Myles Turner racked up 31 points and 12 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers clinched an Eastern Conference playoff spot with a 157-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday in Indianapolis.
By matching its highest-scoring performance in franchise history, Indiana (47-35) earned the No. 6 seed in the East and will play the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs. The Orlando Magic defeated the Bucks 113-88 on Sunday to capture the fifth seed.
Pascal Siakam added 28 points as one of seven Pacers scorers in double figures. T.J. McConnell supplied 17 points, Doug McDermott netted 15 and Tyrese Haliburton finished with 12 to go along with 13 assists.
Indiana shot a stunning 65 percent overall (65 of 100) and went 19-for-36 from beyond the arc (52.8 percent).
Dejounte Murray paced Atlanta (36-46) with 32 points. Mouhamed Gueye had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Bogdan Bogdanovic chipped in 18 points for the Hawks, who are set to face the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the play-in tournament.
It didn’t take long for the Pacers to turn the game into a rout once the second half rolled around, with Turner’s layup making it 98-76 with 9:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Atlanta trailed by at least 16 the rest of the way.
Indiana came roaring out of the gates, making 20 of 27 shots from the field (74.1 percent) in the first quarter to build a 49-34 lead.
After McConnell knocked down a triple with 8:36 left in the second quarter to lift the Pacers to a 59-45 advantage, Atlanta came to life.
The Hawks proceeded to score 17 of the next 20 points, drawing even at 62-all when Murray sank a free throw with 4:50 to go.
Atlanta never managed to pull in front, though, and, with the help of a 14-0 run, Indiana took an 86-72 lead into the break.
–Field Level Media
