INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quenton Jackson scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers snapped a season-opening five-game losing streak with a 114-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.
Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 31 points, while Pascal Siakam added 27. For the Warriors, Stephen Curry topped the scoring with 24 points. Jimmy Butler contributed 20 points, and Jonathan Kuminga added 17.
After Indiana trailed by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, Jackson’s 3-pointer with 1:09 left gave the Pacers a 109-107 lead. Butler then dunked to tie the score at 109-all but failed to complete a three-point play. Siakam hit a crucial 3-pointer, putting Indiana ahead 112-109 with 37 seconds remaining. Following a missed shot by Kuminga, Jackson sealed the win with a pull-up jumper with 5.2 seconds left, extending the lead to 114-109.
Curry scored 18 points in the first half as the Warriors built a slight 58-55 halftime advantage. Nesmith scored 18 and Siakam added 16 to lead Indiana in the opening half. Golden State shot a solid 48% from the field, while the Pacers shot 44%.
The Pacers held a lead of up to six points in the third quarter before the Warriors rallied to a 88-82 advantage heading into the final period. Notably, Brandi Podziemski scored 10 of his 16 points in the third quarter for Golden State.
Indiana has been hard hit by injuries this season. Two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton is expected to miss the entire season after tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. On Friday, the Pacers announced that Obi Toppin will miss at least three months with a stress fracture in his right foot, requiring surgery.
Other key players sidelined for Indiana include starters Bennedict Mathurin (foot) and Andrew Nembhard (left shoulder strain), as well as key reserve T.J. McConnell (left hamstring strain).
**Up next:**
– Warriors: Host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday
– Pacers: Host the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday
