made life difficult for Zion Williamson at times, and he grabbed missed shots with an urgency that isn't always there. Turner was critical for the blue and gold in this win.
"It's definitely up there," Turner said when asked to rank this game among the best in his career. "Bigger picture, it was a great individual performance, great team performance. All eyes forward."
Tyrese Haliburton continued his excellent season with a 20 point, 13 assist performance. He drilled six shots from beyond the arc, including four in the third quarter alone, to keep the Pacers offense humming all night.
Jalen Smith (15 points, 10 rebounds), Buddy Hield (20 points), T.J. McConnell (10 points), and Andrew Nembhard (15 points) all reached double figures. Indiana's offense was firing on all cylinders — 33 of the team's 43 made shots were assisted.
The 5-5 Pacers have won four of their last five games. They will attempt to climb over .500 on Wednesday when they welcome reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to town.
- The Pacers are still considered the most likely team to make a Russell Westbrook trade as Myles Turner comments on the Lakers rumors. CLICK HERE. For Myles Turner's reaction to the response to his comments, CLICK HERE.
- AllPacers chats one-on-one with former Indiana Pacers forward Justin Anderson. Exclusive interview here: CLICK HERE.
- Andrew Nembhard steps up on both ends as the Indiana Pacers take down the Miami Heat. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers mock trade review: Checking out four deals from Bleacher Report. CLICK HERE.
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