Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a third consecutive win, 105-99 over the Brooklyn Nets in overtime on Thursday in Indianapolis.
Mathurin buried a trio of free throws to tie the game at 91 with 14 seconds remaining after being fouled by Brooklyn’s Keon Johnson on a 3-point attempt. The play was reviewed for a technical foul due to a potentially reckless closeout but stood as a common foul.
Mathurin later gave Indiana its first lead since late in the first quarter on a crafty lay-in with 4:25 remaining in the overtime period. Indiana took a 101-99 after a TJ McConnell steal and dish led to a pair of Pascal Siakam free throws.
Myles Turner sealed the win for Indiana (40-29) with a highlight-reel rejection of Cameron Johnson at the rim. It was the perfect finish for Turner and the Pacers in the big man’s return from an extended absence.
Turner missed the previous 13 games with a hip injury, but his presence was felt vitally on Thursday. The veteran center finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, proving crucial in Indiana’s second-half comeback.
D’Angelo Russell and Ziaire Williams led the Nets with 22 points each, with Williams hitting 8 of 15 shots from the field. Trendon Watford scored 11 points on 6-of-11 shooting before being ejected for starting an altercation with Myles Turner in the fourth quarter.
The Pacers trimmed the Nets’ 10-point halftime lead to a single point, 64-63, with a 21-12 run to open the third quarter. However, Brooklyn (23-47) promptly answered with a 7-0 spurt of its own to reestablish a 71-63 lead with 3:21 remaining in the frame.
Indiana held the Nets scoreless for the remainder of the third but scored just four points itself to trim the deficit to 71-67 entering the fourth.
The Pacers rallied to start the final period, drawing level for the first time since late in the first quarter on a Thomas Bryant lay-in that brought the score to 71 apiece with 11:06 remaining.
The Nets gained control with a 10-3 run to close the first quarter, turning a two-point deficit with two minutes remaining in the frame into a 28-23 lead to start the second quarter. Brooklyn then outscored Indiana 24-19 in the quarter to take a 52-42 lead into halftime.
–Field Level Media
