Buddy Hield helps Pacers top Kings 107-104

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Buddy Hield scored 21 factors towards his former staff and the Indiana Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 107-104 on Friday evening to cease a four-game shedding streak.

Hield shot 5 of 9 from 3-point vary and grabbed 10 rebounds. Aaron Nesmith added 17 factors for the Pacers, going 4 for 7 on 3s. Myles Turner had 14 factors and 13 boards.

“Particularly towards your previous staff, it’s all the time good to get the win,” Hield stated.

Hield and Tyrese Haliburton had been traded to the Pacers a yr in the past in a six-player deal that despatched Domantas Sabonis to the Kings.

Turner stated the Pacers had additional motivation to get the victory for Hield and Haliburton.

“(Hield) made some massive pictures down the stretch,” Turner stated.

Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 23 factors. Kevin Huerter scored 16, whereas Sabonis and Terence Davis every had 15.

Sacramento was with out main scorer De’Aaron Fox, who sat out for private causes.

Davis sank a 3-pointer with two minutes left to slice the Pacers’ result in 107-104, however neither staff scored the remainder of the best way.

Barnes missed a 3 with 9.1 seconds left, and Nesmith got here up with the rebound.

“We didn’t react making an attempt to foul,” Kings coach Mike Brown stated. “It’s on us as a workers to remind them to foul, if we’re down three and the clock is under 24 seconds and we’re down three factors or two or one. That’s only a educating level.”

Brown thought his staff had a number of issues within the last quarter.

“You’ve received to have the ability to field out,” he stated. “You’ll be able to’t hand over second pictures. We didn’t do any of that down the stretch. All through the course of the sport, our turnovers had been horrible. It actually damage in a one-possession sport to have 20 of them on the street. Our incapability to speak on protection towards a staff — and quit too many beauty — that may shoot just like the Pacers, was not good.”

The Pacers, who led by 12 at halftime, took a 19-point lead within the third quarter earlier than the Kings ended the interval with a 20-8 run to slim the deficit to 87-80 after three.

Indiana went 10 of 21 on 3s to take a 60-48 halftime lead. In distinction, the Kings had been 6 for 23 from lengthy vary within the opening half.

The Pacers scored 14 straight factors to construct a 51-39 benefit. Nesmith hit a trio of 3-pointers throughout the stretch.

Haliburton, enjoying his second sport after lacking 10 with an elbow sprain and knee bruise, acknowledged he was drained after the sport and struggled to make pictures. He had 10 factors on 4-of-12 taking pictures and 9 assists.

“We knew the best way they play, you’re going to should make it a gritty sport, an unsightly sport,” Haliburton stated. “You want to have the ability to play protection and get stops, and we had been in a position to try this tonight.”

TIP-INS

Kings: The Pacers confirmed a pregame tribute to Sabonis on the scoreboard throughout his first sport again in Indiana because the commerce. Sabonis was inactive resulting from a knee damage when Sacramento performed at Indiana final March. … Trey Lyles, the 2014 Indiana Mr. Basketball from Indianapolis Tech Excessive College, scored seven factors off the bench.

Pacers: Daniel Theis, in his second sport of the season, scored eight factors off the bench. Theis, traded to the Pacers from Boston, returned Thursday after having knee surgical procedure in November. … With the return of Theis, two different Pacers publish gamers, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson, didn’t play.

BIG DUNK

Hield isn’t recognized for his dunking means, however he had an enormous one to place the Pacers up 104-99.

“That’s primary,” Hield stated. “I’m by no means the one reducing to the center or baseline. I noticed a gap and that’s all she wrote. I trusted my legs. It was enjoyable. My teammates had been excited. They’re all the time joking about me not dunking the ball. It was enjoyable to see them laughing.”

UP NEXT

Kings: At New Orleans on Sunday.

Pacers: Host Cleveland on Sunday.