PACERS SNAP 76ERS’ 8-GAME WIN STREAK
Tyrese Haliburton had 33 points and 15 assists, and Obi Toppin chipped in 27 points as the Indiana Pacers beat the 76ers 132-126 in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday night and snapped host Philadelphia’s eight-game winning streak.
“We know there was higher stakes in this game with it being the in-season tournament,” Haliburton said. “I’ve never played in a playoff game, so this is my first chance to compete for a championship and I took it very seriously . ... And I never beat Philly before, so this was an exciting win for me.”
The Pacers took the upper hand in the tourney’s East Conference Group A standings, improving to 2-0 in pool play. The Sixers slipped to 1-1.
Myles Turner added 17 points — including 15 in the fourth quarter — for the Pacers, whose bench outscored Philadelphia’s 33-6.
“We had to be up to the mental challenge of playing in difficult situations against a team with two great players and a lot of hard playing guys and our guys got the job done,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said.
Joel Embiid scored 39 points and De’Anthony Melton added 30. Tyrese Maxey was held to 27 points on 9-of-23 shooting after scoring a career-high 50 points against the Pacers on Sunday.
Heat 111, Hornets 105:
Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 32 points, Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 11 rebounds and visiting Miami remained unbeaten in the in-season tournament with a win over short-handed Charlotte. Duncan Robinson added 18 points for the Heat, who’ve won six straight overall. Miami is 2-0 in group play; the Hornets are 1-1.
Hawks 126, Pistons 120:
Dejounte Murray had 32 points and nine assists as
visiting Atlanta extended Detroit’s losing streak to nine games. The Hawks won their Eastern Conference Group A tourney opener, while the Pistons fell to 0-2.
Nets 124, Magic 104: Spencer Dinwiddie had 29 points, eight assists and five
rebounds, leading Brooklyn over Orlando.
Thunder 123, Spurs 87: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and a careerhigh seven steals, and Oklahoma City rolled past visiting San Antonio. The game featured two of the league’s host top rookies — San Antonio’s 7-foot-3 Victor Wembanyama and Oklahoma City’s 7-1 Chet Holmgren. Wembanyama finished with eight points on 4-for-15 shooting. He grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked two shots. Holmgren had nine points on 3-for-10 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists.
Pelicans 131, Mavericks 110:
Brandon Ingram and rookie Jordan Hawkins each scored 25 points, and host New Orleans snapped a fivegame skid with a win over Dallas, which committed 20 turnovers in the loss.
Jazz 115, Trail Blazers 99: Jordan Clarkson scored 30 points and Lauri Markkanen added 21 points and nine rebounds, leading host Utah to a victory over Portland. John Collins had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz.
Nuggets 111, Clippers 108: Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, and host Denver beat Los Angeles in an NBA In-Season Tournament game, as the Clippers remained winless since acquiring James Harden last month.
Timberwolves 104, Warriors 101: Karl-Anthony Towns scored 33 points, sending Minnesota to its seventh straight victory, an In-Season Tournament win over host Golden State that featured three early ejections.
With the game still scoreless and not yet two minutes old, Golden State’s Draymond Green was ejected after putting Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in a headlock. Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, who got into a shoving match that resulted in Thompson’s jersey being ripped, were also tossed from the game.
Lakers 134, Grizzlies 107: D’Angelo Russell scored 24 points and Anthony Davis had 19 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots in Los Angeles’ third straight victory, over visiting Memphis in the NBA In-Season Tournament.