Pacers get lift from return of Tyrese Haliburton in beating Nets

Tyrese Haliburton returned to the Indiana lineup from a three-game absence to put up 16 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, and the Pacers rallied after nearly coughing up a 20-point lead to hold off the Brooklyn Nets 108-103 on Saturday in Indianapolis.

The Pacers (41-29) gained separation in the second quarter and used an 11-0 to close the third, building a 20-point lead going into the final period.

Brooklyn (23-48) responded with a 13-0 burst of its own to start the fourth, however, fueling a 21-2 overall run that brought the Nets to within 92-91 with a point with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Pacers scored 12 of their 18 points of the quarter in the final 3:28, with Pascal Siakam responsible for eight. He scored a game-high 26 points.

Siakam helped Indiana rebuild a nine-point lead down the stretch, but the Nets replied with a quick 8-1 burst to again pull within a basket with 3.1 seconds remaining. Brooklyn could not regain possession, however, and the Pacers escaped with their second win over the Nets in three days and their fourth straight win overall.

Haliburton was returning from a back injury. Among his 12 assists was an alley-oop to Obi Toppin, who put down a 360 dunk off the lob.

Toppin scored 10 points off the bench as one of five Indiana scorers in double figures. Myles Turner finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Bennedict Mathurin went for 13 points off the bench.

Trendon Watford, who was ejected from Thursday's matchup between these teams after a scuffle with Turner, returned score 26 points. Cameron Johnson had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Nets, while Nic Claxton recorded nine points and 10 rebounds.

Indiana improved to 3-0 to start a crucial five-game homestand. The Pacers moved into fourth place earlier in the week in a tight Eastern Conference race with Milwaukee and Detroit for the last seed with home-court advantage in next month's playoffs.

--Field Level Media