Indiana Pacers shine in clutch again to take down Charlotte Hornets
The Indiana Pacers are no stranger to crunch time. They currently rank third in the NBA in games played that feature clutch situations (26) this season, and they ranked third last year as well. Close games have been common for the blue and gold.
This year, the experience they've had in tight situations has become an advantage. On Sunday night, with the Charlotte Hornets in town for a battle, that edge became an important part of the game.
With 1:12 to go in the fourth quarter, the Hornets led the Pacers 107-104. From that point on, Indiana played essentially perfect basketball. To open that stretch of play, Tyrese Haliburton found Myles Turner in the pick and roll, and the big man converted a layup while being fouled. He drilled the free throw and tied the game.
On the other end, Buddy Hield blocked a LaMelo Ball jump shot, and in a scramble for the loose ball, Ball fouled Hield. It was Ball's sixth foul of the night, meaning his night was over. Hield hit a free throw to give the Pacers the lead as a result.
They never relinquished said lead. Haliburton then tipped the ball away from Terry Rozier on the defensive end, and Aaron Nesmith ended up corralling it for a steal. Haliburton followed that up by hitting two free throws. Then Nesmith knocked down two shots at the foul line. Myles Turner blocked Mason Plumlee at the rim for the play of the night soon after before Nesmith once again knocked down two foul shots.
All in all, the Pacers outscored the Hornets 12-4 in the final 71 seconds of the game to pull off the win. The final score was 116-111 as the blue and gold grabbed their eighth victory in ten games.
"I think it's just us being us, man," Turner said of the team's play in crunch time. "I think that we look forward to the moments."
Turner was excellent all night. He finished the game with 29 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. He was a +20 on the night, and his late block on Plumlee was the game-clinching play. His offense was precise while his defense was impactful all night.
In the second quarter, the eight-year pro turned the team's fortune around. The Pacers were down 34-21 when the big man checked in, and they were in desperate need of a boost. After he subbed in, Indiana held Charlotte to five points in 5:20 of action, and the Pacers cut the 13 point lead down to one in that span. Without that stretch, the blue and gold might have lost on Sunday.
The Pacers offense had less flow than usual during the game, and it felt like the team was playing red-light, green-light with its scoring bursts. Indiana did not score for the final 6:10 of the first quarter, for example, and they scored just seven points in the final 5:26 of the third frame.
But at their best, they were humming. The Pacers scored 43 fourth quarter points, for example, and closed the first half with 12 points in about four minutes. It was a game of runs for the blue and gold, and they had just enough successful bursts to win.
Turner was the Pacers best player for most of the night, but other players had good outings. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 16 points and 13 assists, he wasn't needed as much on offense in this game with the Hornets blitzing on defense.
The other three Pacers starters (Hield, Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard) combined for 55 points. Hield was inaccurate for much of the game, but they all provided Indiana with needed scoring on a night in which the bench only combined for 16 points.
Speaking of the bench, Oshae Brissett had a successful outing with five points and a team-high 10 rebounds. He made several timely plays on the glass.
The Pacers' season is now halfway over, and they are 23-18. They currently sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and next play on Wednesday in New York.
- Report: Myles Turner and Indiana Pacers open up contract extension talks. CLICK HERE.
- Oshae Brissett has contract become fully guaranteed, not waived by the Indiana Pacers before the guarantee deadline. CLICK HERE.
- Pacers guard Trevelin Queen on Tyrese Haliburton: 'He's just a great leader.' CLICK HERE.
- Pacers center Isaiah Jackson focusing on the simple things to stay engaged and be effective. CLICK HERE.
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