Indiana Pacers take down Charlotte Hornets for first win with both Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton in the lineup
The Indiana Pacers were in Charlotte to take on the lowly Hornets on Sunday night. The Pacers entered the evening losers of three-straight games, so they were motivated to take down a Hornets team that hasn't won since January 22.
Indiana revealed pregame that they were finally getting healthier and would have their full roster available. That was a significant boost for a squad that has seen various players going in and out of the lineup for essentially the last month. They needed to take advantage.
Early in the game, the Pacers looked great. It took them about 70 seconds to jump out to a 7-0 lead, and they were ahead 9-0 after two minutes of play. They set the tone early, which was important in their losing streak.
Both teams went cold for the next few minutes, but the Hornets were just a little better offensively in that stretch. They were able to chop the lead down to six before taking a timeout with Indiana ahead 11-5.
Charlotte's run reached 7-2 when Indiana made their first substitution. The lineup change helped the Pacers stabilize. They were able to maintain a high single digits lead for the next few minutes and had control of the game once again. Their depth is a significant advantage on most nights.
Indiana's defense was impressive early, only conceding about one point per minute for most of the first quarter. The longer they continued that play, the better. The Pacers lead reached 13 before the quarter ended.
The first quarter was dominated by the blue and gold, who were ahead 26-13 after 12 minutes. Their offense could have been better, but the defense was solid early. It was the fewest points that the Pacers allowed in a first quarter all season.
The second period opened with back-and-forth play, but the Hornets were able to string together some baskets for the first time of the game. Indiana's head coach Rick Carlisle didn't like it and called a timeout two minutes into the frame with his team up by 11.
The stoppage didn't stop the Pacers sloppy offensive play, but their defense was doing enough to keep them ahead. It was the opposite formula from pretty much their entire season to date. Despite the struggles, Indiana was still up 10 with the middle of the quarter approaching.
Charlotte was still down double digits until there was about four minutes to go in the half. At that time, they cut the Pacers lead to eight with two free throws from P.J. Washington. Indiana wasn't playing well, but their start was helping them remain in front.
Star Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who had been patient for most of the first half, came alive in the ensuing stretch. He drilled consecutive three-point shots before getting to the foul line, which in total netted him seven points on three possessions. The blue and gold were up 13 at the time.
The Hornets responded well, though, and were able to cut the deficit down to eight with under one minute left in the half. But the Pacers closed the second period well and were ahead 55-44 at halftime. Haliburton led Indiana with 12 points while Pascal Siakam had 11.
Charlotte was terrific on offense to start the third quarter. They were able to quickly cut the lead down to five as Brandon Miller made effective plays for the hosts. Suddenly, the Pacers momentum was gone. They needed to focus.
Siakam hit a few important, stabilizing shots for the blue and gold to keep them ahead. But their lead was much smaller. They had to find their defensive level from the first half if they were going to keep the Hornets at arm's length.
They found it. Over the next 2:19 of game time, Indiana expanded their lead from four to 17, with Haliburton, Siakam, and Aaron Nesmith making plays. After a rough sequence, the Pacers went back to dominating. It forced a timeout from the Hornets.
The blue and gold kept rolling after that break, and they ballooned their lead to 20. Despite Haliburton heading to the bench halfway through the third frame and approaching his minutes restriction, Indiana kept pummeling Charlotte.
Siakam was rolling. With two minutes left in the third period, he had 20 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. The former All-NBA forward was showing exactly why the Pacers wanted to acquire him and was guiding his new team on the road.
Indiana's bench came in around that time, and the Hornets jumped all over that group and went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 17. They needed that stretch to keep the game from getting out of control.
They kept pushing and closed the quarter strong, and their deficit was down to 15 with 12 minutes remaining. It was 91-76 Pacers at the time, but the Hornets had momentum. Siakam had 20 points for Indiana while Miller had 25 for Charlotte.
The final period opened with more good play from Charlotte, who saw their run reach 14-0. They were able to cut the lead all the way down to 10 before Bennedict Mathurin hit a free throw to end it. The blue and gold had to be better to close the game out.
After making a few subs, they were. The visitors got their lead back to 16 and forced another Charlotte timeout. The Pacers had an answer every time things had gotten ugly in this game so far.
It got ugly again quickly. The Hornets were doing well to bother the Pacers often in the fourth quarter, and they cut the lead back down to 10 over the next few minutes. The young group wouldn't go away.
Once again, the blue and gold stabilized. After a three-minute field goal drought, the Pacers scored on three consecutive possessions to take a 17-point lead with 5:36 to go. They were close to putting the game away.
They did just that. They pushed away any Charlotte runs late, and the Pacers were able to bring in their deep reserves for the final two minutes. Two-way contract forward Kendall Brown checked in and knocked down his third shot of the season.
Indiana held on to win 115-99. It was the first time all season that they have held an opponent under 100 points. Their defense got it done as the blue and gold improved to 28-23.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak. Siakam finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. Myles Turner had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Haliburton added 17 points while Nesmith had 22.
The Pacers next play on Tuesday when they host the Houston Rockets.
- Indiana Pacers still figuring out how to manage Tyrese Haliburton's minutes restriction after loss to Sacramento Kings. CLICK HERE.
- Pascal Siakam discusses long-term future with Indiana Pacers and upcoming free agency. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers trade deadline rumor tracker. CLICK HERE.
- Pacers doomed by poor defense in loss to Sacramento Kings as losing streak reaches three. CLICK HERE.
- Follow AllPacers on Facebook: All Pacers SI
- Follow AllPacers on Twitter: @SIPacers
