Friday, Dec. 2 at 9:00 PM ET at Vivint Arena
Game Recap: Jazz 139, Pacers 119
Game Recap
In game four of their seven-game road trip, another slow start doomed the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers (12-10) trailed the Utah Jazz (14-11) by 16 points at halftime and by as many as 22 points in the third quarter in a 139-119 loss at Vivint Arena on Friday.
Indiana is 7-9 when trailing at the half this season, including 3-6 on the road during those games. The 139 points are the most given up in a single game by the Blue & Gold this season.
Six Jazz players finished in double-digit scoring, led by 24 points by 7-foot forward Lauri Markkanen who also pulled down 13 rebounds. Walker Kessler, a 7-foot rookie, had 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Jazz.
“Against a team this skilled and this deep, your defense has to be precise," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "When we exerted leverage and force on the game, we made them uncomfortable -- but it was too fleeting.”
Seven players scored at least 10 points for the Pacers. The team is now 9-1 when six or more players score in double digits.
Pacers center Myles Turner topped the visitors’ box score with 18 points and Jalen Smith and Tyrese Haliburton each scored 14. Rookie Andrew Nembhard recorded his first NBA double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists for the Pacers.
“I’m getting more comfortable out there for sure,” Nembhard said. “I’m just more focused on winning games right now, to be honest. Doing what I can do to help the team.”
For the 17th time this season, the Pacers trailed at the end of the first quarter.
Utah led by as many as 14 points in the opening frame, knocking down seven 3-pointers, as it took an early 35-24 lead.
Markkanen came out on fire for Utah, scoring nine quick points by making four of his first five shots, as the Jazz led 15-11 with 6:15 on the clock.
A 10-0 Jazz streak, behind 3-pointers from Malik Beasley and Kelly Olynyk and four points from Collin Sexton, pushed the Jazz lead to 23-11 by the 4:41-mark before free throws by Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin stopped the bleeding.
Utah then used a 9-2 scoring spree on treys from Simone Fontecchio, Markkanen and Beasley to extend the Jazz lead to 35-21 with a minute remaining.
The Jazz shot 14-for-23 in the opening quarter, including 7-for-12 from 3-point. Indiana shot 8-for-18 and missed all four of its attempts from beyond the arc.
Indiana battled back to tie the game in the second quarter before the Jazz finished strong.
The Jazz led 42-36 three minutes into the second quarter before the Pacers went on an 11-2 run thanks to the offense of a rookie and a vet, as two 3-pointers from Turner and five points by Nembhard cut the deficit to 43-37 with 7:41 before intermission.
Indiana continued chipping away until back-to-back 3-pointers from Haliburton, an and-one and layup from Jalen Smith and free throws by Mathurin tied it at 54.
After a 13-3 run by the Blue & Gold, the Jazz responded with a 17-0 run with 44 seconds left before a Haliburton layup ended the streak .
In the last four minutes of the half, the Pacers were outscored 25-11.
At the break, the Jazz led 75-59.
Five players had at least 10 points for the Jazz at half, led by 16 from Markkanen. Turner topped the Pacers with 14 points.
The Jazz, who average 14 made 3-pointers per game, made 9 of 17 threes and shot 63 percent overall from the field I the first 24 minutes. Indiana had made 20 of 46 shot attempts, including 5-for-29 from 3-point range.
Jordan Clarkson, the 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, scored the first two buckets of the second half before the Pacers strung together a 13-2 run on five points from Buddy Hield and four from Turner to narrow it to 81-71 by the midway point of the third quarter.
From 5:32 to 3:12 in the third quarter, however, the Jazz scored nine unanswered points to help boost its lead to 93-74.
Utah led by 22 points with 35 ticks on the clock and held a 101-81 going into the fourth quarter.
The Jazz were able to maintain a 20+ point lead midway through the fourth quarter, going up by as many as 26, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle emptied the bench in the waning minutes.
Utah shot 55.4 percent from the field and made 15 of 34 3-pointers. The Pacers shot 43.5 percent overall while going 12-for-34 from deep.
The Jazz dominated the paint, outsourcing the Pacers 60-46 and outrebounding the visitors 47-35.
In the loss, Haliburton’s franchise-record streak of seven straight games with 10 or more assists was snapped, as he finished with four dimes.
"As a young group, it’s so easy to splinter and go your separate ways," Haliburton said. "We just have got to get closer through things like this. Especially with the teams we’re about to be playing.”
Indiana will play at the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday before traveling to the Golden State Warriors in a Monday night matchup.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers gave up a season-high 139 points against the Jazz. On Wednesday, the Sacramento Kings scored 137 against the Blue & Gold for the previous high.
Thirty-five fouls were called on the Pacers – the most in a game this season. Utah was called for 28 fouls, the most by a team against the Pacers this season.
Indiana’s 75 points given up in the first half is the second-most scored by a Pacers opponent in the opening 24 minutes this season. Chicago scored 76 against the Pacers in the first half on Oct. 26.
Haliburton, who leads the NBA in assists, had a season-low four assists.
Indiana is 10-4 when scoring more than 110 points and 8-10 when the opponent scores more than 110.
The Pacers bench was outscored 56-54.
Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield matched a season-low six points.
Oshae Brissett scored 11 points in 14 minutes for the Pacers off the bench.
Postgame Media Availability: Dec. 2, 2022
You Can Quote Me On That
“We’re not playing with the right intentions and we’re not moving the ball. The things that have gotten us to the point where we’ve been a surprise team, and second in the league in passes, those things failed us tonight. I’ve got to do a better job of convincing our guys that we’ve got to be in that mode.” -- Carlisle on the loss
“I think it started with me. The ball movement kind of stopped. They kind of forced us to play more iso ball. We took some tough shots, turned the ball over and didn't really get into our offense.” – Haliburton on the Pacers' ball movement against Utah
“Just stay aggressive to score and the passes open up. That is kind of what I’ve been trying to do for the past few years. I think a lot of things opened up for me with the way they were playing defense tonight.” – Nembhard on his career-high assist night
“Credit to them, they settled in and went on a 21-5 run. We just never recovered. I thought we fought, but it wasn’t enough. We need to lick our wounds, we still have three games on this road (trip).” – Turner on the big run by the Jazz in the second quarter
Stat of the Night
Finishing with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists, Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard achieved his first NBA double-double on Friday night. Nembhard also matched a career-high in rebounds, pulling down four.
Noteworthy
- Chris Duarte missed a 13th straight game for the Pacers due to a left ankle sprain.
- Indianapolis native Mike Conley Jr., who attended Lawrence North High School and won three straight state titles, missed a seventh straight game for the Jazz due to a lower leg strain.
- The Pacers are currently on their longest road trip of the season and the longest overall since 1986.
Up Next
The Pacers continue their road trip at the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at 9:00 PM ET.
Tickets
After a seven-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Indiana to host Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>