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Game Rewind: Pacers 130, Kings 106 (Preseason)

Game Recap

Buoyed by strong bench play, the Pacers cruised to a comfortable 130-106 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday in Mumbai in the second and final contest in the 2019 NBA India Games.

While they needed a late rally to force overtime in Friday's win over the Kings, there was no such drama on Saturday.

Eight Pacers scored in double figures in the blowout preseason victory, including five reserves.

The Kings led 30-25 after a tightly contested first quarter, but the Pacers' reserves helped them surge in front early in the second.

Alize Johnson got things started by knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers off dishes from T.J. McConnell. Doug McDermott then followed with a layup off a backdoor cut and a three of his own.

After a timeout, it was the Holiday brothers' turn to carry the load. Second-year guard Aaron Holiday hit a three and a layup and then big brother Justin added a pair of treys.

The Blue & Gold opened the frame with a 21-5 run and led by as many as 12 points.

The Kings rallied with nine unanswered points, but reserves JaKarr Sampson and Edmond Sumner stepped up, combining for 14 points in a 16-7 Indiana run to close the half, capped by Sumner's coast-to-coast buzzer-beating layup that gave the Blue & Gold a 71-59 lead at the break.

Fifth-year center Myles Turner put on a show on both ends in the third quarter to help Indiana sustain its lead. Turner swatted three shots in the frame and knocked down three jumpers on the other end — two of them 3-pointers — and Indiana took a 96-79 lead into the fourth quarter.

Sacramento never threatened down the stretch as both teams emptied their bench in the final frame.

Johnson led the Pacers with 17 points and eight rebounds. Aaron Holiday added 16 points, Sampson scored 15, and Justin Holiday tallied 13.

Turner (12 points and five blocks), Jeremy Lamb (11 points and five rebounds), Domantas Sabonis (10 points, six rebounds, and four assists), and Sumner (10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and four assists) all also reached double figures.

Buddy Hield led Sacramento with 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Marvin Bagley III added 15 points and six boards, while Indiana native Yogi Ferrell had 12 points and four assists off the bench.

Inside the Numbers

The Pacers outscored the Kings 46-29 in the second quarter to open up a double-digit lead.

Johnson scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Turner tallied five blocks in just 18:53 of action. The NBA leader in blocked shots last season has 17 career regular season games with five or more blocks.

Indiana dominated Sacramento in the paint, outscoring the Kings 60-28 on the interior.

The Pacers went 15-for-29 from 3-point range (51.7 percent) in Saturday's victory. Justin Holiday went 3-for-3 from long range, while five others (Aaron Holiday, Johnson, Lamb, Turner, and Sampson) hit two 3-pointers.

Stat of the Game

The Pacers' bench combined for 91 points in Saturday's victory, outscoring the Kings' reserves by 40.

Noteworthy

  • Goga Bitadze (sprained right ankle), TJ Leaf (right quad strain), and CJ Wilcox (right quad strain) did not play for the second straight day. Two-way guard Naz Mitrou-Long logged 3:45 after missing Friday's game due to an allergic reaction.
  • Among the celebrities in attendance at Saturday's game were former Pacer Detlef Schrempf and actress Priyanka Chopra, who attended North Central High School in Indianapolis years ago.
  • Former Indiana Mr. Basketball and Lawrence Central graduate Kyle Guy made his NBA preseason debut for the Kings, tallying nine points and three assists in just under 20 minutes of action.

Up Next

The Pacers will return to Indiana and have ample time to recover from their overseas trip before returning to action against the Chicago Bulls at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »

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