(INDIANA RELEASE)
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Pacers were without seven players on Tuesday night at Golden State. But Indiana used a balanced offensive attack and strong defense to pull away late to beat Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
Five Pacers scored in double figures and three recorded double-doubles as Indiana (7-4) bounced back from two straight losses and came away with a 104-95 win over Golden State (6-5).
The two teams were tied at 90 in the final minutes of regulation, but Myles Turner's third 3-pointer of the night gave Indiana the lead with 2:59 remaining. Aaron Holiday's layup 25 seconds later pushed the Pacers' lead to five.
Malcolm Brogdon was initially whistled for a foul on Draymond Green on the other end, but Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren challenged the call and won. Indiana won the ensuing jump ball, and Holiday found his big brother Justin for his 12th assist of the night.
A Domantas Sabonis layup and Justin Holiday free throw capped a pivotal 13-0 run by Indiana to seal a bounce-back victory.
"I just think we were really locked in from the jump," Turner said after the win. "I think we had a really good game plan going into (Tuesday). Everybody executed it quite well.
"They went on their runs like good teams do. I don't think that team gets enough credit, they're a tough team in the West...they definitely made it tough for us, but we prevailed with our defense."
Turner led the Pacers with a season-high 22 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists while going 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Sabonis added 18 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists.
Aaron Holiday busted out of an early season slump to tally 16 points and 12 assists off the bench, tallying nine points and six dimes in the fourth quarter alone.
"I know how good I am," Holiday said. "I know how I can play. I missed a few shots (to start the season), but they were good looks, so I can't really worry about that. All I can do is shoot them. It felt good to get the win. That's all that really matters."
The Pacers got off to a sluggish start on the second night of a back-to-back. Indiana opened Tuesday's contest by going 3-for-12 from the field while committing four turnovers, which allowed Golden State to open up an 18-9 lead. The offense picked up a little from there, but Indiana still trailed 28-19 entering the second quarter.
The Blue & Gold mounted a rally to start the second quarter, opening the frame with a 15-4 run to briefly take the lead. The Warriors responded with an 11-2 run of their own to retake control and remained in front for the remainder of the first half, taking a 57-50 lead into the intermission.
The Pacers rallied again in the third quarter, using a 10-2 run — capped by Edmond Sumner taking it right at Draymond Green for a fastbreak layup — to take a 65-64 lead midway through the period.
But Curry came to life for Golden State shortly thereafter, hitting two 3-pointers and a floater over an 11-4 Warriors run to retake the lead. Indiana closed the third quarter with four straight points, but the hosts held a narrow 75-73 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Indiana moved back in front early in the final frame thanks to five straight points from Turner. The Warriors moved back in front after back-to-back threes from Damion Lee and Mychal Mulder before Aaron Holiday's 3-pointer tied the game at 88 with 5:25 to play.
Curry's jumper 20 seconds later put the Warriors back in front, but Holiday answered again with a left-handed layup with 3:38 remaining, the start of what proved to be 13 unanswered points from the Blue & Gold.
"They were mad from last night and they came today with an edge to them," Bjorkgren said.
Brogdon finished with 13 points and eight assists for Indiana. Sumner, making his first start of the season, added 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting and four rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins led Golden State with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and five blocks. Curry added 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting (3-of-8 from 3-point range), while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 points and five rebounds.
The Pacers were without starting guard Victor Oladipo on Tuesday. The two-time All-Star has yet to play both nights of a back-to-back since returning from a ruptured quad tendon last January.
Indiana will continue its five-game Western Conference road trip on Thursday night in Portland before visiting Phoenix and Los Angeles (to take on the Clippers) over the weekend.
Inside the Numbers
Turner topped 20 points for the first time this season while also blocking at least four shots for the sixth time in 11 games to open the year.
Sabonis recorded his 11th straight double-double to open the season. He is two more double-doubles away from tying his own franchise record for consecutive double-doubles, a mark he set last season from Nov. 25 to Dec. 17.
Indiana outscored the Warriors 56-34 in points in the paint.
After allowing 125 and 127 points in their previous two games, the Pacers kept Golden State under the century mark on Tuesday while limiting the Warriors to 38.6 percent shooting.
You Can Quote Me On That
"I thought our readiness was much better. Whatever happened on the offensive end, makes or misses, I thought our readiness just getting back and getting our defense set up was key there. And the communication among the players out there on the floor, they were really talking through all the actions and being aggressive." -Bjorkgren on the difference defensively from the previous two games
"He was big there in the fourth (quarter)...He was just making the right play, making the right reads if he needed to go to the rim or if he needed to kick out for a three ball. It was nice to see the ball in his hands there navigating through ball screens." -Bjorkgren on Aaron Holiday
"I just tried to find my teammates on the weak side. They did a great job hitting shots for me coming down the stretch." -Aaron Holiday on his mentality in the fourth quarter
"You can't not be aggressive. I think the past couple games I haven't been aggressive enough, especially last game. Shooting the ball four or five times a game is not the way I want to play. The coaching staff encourages me to be aggressive, so tonight I just wanted to bounce back and I was able to do that." -Turner on taking on a greater offensive role on Tuesday
"Aaron was big time. Aaron and Myles came out and changed the whole game with their defense, their energy, their offense. They just made the right reads the whole game." -Sabonis
Stat of the Night
Over his previous five games entering Tuesday, Aaron Holiday had a total of just 17 points on 6-for-28 shooting and six assists. He had 14 points and 12 assists — both season highs — against the Warriors, recording his first double-double since Aug. 1.
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