Haliburton and Siakam lead Pacers past Warriors 123-111

SAN FRANCISCO -- — Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points and had 11 assists, Pascal Siakam added 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and the Indiana Pacers beat the Golden State Warriors 123-111 on Friday night.

Indiana pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Golden State 36-21 after trailing by double-digits in the first half. Haliburton, coming off a recent shooting slump, now has at least 20 points in back-to-back games. He keyed the Pacers’ run with 11 points in the third quarter.

“We had to amp up our attitude in the second half, our overall nastiness to compete and get physical,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.

Myles Turner, who had five blocks to go along with 14 points and 10 rebounds, passed Jermaine O'Neal when he blocked Jonathan Kuminga in the third quarter to set Indiana's franchise record for blocks with 1,246. Turner, in his ninth season with the Pacers, received a jubilant celebration in the locker room and described setting the record as an “emotional feeling.”

“I think it’s amazing,” Turner said. "I can leave with something no matter what happens in the future. Now I can tell my kids about this moment, grandkids and hopefully this record is here to stay for a long time.”

Stephen Curry led Golden State with 25 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 6 of 18 from 3-point range.

“Any time you hold Steph Curry to under 30 in his building, you've done an amazing job," said Carlisle, who praised Andrew Nembhard for his defense of Curry.

Chris Paul was ejected in the final seconds, picking up two quick technical fouls. He said after the game he called referee Tony Brothers a “TikToker” and then said Brothers had “too much powers.”

The Pacers — in the midst of a five-game road trip — entered knowing they at least clinched a spot in the play-in tournament with the Brooklyn Nets losing Thursday, but they were only a half-game ahead of the Miami Heat in the sixth spot as they look to avoid the play-in entirely.

Indiana improved to 5-0 at Chase Center, remaining the only unbeaten team against the Warriors since they moved to San Francisco. The Pacers improved to 33-13 when six or more players score in double figures. Haliburton said the win felt like one of the most complete efforts of the season.

“I’d say it’s a really big win for us,” Haliburton said. “It's no secret where the standings are right now and how important all these games are. So we’re just trying to take care of business on this trip right now.”

The Warriors came into Friday in the final spot in the play-in tournament, trailing the Los Angeles Lakers by a half-game.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr said the Pacers outcompeted his team to start the second half, and the Warriors began to lose their poise.

“They just pushed the ball down our throats and got out in transition," Kerr said. “I thought they were the more physical team as well.”

Golden State had a 12-point lead midway through the second quarter, but Indiana closed the half on a 18-7 run. A 33-foot 3-pointer by Haliburton at the buzzer cut the Warriors’ lead to 67-66 at halftime.

Back-to-back turnovers by Golden State that led to layups by Siakam and Andrew Nembhard gave the Pacers their first double-digit lead with under five minutes to play in the third quarter.

UP NEXT

Pacers: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

Warriors: Visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba