INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Nembhard scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam added 25 and the Indiana Pacers held off the Atlanta Hawks 129-124 on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Indiana nursed a single-digit lead for much of the third quarter and led 103-100 entering the fourth. It was tight the rest of the way before Siakam hit a crucial 12-foot jumper with 18.6 seconds remaining to push the Pacers ahead 127-123.<\/p>\n
Aaron Nesmith added 23 points, Nembhard had 10 assists and Siakam shot 11 of 15 from the field. The Pacers won despite 23 turnovers.<\/p>\n
Atlanta dropped its second straight game despite Jalen Johnson’s eighth triple-double of the season. The forward finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points.<\/p>\n
The Pacers have won seven of their past 12 games, enjoying a solid stretch of basketball after starting the season with a 6-31 record. Indiana has played all year without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season.<\/p>\n
Indiana jumped to an 80-73 lead by halftime, spurred by a 45-point second quarter. Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points before the break while Nembhard also had 21 for the Pacers.<\/p>\n
It was Indiana’s highest scoring half of the season. The Pacers shot 58% from the field, including 11 of 20 (55%) 3-pointers.<\/p>\n
Hawks: At Miami on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Pacers: Host Houston on Monday night.<\/p>\n
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