Game Rewind: Pacers 125, Warriors 119

Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

With the Warriors in town on Wednesday, Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin did their best Splash Brothers impression.

Indiana's young backcourt duo combined for 53 points and nine 3-pointers to lead Indiana (15-14) to a 125-119 win over Golden State (14-15) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Wednesday's victory combined with last Monday's win in San Francisco means that the Blue & Gold swept the season series with the defending NBA champions.

After scoring just one point in Monday's loss to Miami, Haliburton bounced back in a big way. Indiana's leading scorer dropped 20 of his 29 points in the first half on Wednesday, and went 5-for-10 from 3-point range while also tallying four rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal.

"I’ve just got some great people in my life," Haliburton said of his bounce-back performance. "...Great people in this locker room, great vets and coaches that just stayed on me to just play basketball, play free."

Mathurin, meanwhile, added another stellar performance to his Rookie of the Year resume. The rookie hit big shot after big shot, finishing with 24 points, six boards, and three assists, going 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range.

"He's got a nose for the ball," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the rookie. "He's got a real sense for the basket. Yesterday in practice, we worked on some things relative to his rhythm on his threes, looked at some film today.

"He's great because he applies it immediately. He's very much into self-discovery and getting better."

Indiana led the defending champs by 20 at halftime thanks to a 47-point second quarter, but the Warriors came charging back, climbing within three in the third quarter thanks in large part to the brilliance of Stephen Curry.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP tallied 38 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 30 minutes on Wednesday, going 11-for-19 from the field, 5-for-10 from 3-point range, and 11-for-11 from the free throw line, but exited after injuring his left shoulder with 2:04 remaining in the third quarter and did not return.

The Warriors were already without Curry's "Splash Brother" Klay Thompson and All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins on the second night of a back-to-back, and lost All-Star forward Draymond Green to an ejection in the fourth quarter.

The undermanned Warriors still showed plenty of fight down the stretch, but the Pacers were able to hold them off and snap a two-game skid.

Despite Curry's injury and Green's ejection, the visitors hung around in the fourth quarter, trimming what at one point in the frame was a 13-point deficit to just five at 118-113 on Jordan Poole's layup with 2:34 to play.

On the other end, the Pacers worked the ball inside to Myles Turner, who delivered a two-hand slam at 2:08. But Donte DiVincenzo answered with a three from the right corner to make it 120-116 with 1:49 remaining.

Haliburton attacked the basket and drew a foul, converting both free throws with 1:33 left, but DiVincenzo came down and drilled another trey to make it a three-point game with 1:25 to play.

With 1:06 remaining, Turner was initially whistled for an offensive foul (that would have been his sixth) against Moses Moody on the block. Carlisle challenged the call and it was overturned, giving Turner two free throws. The big man hit one of two, but made up for his miss on the other end, skying high to reject Poole at the rim.

"That was huge," Turner said of the challenge. "Shout out to coach for saving that challenge. Those come in handy at the end of the game. If I'm not in the game, certain plays don't happen. I'm glad I was able to (stay in the game) and make a big play for my team."

Haliburton coughed the ball up on the other end, but DiVincenzo missed a 3-point look from the top of the key. Rookie guard Andrew Nembhard then ran down the shot clock, drove into the lane, and converted a game-sealing runner with 12.5 seconds remaining.

Turner tallied 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, three assists, two steals, and that one big block in the win. Buddy Hield added 17 points and five rebounds, while Oshae Brissett chipped in 11 points off the bench for Indiana.

The Pacers limited Curry to a season-low 12 points in their win at Golden State last Monday. That would not be the case Wednesday, as Curry scored 13 points in the first seven minutes.

The Davidson alum hit his first four shots, including two 3-pointers -- one of which was a four-point play after he drew a foul on Turner -- to give the Warriors an early 20-11 lead.

The Pacers responded with an 11-4 surge, with Hield scoring Indiana's last seven points over that stretch. T.J. McConnell then converted a three-point play with 40.6 seconds remaining in the opening quarter to give the Blue & Gold their first lead of the night.

Brissett added a breakaway layup off a Warriors turnover before Ty Jerome's runner on the other end closed the scoring for the frame. Indiana led 27-26 after one.

Mathurin provided a boost off the bench at the start of the ensuing quarter. The 20-year-old drilled a three 14 seconds into the period, converted a layup off a steal at the 11:08 mark, then drained a jumper at 10:17.

"I feel like my confidence will always be the same," Mathurin said. "If I miss seven threes, the next one is going up. I was able to make two threes and get to the rim, so I felt like the next one, I'm hot."

The Blue & Gold continued to open up their lead, with back-to-back threes from Haliburton and Turner extending the margin to 47-36 midway through the second quarter.

The onslaught kept coming from Indiana. After Curry scored on a layup to make it 52-42 with 4:35 remaining in the half, Carlisle called a timeout. After the break, the hosts scored on their next six possessions -- including four 3-pointers (one each by Haliburton and Turner and two from Aaron Nesmith) -- over a 16-2 run that pushed the lead to 24.

Haliburton drilled his fourth three of the night to make it 71-46 with 1:24 remaining. Curry answered with a layup and a three in quick succession, but then committed a turnover that led to a four-on-one break that Haliburton finished with yet another trey. Curry knocked down a three of his own as the buzzer sounded to cap a 27-point first half, but the Pacers led by 20 at the intermission thanks to a 47-point second quarter.

Hield opened the scoring in the second half with a three to give the hosts a 77-54 lead, but the Warriors reeled off 14 unanswered over a 3:14 span to climb back within nine.

With Curry leading the attack, the Warriors kept chipping away at the lead. Curry's three-point play cut Indiana's lead to 83-80 with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter.

With the lead slipping away, Mathurin stepped up for Indiana. The rookie buried a three at 4:05 and again at 3:25. He later added two free throws to cap a 10-0 Pacers run and scored 11 of Indiana's 19 in the third quarter.

"With the third quarter going the way it did, had he not been out there, I'm not sure we would have survived it," Carlisle said.

As the clock approached two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Curry appeared to injure his left shoulder reaching for a rebound. He slumped over in pain, leading to a timeout. After talking with a trainer on the bench, he headed into the Golden State locker room.

With Curry out of the game, the Warriors still closed the third quarter strong, as Poole hit a three and Moody converted a four-point play to trim Indiana's lead to 93-87 entering the fourth quarter.

After JaMychal Green hit one of two free throws to open the final frame, the Pacers responded with six straight to push the margin back to double digits. Indiana led 101-93 when Mathurin hit his fourth three of the night with 8:24 remaining. Draymond Green made contact with Mathurin on his closeout and was whistled for a foul.

Green voiced his displeasure with the call and was summarily given a technical foul. Hield made the technical before Mathurin completed the four-point play, a five-point possession.

Green continued to berate the refs on the other end and was assessed his second technical and tossed from the game with 8:10 remaining.

Poole finished with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists for Golden State in the loss. DiVincenzo added 15 points and eight rebounds, while JaMychal Green tallied 15 points off the bench.

The Pacers will make a quick trip to Cleveland to take on their Central Division rivals on Friday before returning to Indianapolis to take on the Knicks on Sunday.

Haliburton's 29 points were his second most in a game this season, trailing only the 35 points he dropped Saturday against Brooklyn.

Mathurin topped 20 points for the first time in eight games in December and the 12th time on the season. The Pacers outscored Golden State by 34 points when Mathurin was on the floor.

The Pacers forced the Warriors into 24 turnovers, matching the season high for an Indiana opponent, and scored 33 points off those giveaways, the most points off turnovers for the Blue & Gold this season.

Indiana went 16-for-39 (41 percent) from 3-point range. The Pacers have made 15 of more threes in five of their last six contests.

"We’re in an understanding that any night, no matter who we're playing, we have an opportunity to win that game. We feel like we can compete on a nightly basis with everyone in the NBA." -Haliburton

"We did some great things in the second quarter to get a good cushion. Predictably, they made a run. Mathurin was great in the second half. He was really great for the whole game, but he hit some timely shots in the third quarter that kind of kept us going." -Carlisle

"I just think we were playing with a lot of momentum. We hit a lot of shots. Makes are contagious, especially with this team." -Turner on what went right in the second quarter

"Everyone that came in was really moving the ball and playing for one another. We knew exactly that's what we needed -- defend, get up on their great shooters, and on the offensive end, move the ball, cut, and play free." -Brissett on building a big lead

"It was a hellacious run. Their role players stepped up in Curry's absence. I just love the poise of our team. We stayed together, we stayed calm, and were able to hold them off." -Carlisle on holding off the Warriors' rally

"His confidence never wavered. That's one of the things that's special about him. He made some really big plays. For him personally, when he sees the ball go through once or twice, he really gets his motor going and gets his game going." -Turner on Mathurin's performance

"I feel like I have a lot of stuff I have to work on to be the best version of myself. So I don't (mind) criticism. My coach -- you can tell me whatever. I'm here to learn." -Mathurin on being able to receive feedback from the coaching staff

"When the fans show up like this, this is a tough place to play for our opponents. It really gets our energy flowing the right way. I've been glad that...our young guys are getting this 'playoff experience' early, these type of games where you have to lock in to each possession and sometimes you're not going to be able to hear a call because it's so loud...It's a fun environment and we definitely have an advantage playing here." -Turner on the atmosphere in Gainbridge Fieldhouse over the homestand

The Pacers outscored the Warriors 47-28 in the second quarter. Indiana's 47 points matched the most points in the second quarter in franchise history. The Pacers also scored 47 in the second quarter in a game at Charlotte on Feb. 2, 1994.

The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Julius Randle and the New York Knicks on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 5:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>