Bruce Brown boosts Pacers offense as Indiana routs Washington 143-120 in record-setting opener
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indiana Pacers signed Bruce Brown for his defense.
His scoring punch Wednesday night was an added bonus.
Brown scored 24 points, making a career-high six 3-pointers in his Pacers debut, and Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each finished with double-doubles in a 143-120 rout over Washington, the highest-scoring season-opener in franchise history. The previous mark, 140, came in 2017 against Brooklyn.
And Brown thinks more big scoring nights could be on the way.
“We play fast, everybody's running,” Brown said. “One time I got open for a 3 because Myles sealed his guy at the rim. Our offense is so random anybody can score the ball and tonight it was me.”
Despite spending the offseason talking about defense, the Pacers started this season by treating NBA commissioner Adam Silver to an incredible offensive display.
Haliburton finished with 20 points and 11 assists, Nembhard had 12 points and 10 assists, and the Pacers were 20 of 43 from 3-point range. Eight players scored in double figures as they fell three 3s short of tying the franchise's single-game record and two points short of tying the franchise record for most points in a home game.
Brown, a free agent who left the world champion Denver Nuggets and watched them collect their championship rings Tuesday, needed only one half to match his career high for 3-pointers (four).
“It was great, nice seeing them happy and getting the rings. A lot of hard work went into that,” Brown said. “I mean, yeah, I wanted to be there, but I'm happy I'm here.”
For Washington, it was an ugly start to the post-Bradley Beal era.
While the Wizards led 39-34 after one quarter, they fell apart offensively over the final three and couldn't match Indiana's speed or tempo over the final three. Kyle Kuzma scored 25 points and Jordan Poole added 18 as Washington started a rebuilding season by going 9 of 24 on 3s.
“There was a little hesitancy, we talked about that,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “Watching and waiting, this team specifically is going to make you pay. It's a strength of theirs. The minute there's a change of possession, they're gone so if there's any hesitation, they make you pay.”
Indiana needed just two quick bursts to swing this game.
The first, an 11-4 run midway through the second quarter, finally pulled the Pacers out of the early deficit and gave them the lead. Then early in the third quarter, they scored nine straight to turn what had been a close game into an 89-72 lead.
Washington spent the rest of the futilely trying to catch up.
Silver stuck around for the game after announcing this season's All-Star Game would revert to its more traditional 48-minute, East-West format while eliminating target scores. Indianapolis hosts this season's game Feb. 18. It's the first time Indy has hosted the game since 1985.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Face Memphis in their home opener Saturday.
Pacers: Visit Cleveland on Saturday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Daniel Gafford vs. Myles Turner (Obi Toppin gains possession) | ||
| 11:44 | | Tyrese Haliburton turnover (lost ball) (Tyus Jones steals) | ||
| 11:41 |  | Jordan Poole misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 11:38 | | Deni Avdija offensive rebound | ||
| 11:36 | | Deni Avdija misses two point putback layup | ||
| 11:36 | | Daniel Gafford offensive rebound | ||
| 11:36 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point tip dunk | 2-0 |
| 11:29 | | +2 | Tyrese Haliburton makes two point pullup jump shot | 2-2 |
| 11:10 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point jump shot | ||
| 11:08 | | Bruce Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 11:01 | | Daniel Gafford blocks Obi Toppin's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:58 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 10:56 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point running finger roll layup (Deni Avdija assists) | 4-2 |
| 10:39 | | Myles Turner misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:37 | | Pacers offensive rebound | ||
| 10:32 | | Bruce Brown turnover (lost ball) (Deni Avdija steals) | ||
| 10:27 | | +2 | Tyus Jones makes two point running layup (Deni Avdija assists) | 6-2 |
| 10:10 | | +2 | Bennedict Mathurin makes two point driving floating jump shot | 6-4 |
| 9:56 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:52 | | Bennedict Mathurin defensive rebound | ||
| 9:38 | | Daniel Gafford personal foul (Bennedict Mathurin draws the foul) | ||
| 9:33 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 9:31 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 9:23 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point driving finger roll layup (Jordan Poole assists) | 8-4 |
| 9:20 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:06 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:02 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 8:58 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point running finger roll layup | 10-4 |
| 8:41 | | Myles Turner turnover (3-second violation) | ||
| 8:29 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 12-4 |
| 8:18 | | Myles Turner misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:15 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 8:05 | | Tyrese Haliburton blocks Deni Avdija's two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 8:02 | | Obi Toppin defensive rebound | ||
| 7:57 | | +3 | Bruce Brown makes three point running jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 12-7 |
| 7:40 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:38 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 7:33 | | Myles Turner misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:30 | | Wizards defensive rebound | ||
| 7:18 | | +2 | Tyus Jones makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Jordan Poole assists) | 14-7 |
| 7:00 | | +3 | Tyrese Haliburton makes three point pullup jump shot | 14-10 |
| 6:50 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point driving layup | 16-10 |
| 6:35 | | Myles Turner offensive foul (Tyus Jones draws the foul) | ||
| 6:35 | | Myles Turner turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 6:13 | | Jordan Poole turnover (lost ball) (Tyrese Haliburton steals) | ||
| 6:09 | | +3 | Buddy Hield makes three point running jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 16-13 |
| 5:50 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 5:48 | | Tyrese Haliburton defensive rebound | ||
| 5:47 | | +2 | Obi Toppin makes two point running alley-oop layup (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 16-15 |
| 5:47 | | Jordan Poole shooting foul (Obi Toppin draws the foul) | ||
| 5:47 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:47 | | +1 | Obi Toppin makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 16-16 |
| 5:28 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point driving layup (Delon Wright assists) | 18-16 |
| 5:28 | | Jalen Smith shooting foul (Kyle Kuzma draws the foul) | ||
| 5:28 | | +1 | Kyle Kuzma makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 19-16 |
| 5:14 | | Kyle Kuzma blocks Buddy Hield's two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 5:11 | | Delon Wright defensive rebound | ||
| 5:06 | | +3 | Danilo Gallinari makes three point running jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 22-16 |
| 5:00 | | Delon Wright personal foul (Jalen Smith draws the foul) | ||
| 4:49 | | Obi Toppin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:47 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 4:37 | | +2 | Danilo Gallinari makes two point cutting dunk (Jordan Poole assists) | 24-16 |
| 4:31 | | +2 | Jalen Smith makes two point dunk (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 24-18 |
| 4:31 | | Danilo Gallinari shooting foul (Jalen Smith draws the foul) | ||
| 4:31 | | +1 | Jalen Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 24-19 |
| 4:20 | | Delon Wright misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 4:18 | | Aaron Nesmith defensive rebound | ||
| 4:04 | | Jalen Smith misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 4:01 | | Delon Wright defensive rebound | ||
| 3:55 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 3:53 | | Tyrese Haliburton defensive rebound | ||
| 3:46 | | Tyrese Haliburton misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:43 | | Delon Wright defensive rebound | ||
| 3:35 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point driving layup | 26-19 |
| 3:18 | | Aaron Nesmith offensive foul (Charge) (Jordan Poole draws the foul) | ||
| 3:18 | | Aaron Nesmith turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 3:04 | | +2 | Danilo Gallinari makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Bilal Coulibaly assists) | 28-19 |
| 3:02 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:44 | | +3 | Bruce Brown makes three point jump shot (Andrew Nembhard assists) | 28-22 |
| 2:21 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:19 | | Jalen Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 2:08 | | +3 | Buddy Hield makes three point jump shot (Andrew Nembhard assists) | 28-25 |
| 1:48 | | +3 | Danilo Gallinari makes three point jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 31-25 |
| 1:38 | | +2 | Andrew Nembhard makes two point driving finger roll layup | 31-27 |
| 1:30 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 34-27 |
| 1:10 | | +2 | Jalen Smith makes two point cutting dunk (Buddy Hield assists) | 34-29 |
| 0:52 | | +2 | Tyus Jones makes two point floating jump shot (Bilal Coulibaly assists) | 36-29 |
| 0:46 | | +3 | Jalen Smith makes three point jump shot (Andrew Nembhard assists) | 36-32 |
| 0:38 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point pullup jump shot | 39-32 |
| 0:38 | | Jalen Smith shooting foul (Tyus Jones draws the foul) | ||
| 0:38 | | Tyus Jones misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 0:36 | | Jalen Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 0:24 | | +2 | Andrew Nembhard makes two point fadeaway bank jump shot | 39-34 |
| 0:01 | | Tyus Jones turnover (bad pass) (Buddy Hield steals) | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:36 | | Delon Wright misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 11:31 | | Jalen Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 11:26 | | Buddy Hield misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 11:23 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 11:14 | | Corey Kispert misses two point finger roll layup | ||
| 11:11 | | Delon Wright offensive rebound | ||
| 11:10 | | Tyus Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:06 | | Aaron Nesmith defensive rebound | ||
| 10:59 | | Andrew Nembhard turnover (lost ball) (Delon Wright steals) | ||
| 10:45 | | Danilo Gallinari misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:42 | | Andrew Nembhard defensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | +3 | Jalen Smith makes three point jump shot (Andrew Nembhard assists) | 39-37 |
| 10:15 | | +3 | Delon Wright makes three point jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 42-37 |
| 10:01 | | +3 | Bruce Brown makes three point jump shot (Andrew Nembhard assists) | 42-40 |
| 9:47 | | +2 | Tyus Jones makes two point driving floating jump shot | 44-40 |
| 9:34 | | Andrew Nembhard turnover (bad pass) (Delon Wright steals) | ||
| 9:19 | | Aaron Nesmith blocks Danilo Gallinari's two point cutting dunk | ||
| 9:15 | | Tyus Jones offensive rebound | ||
| 9:14 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:12 | | Buddy Hield defensive rebound | ||
| 9:02 | | Bruce Brown misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:00 | | Tyus Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 8:53 | | Delon Wright misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 8:50 | | Jalen Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 8:37 | | +2 | Andrew Nembhard makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 44-42 |
| 8:36 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:18 | | Myles Turner blocks Corey Kispert's three point jump shot | ||
| 8:14 | | Corey Kispert offensive rebound | ||
| 8:13 | | Tyus Jones misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 8:10 | | Pacers defensive rebound | ||
| 8:01 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point finger roll layup (Andrew Nembhard assists) | 44-44 |
| 7:40 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:36 | | Buddy Hield defensive rebound | ||
| 7:32 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point running layup | 44-46 |
| 7:16 | | Tyus Jones misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 7:15 | | Bennedict Mathurin defensive rebound | ||
| 7:11 | | Aaron Nesmith misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:07 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 6:57 | | +3 | Bilal Coulibaly makes three point jump shot (Corey Kispert assists) | 47-46 |
| 6:37 | | +2 | Andrew Nembhard makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 47-48 |
| 6:20 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Delon Wright assists) | 49-48 |
| 6:09 | | +2 | Bennedict Mathurin makes two point pullup jump shot (Andrew Nembhard assists) | 49-50 |
| 5:55 | | Tyus Jones turnover (bad pass) (Bennedict Mathurin steals) | ||
| 5:52 | | +3 | Bennedict Mathurin makes three point running jump shot (Buddy Hield assists) | 49-53 |
| 5:29 | | Delon Wright misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:26 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 5:23 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 5:20 | | Tyus Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 5:15 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:02 | | Jordan Poole turnover (bad pass) (Bennedict Mathurin steals) | ||
| 4:52 | | Bennedict Mathurin turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Poole steals) | ||
| 4:49 | | Bruce Brown shooting foul (Kyle Kuzma draws the foul) | ||
| 4:49 | | +1 | Kyle Kuzma makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 50-53 |
| 4:49 | | +1 | Kyle Kuzma makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 51-53 |
| 4:39 | | Daniel Gafford shooting foul (Bennedict Mathurin draws the foul) | ||
| 4:39 | | +1 | Bennedict Mathurin makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 51-54 |
| 4:39 | | +1 | Bennedict Mathurin makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 51-55 |
| 4:29 | | Jordan Poole misses two point pullup bank jump shot | ||
| 4:25 | | Bruce Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | +2 | Bennedict Mathurin makes two point running finger roll layup (Bruce Brown assists) | 51-57 |
| 4:13 | | Myles Turner personal foul (Daniel Gafford draws the foul) | ||
| 4:11 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Deni Avdija assists) | 53-57 |
| 3:55 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point reverse layup (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 53-59 |
| 3:43 | | Tyrese Haliburton shooting foul (Deni Avdija draws the foul) | ||
| 3:43 | | +1 | Deni Avdija makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 54-59 |
| 3:43 | | Deni Avdija misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 3:42 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 3:30 | | +3 | Bruce Brown makes three point jump shot (Bennedict Mathurin assists) | 54-62 |
| 3:10 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point driving layup (Tyus Jones assists) | 56-62 |
| 3:10 | | Bruce Brown shooting foul (Jordan Poole draws the foul) | ||
| 3:10 | | +1 | Jordan Poole makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 57-62 |
| 3:02 | | Tyus Jones personal foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 2:57 | | Buddy Hield misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:52 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 2:46 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point running layup (Deni Avdija assists) | 59-62 |
| 2:34 | | +2 | Buddy Hield makes two point driving finger roll layup (Bennedict Mathurin assists) | 59-64 |
| 2:27 | | Jordan Poole misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:25 | | Obi Toppin defensive rebound | ||
| 2:20 | | Tyrese Haliburton misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 2:16 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 1:59 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point driving finger roll layup | 61-64 |
| 1:53 | | +3 | Buddy Hield makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 61-67 |
| 1:35 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point driving floating jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 63-67 |
| 1:26 | |