Pacers 114-110 Pelicans (Nov 25, 2024) Game Summary

On By Littum

INDIANAPOLIS — — Tyrese Haliburton finished with 34 points and 13 assists and made a season-best nine 3-pointers Monday night, leading the Indiana Pacers past the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans 114-100.

Haliburton’s tiebreaking 3 with 3:06 left and Bennedict Mathurin’s alley-oop dunk off Haliburton’s pass with a minute left finally sealed the victory.

Myles Turner added 17 points, including seven straight during a fourth-quarter flurry that got the momentum back for the Pacers.

Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 24 points, matching his season high. CJ McCollum added 23 points in his first action in nearly a month and Elfrid Payton dished out a career-high 21 assists — the most in an NBA game this season.

The Pelicans have lost five straight, this one with WNBA star Caitlin Clark watching inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse to the delight of some girls dressed in Clark’s Indiana Fever and Iowa jerseys.

Takeaways

Pelicans: With four projected opening day starters out with injuries (Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Dejounte Murray and Zion Williamson), it’s hard to read much into Monday’s outcome. McCollum’s return could be a promising sign.

Pacers: Indiana has also been less than full strength with Andrew Nembhard (knee) and Aaron Nesmith (ankle) out again. Still, it has used the first two games of a four-game homestand to pull within two games of .500.

Key moment

With the score tied at 104, Haliburton knocked down a 3, followed with a layup and then fed Mathurin for the dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. The Pelicans did not recover from that storm.

Key state

Haliburton has scored 73 points in his last three games, his top scorer over a three-game stretch this season. His previous high was 58.

Next

New Orleans returns home to host the Toronto Raptors, while the Pacers host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

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AP NBA: