Game Rewind: Pacers 116, Hawks 112 (Preseason)

Monday, Oct. 16 at 7:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

The Pacers hope their first game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this fall is a harbinger of things to come. Indiana used a 43-point second quarter to open up a 27-point halftime lead on Monday, then held on in the second half for a 116-112 preseason victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

After sitting out two road losses last week, All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton made his preseason debut and tallied 15 points and eight assists in his first official tune-up ahead of next Wednesday's regular season opener.

Aaron Nesmith added 15 points in 16 minutes off the bench, starting center Myles Turner tallied 13 and three blocks in 16 minutes, while Buddy Hield chipped in 11 points and five assists in the victory.

"I liked the way we were able to play as fast as we did," Turner said after the win. "It's a staple of our offense, getting up and down, just letting Tyrese create. Obviously, just getting him back was big as well. I liked the way we operated on the offensive side."

Haliburton had the Pacers' offense clicking early in Monday's exhibition. Indiana hit nine of its first 13 shots on Monday, including four of its first seven from 3-point range.

Haliburton took just one shot in his first stint on the court — draining a three from the right wing — but dished out three assists and was instrumental in getting the ball moving.

The Pacers led for nearly all of the latter half of the first quarter, but second-year Hawks forward A.J. Griffin's 3-pointer with 30.8 seconds remaining in the frame gave the visitors a 31-30 lead after the opening 12 minutes.

Rookie guard Ben Sheppard provided a spark early in the second quarter, as the 26th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft knocked down back-to-back threes in front of the Pacers' bench.

Nesmith continued his strong preseason play as well, bookending Sheppard's threes with two triples of his own, then adding a midrange jumper for good measure.

Together, that duo helped Indiana open the second quarter with an 18-7 run. The Pacers' starters reentered shortly thereafter and continued to add to the lead, stringing together a 25-4 run of their own to close the half.

The highlight of that stretch came a little over a minute before halftime, when Haliburton dropped a bounce pass under his legs to Hield, who spun and dished to a wide-open Jalen Smith at the top of the arc, who then knocked down the Blue & Gold's 12th three of the first half.

All told, Indiana outscored Atlanta 43-15 in the second quarter, absolutely dominating the frame en route to a 73-46 halftime lead.

"I thought we looked really good in the second quarter," Haliburton said. "Holding a team to 15 points in a quarter — you probably aren't going to have a better quarter than that defensively in an NBA game...I thought our second group was great at kind of pulling away and then the first group came in and did our thing. I thought it was a total team effort."

The Pacers stretched their lead as high as 29 points in the third quarter, but lost Turner for the night with 7:08 remaining after he fouled out. Turner entered the second half with three fouls, then picked up three more in quick succession to end his night early.

Atlanta mounted a charge with Turner on the bench, outscoring Indiana 20-7 over the remainder of the third quarter to trim Indiana's lead to 94-81 entering the fourth.

The Hawks got within single digits following Griffin's three that made it 97-90 as the clock ticked under the 10-minute mark. But the Pacers answered with back-to-back threes from Hield and Nesmith.

Both teams let their reserves close out the contest. The Hawks got within five on Mouhamed Gueye's 3-pointer with 3:22 remaining, but four quick points from Jordan Nwora thwarted Atlanta's comeback hopes.

Smith, who is competing with Isaiah Jackson and Daniel Theis for the backup center minutes behind Turner, had a strong night, tallying nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds, and two blocks in 20 minutes of action.

Bennedict Mathurin, who is trying to secure a spot in the starting lineup after a standout rookie season, finished with nine points, four rebounds, and four assists in 22 minutes.

Sheppard added nine points while going 3-for-8 from 3-point range.

Saddiq Bey had a double-double for Atlanta with 21 points and 10 rebounds. De'Andre Hunter aded 16 points, Griffin tallied 15, and Onyeka Okongwu finished with 11 points and six boards for Atlanta.

The Hawks were without three starters on Monday, as All-Star guard Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and Clint Capela did not dress.

The Pacers will officially tip off the 2023-24 season on Wednesday, Oct. 25 against Washington.

The Pacers went 18-for-49 from 3-point range (36.7 percent). The franchise record for 3-point attempts in a regular season game is 50, which the team reached twice in 2021 (on Jan. 2 and March 22).

Indiana had 36 assists on 42 field goals on Monday.

T.J. McConnell, who started the first two preseason games in Haliburton's absence, had seven points and a team-high nine assists in just under 20 minutes off the bench.

Every Pacers starter had a positive plus/minus. Obi Toppin was a team-high +19, while Indiana outscored Atlanta by 14 with Haliburton on the court.

The Pacers forced 17 turnovers and converted them into 24 points.

"Generally, without looking at the film, I saw a lot of positives…I have a strong belief in that group offensively. Defensively, it’s just the fouls are something we’ve got to get better with." -Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on how the starting five looked as a unit

"Sheppard is playing a mature game for a rookie…He understands what we need of him. He’s a great runner. His shooting is on the come. He shoots it easy. He's really dialed in on a precision approach to shooting. And he's going to be the kind of guy that's a pain in the...to guard because he's constantly running around." -Carlisle on Ben Sheppard

"Ben Sheppard's obviously the big surprise, I would say. I thought he was going to be someone that would come in and try to earn some minutes, but he's kind of just kicked the door down. He hits shots, he defends well, he has good energy, he doesn't try to do too much. I like where he is now." -Turner on Sheppard

"Between last year and this year he’s just raised his level of presence, intensity. And he’s worked hard at his game. He’s worked hard on his body. He’s stronger, he's more physical, and his feel is constantly evolving. And he's one of our best offensive rebounders, too, and that generates possessions." -Carlisle on Smith

"T.J.'s just doing what he does. Which is he brings amazing pace to the game, he’s a serial paint attacker, and defensively he creates havoc." -Carlisle on McConnell

Indiana outscored Atlanta 43-15 in the second quarter. The Pacers went 7-for-14 from 3-point range and also scored 17 points off nine Hawks turnovers in the frame.

The Pacers close out the preseason against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct. 20.

The Pacers tip off the 2023-24 regular season on Opening Night presented by Kroger against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7:00 PM ET. Secure your seats today. Find Tickets >>