Game Rewind: Pacers 111, Nuggets 134

Friday, Jan. 20 at 9:00 PM ET at Ball Arena

Visiting The Mile High City, the Indiana Pacers knew they were facing a tall task in taking on the No. 1 team in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately for the Blue & Gold, the final result was far from an upset.

Both the Pacers (23-24) and Denver Nuggets (33-13) continued streaking in opposite directions on Friday, as the Nuggets handed the Pacers a 134-111 loss at Ball Arena.

Denver has now won their last nine games while Indiana has lost six in a row.

The Nuggets haven’t squandered many opportunities at home this season, as they are now 22-3 on their own floor and have won 16 straight in Denver.

Both teams were without key starters in the matchup, as Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton missed a fifth straight game due to left elbow and knee sprains and Nuggets two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was a late scratch due left hamstring tightness.

Despite missing Jokic, Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray recorded the first triple-double of his career with 17 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. Aaron Gordon also had a big night for the Nuggets, totaling 28 points, six assists and five rebounds while Michael Porter Jr. collected 19 points and six boards.

The Nuggets shot 61.4 percent from the field to the Pacers’ 44.6 percent.

The Pacers won the rebounding margin 50-44 but were outscored in the paint 68-50 and on fastbreak points 23-14. Indiana had 21 turnovers in the game.

“This is a talented team, even without Jokic,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. “And, you know, small breakdowns turn into big problems. We’ve got to defend better, we’ve got to take care of the ball better.”

Pacers standout rookie Bennedict Mathurin topped his squad with 19 points, Chris Duarte scored 18 points off the bench and Myles Turner finished with 15 points and seven rebounds for the visitors.

Three minutes following the tip, both teams made four of their first seven shots to tie it at 10.

Denver then went on a 17-2 run, behind seven points from Murray, before T.J. McConnell stopped the Pacers' bleeding with two free throws as the visitors trailed 27-14 with 3:11 left in the first quarter.

Duarte then caught fire for the Pacers, scoring nine quick points, before Buddy Hield was fouled from beyond the arc and hit all his free throws to cut it to 35-28 with six seconds on the clock. After one, the Nuggets led 37-28.

The Nuggets made 15 of 21 shot attempts in the first quarter while the Pacers went 8-for-22, including 1-for-10 from 3-point range.

A 9-2 scoring stretch by Denver boosted their lead to 52-36 midway through the second quarter, but the Pacers responded with a 17-9 run to make it 58-53 with 1:29 left in the half. During the scoring flurry, the Pacers had a streak of nine unanswered points, with five coming from Aaron Nesmith.

At the break, the Pacers trailed 61-53.

Nesmith got the Pacers’ offense rolling to start the second half, scoring the team’s first eight points, to narrow it to 68-61 four minutes into the third quarter.

However, the Nuggets responded with a 12-2 run to build their lead to 81-63. After the Pacers were able to cut it to a 10-point deficit, the Nuggets scored on three straight dunks – two off Pacers turnovers – to push the score to 92-76.

Going into the final frame, the Pacers trailed 99-82.

Denver built its lead to as many as 30 in the fourth quarter as they squashed any hopes of a Pacers comeback and the visitors emptied the bench midway through the period.

“I think we’ve got to hammer out a lot of details and get back to being us,” Turner said after the game. “Concerned is not the word for it. We have way too much basketball left to be concerned.”

The Pacers will play the second leg of a back-to-back tomorrow at the Phoenix Suns (22-24).

Indiana finished with eight made 3-pointers, just the fifth time this season the team has made fewer than 10 from deep in a game.

The Nuggets finished with 16 steals, which is the most by a Pacers opponent in a game this season.

Denver had 38 total assists as a team while Indiana totaled 23.

Mathurin has led the team in scoring 11 times now this season.

Duarte had 18 points in just under 17 minutes of play.

The Pacers made 29 of 37 free throw attempts while the Nuggets went 18-for-26.

Six players scored in double figures for the Nuggets.

All 14 players that dressed for the Pacers played in the game. 

“Benn's the best sixth man in the league. I believe in putting guys in a position to succeed and help our team succeed. If you've looked at the numbers, you know that it's not close how well he's playing in the sixth man role versus starting. That's a no-brainer.”  – Carlisle on moving Mathurin back to a bench after recently starting in games

“Our point guards are damn good players. This is an uncharacteristic night for them, having five and four turnovers, respectively. That's not going to happen tomorrow.” – Carlisle on the 21 turnovers in the game

“It’s coming step-by-step. I’m just going with the flow. I was off for a little while and now I’m finding my rhythm back.” – Duarte on his strong offensive night

“You can’t just say it was one thing. I think, just as a whole, we didn’t show up tonight and it’s unfortunate. We’ve got a game tomorrow and that’s where we have to put our minds at.” – Turner on the loss

“Nine turnovers between the point guards is not going to get it done. We’ll be better and watch film and see what we can do better in that area and we’ll fix it.” – McConnell on the turnovers

“I think we’re connected as a group. There’s breakdowns that happen -- that’s the game of basketball and it’s going to happen. It’s about minimizing those and we will certainly watch the film and try to fix it.” – McConnell on the team’s connectivity 

Denver shot 61.4 percent against Indiana, making 51 of 83 total shots, which is the highest field goal percentage by a Pacers opponent in a game this season.

The Pacers wrap up their four-game road trip in Phoenix, taking on Deandre Ayton and the Suns on the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 9:00 PM ET.

After a four-game road trip, the Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>