Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and 10 assists as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 119-105 in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Haliburton logged his double-double without a turnover for Indiana (45-31). He received support from Aaron Nesmith (16 points), Pascal Siakam (15) and Myles Turner (15) as six Pacers notched double digits in scoring.
Indiana consolidated fourth place in the Eastern Conference with its second successive win.
Miles Bridges had 18 points for Charlotte (19-57). Mark Williams posted 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Seth Curry added 16 points.
Guard Damion Baugh exited the game with a injury in the third period for the Hornets, who let themselves down by coughing up 18 turnovers, on which they conceded 29 points.
In the first quarter, the Pacers’ defense forced six turnovers, while at the other end they hit 7 of 13 from 3-point range to hold a 32-25 advantage.
Indiana started the second frame 9-2 and threatened to break away, before Charlotte responded with the next 10 points.
Both side’s offenses endured cold patches as the Hornets narrowly won a dour 21-20 quarter to reduce the Pacers’ cushion to 53-45 at halftime.
Charlotte closed the gap to 68-67 in the third before being swamped by Indiana down the stretch.
As the turnovers mounted once again for the Hornets, the Pacers pounced.
Toppin’s spectacular dunk from a crafty Haliburton’s bounce pass was the highlight of a 15-4 close to the third quarter, at the end of which Indiana led 87-73.
The Hornets started the final period with back-to-back 3-pointers and a Jusuf Nurkic layup as they threatened a revival.
The Pacers called a timeout and restored order, piloted by Nesmith.
He followed a three-point play with successive 3-pointers and a layup to give Indiana breathing space.
–Field Level Media
