Aaron Nesmith scored 24 points to lead six players in double figures as the Indiana Pacers took control in the fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 134-118 Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin scored 22 points apiece, while Tyrese Haliburton scored all 16 of his points in the second half for the Pacers, who have won three of their last four games.
Haliburton added a game-high 13 assists while Jalen Smith had 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Fellow reserve Buddy Hield chipped in 10 points. Indiana outscored the Jazz 33-20 in the fourth quarter in a game that featured 14 lead changes.
Jordan Clarkson scored 33 points to lead Utah, which lost its fourth straight. Lauri Markkanen had 24 points and nine rebounds, John Collins scored 14 points, and Colin Sexton and Simone Fontecchio had 10 apiece off the bench.
Utah moved ahead 98-95 with a minute to go in the third quarter before Indiana responded with a 25-8 run to lead by 14 with 5:49 remaining in the contest.
After Markkanen’s 3-pointer cut Utah’s deficit to 122-113, Indiana regained control on Mathurin’s layup and Nesmith’s trey with 2:28 left.
Indiana, which scored at least 121 points for the fourth straight game, shot 51.5 percent from the field and 13 of 41 (31.7 percent) from 3-point range.
Utah connected on 46.9 percent of its shots from the field, including 11 of 27 (40.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
Turner scored five quick points to open the game to help Indiana take an early 7-0 lead. Utah settled in and led by 10 before the Pacers closed the opening quarter on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 29-29.
Turner scored 20 points in the first half to lead all scorers. Nembhard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Indiana a 67-60 advantage at the break.
The Pacers maintained a single-digit lead for much of the third quarter before Kris Dunn hit a 3-pointer with a minute left to put Utah ahead by three. The Pacers scored the next six points and took a 101-98 lead into the final period.
Utah played without center Walker Kessler, who was ruled out before the game due to a left elbow sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
–Field Level Media
