Myles Turner scores 31, Pacers avoid play-in tournament with 157-115 rout of Hawks
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Myles Turner had 31 points and Pascal Siakam scored 28 as the Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 157-115 on Sunday and avoided falling into the play-in tournament.
Indiana, in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, secured the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference and faces third-seeded Milwaukee in a best-of-seven first-round series.
“I’m proud of this group,” said Turner, who added 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. “It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t pretty, but we got to where we needed to go. It’s been a long four years.”
Dejounte Murray scored 32 points for the Hawks, who finished the regular season 10th in the East at 36-46 and visit the ninth-placed Chicago Bulls on Wednesday to open the play-in tournament.
“The way (the Pacers) play is hard to simulate,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “You’re disappointed when you end the season like this, but the season isn’t over. You move forward immediately because we play Chicago on Wednesday.”
The Pacers went 4-1 against the Bucks in the regular season, including a 128-119 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and company in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 at the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament.
“This organization is not an organization just happy to be in the playoffs,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “That’s not what this is about. This is not small-market, lowered expectations. We can’t have that.”
Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who grew up in Wisconsin north of Milwaukee, will be playing in the postseason for the first time.
“I’m just really excited,” said Haliburton, who had 12 points and 13 assists on Sunday. “We all grow up watching the playoffs. It’ll be fun. (Milwaukee) is a really good team. We’ve had some battles this year. It’s home for me. Kind of storybook to be playing at the crib my first playoff series.”
The Pacers enter with momentum from a dominant regular-season finale. They shot 65% and made 19 of 36 3-pointers. The 157 points matched the Pacers’ highest-scoring game since they joined the NBA in 1976. The record was set earlier this season in their 157-152 win in the In-Season Tournament on Nov. 21.
Mouhamed Gueye added 19 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic 18 for the Hawks, who trailed 125-93 at the end of the third quarter and never threatened in the fourth.
All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, in the playoffs for the first time in his career, finished with 12 points and 13 assists.
The Pacers last advanced into the playoffs in 2020. They finished 11th in the East a year ago, five games out of the final play-in spot. They missed the 2022 playoffs and lost to Washington in the 2021 play-in tournament.
Indiana went into intermission leading 86-72. That tied the Pacers’ highest-scoring half. They also scored 86 points in a first half on Nov. 6 against San Antonio and on Jan. 15, 1990, against Golden State.
Turner helped the Pacers set the tone from the start. They raced out to an 8-0 lead, with six points from Turner, and held the Hawks scoreless on their first five possessions.
Atlanta held out starting center Clint Capela for rest. Three other rotation players who average a combined 39.9 points, Jalen Johnson (sprained ankle), Saddiq Bey (torn knee ligament) and Onyeka Okongwu (sprained toe), sat out due to injury.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Visit the ninth-placed Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in the play-in tournament.
Pacers: Open the playoffs as either the No. 5 or 6 seed.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Bruno Fernando vs. Myles Turner (De'Andre Hunter gains possession) | ||
| 11:38 |  | Myles Turner blocks Bruno Fernando's two point layup | ||
| 11:35 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 11:28 | | Tyrese Haliburton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:25 | | Trae Young defensive rebound | ||
| 11:18 | | Aaron Nesmith personal foul (De'Andre Hunter draws the foul) | ||
| 11:13 | | De'Andre Hunter misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:10 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 11:02 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point cutting layup (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 0-2 |
| 11:02 | | Bruno Fernando shooting foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 11:02 | | +1 | Myles Turner makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 0-3 |
| 10:50 | | Myles Turner blocks Bruno Fernando's two point layup | ||
| 10:47 | | Aaron Nesmith defensive rebound | ||
| 10:44 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point running finger roll layup (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 0-5 |
| 10:25 | | De'Andre Hunter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:22 | | Tyrese Haliburton defensive rebound | ||
| 10:12 | | +3 | Myles Turner makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 0-8 |
| 10:09 | | Hawks 60 second timeout | ||
| 10:09 | | Hawks delay of game violation | ||
| 9:57 | | Dejounte Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:53 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 9:48 | | Tyrese Haliburton turnover (bad pass) (Dejounte Murray steals) | ||
| 9:45 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point running layup | 2-8 |
| 9:34 | | +3 | Myles Turner makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 2-11 |
| 9:17 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:15 | | Pascal Siakam defensive rebound | ||
| 9:06 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point jump shot | 2-13 |
| 8:49 | | +2 | Bruno Fernando makes two point floating jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 4-13 |
| 8:37 | | +2 | Myles Turner makes two point jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 4-15 |
| 8:22 | | Bruno Fernando offensive foul (Aaron Nesmith draws the foul) | ||
| 8:22 | | Bruno Fernando turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 8:13 | | Myles Turner misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:08 | | Pascal Siakam offensive rebound | ||
| 8:08 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point tip dunk | 4-17 |
| 7:57 | | Myles Turner shooting foul (Bruno Fernando draws the foul) | ||
| 7:57 | | +1 | Bruno Fernando makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-17 |
| 7:57 | | +1 | Bruno Fernando makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 6-17 |
| 7:50 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point reverse layup (Andrew Nembhard assists) | 6-19 |
| 7:40 | | Trae Young turnover (lost ball) (Aaron Nesmith steals) | ||
| 7:23 | | +2 | Tyrese Haliburton makes two point driving finger roll layup | 6-21 |
| 7:15 | | +3 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 9-21 |
| 7:09 | | Andrew Nembhard offensive foul (De'Andre Hunter draws the foul) | ||
| 7:09 | | Andrew Nembhard turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 7:01 | | Myles Turner shooting foul (Mouhamed Gueye draws the foul) | ||
| 7:01 | | +1 | Mouhamed Gueye makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 10-21 |
| 7:01 | | +1 | Mouhamed Gueye makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-21 |
| 6:49 | | Jalen Smith turnover (bad pass) (Bogdan Bogdanovic steals) | ||
| 6:44 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 6:42 | | Trae Young offensive rebound | ||
| 6:42 | | +2 | Trae Young makes two point tip layup | 13-21 |
| 6:17 | | +3 | Jalen Smith makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists) | 13-24 |
| 6:02 | | +2 | Mouhamed Gueye makes two point dunk (Dejounte Murray assists) | 15-24 |
| 5:46 | | +3 | Andrew Nembhard makes three point stepback jump shot | 15-27 |
| 5:36 | | Trae Young turnover (bad pass) (Tyrese Haliburton steals) | ||
| 5:33 | | +2 | Tyrese Haliburton makes two point running dunk | 15-29 |
| 5:18 | | Dejounte Murray misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:15 | | Pascal Siakam defensive rebound | ||
| 5:11 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point running finger roll layup | 15-31 |
| 5:10 | | Hawks 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:55 | | Ben Sheppard personal foul (Mouhamed Gueye draws the foul) | ||
| 4:46 | | +3 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 18-31 |
| 4:33 | | +2 | T.J. McConnell makes two point pullup jump shot | 18-33 |
| 4:09 | | +2 | Mouhamed Gueye makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 20-33 |
| 3:45 | | Ben Sheppard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:42 | | Mouhamed Gueye defensive rebound | ||
| 3:39 | | T.J. McConnell personal foul (Take) (De'Andre Hunter draws the foul) | ||
| 3:39 | | +1 | De'Andre Hunter makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-33 |
| 3:39 | | +1 | De'Andre Hunter makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-33 |
| 3:22 | | Mouhamed Gueye blocks T.J. McConnell's two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:19 | | Jalen Smith offensive rebound | ||
| 3:19 | | +2 | Jalen Smith makes two point putback layup | 22-35 |
| 3:06 | | +2 | Mouhamed Gueye makes two point cutting layup (Trae Young assists) | 24-35 |
| 2:43 | | +2 | T.J. McConnell makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Aaron Nesmith assists) | 24-37 |
| 2:33 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:30 | | Hawks offensive rebound | ||
| 2:24 | | +2 | Trae Young makes two point driving floating jump shot | 26-37 |
| 2:15 | | Trae Young shooting foul (Obi Toppin draws the foul) | ||
| 2:15 | | +1 | Obi Toppin makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-38 |
| 2:15 | | +1 | Obi Toppin makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-39 |
| 2:05 | | Mouhamed Gueye misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:01 | | Ben Sheppard defensive rebound | ||
| 1:45 | | Jalen Smith turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:33 | | Aaron Nesmith personal foul (Loose ball) (Mouhamed Gueye draws the foul) | ||
| 1:33 | | +1 | Mouhamed Gueye makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-39 |
| 1:33 | | +1 | Mouhamed Gueye makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-39 |
| 1:25 | | +3 | T.J. McConnell makes three point pullup jump shot | 28-42 |
| 1:16 | | +3 | Garrison Mathews makes three point jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 31-42 |
| 1:03 | | Obi Toppin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:00 | | Jalen Smith offensive rebound | ||
| 0:58 | | +2 | Doug McDermott makes two point pullup jump shot (Jalen Smith assists) | 31-44 |
| 0:46 | | Trae Young misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:46 | | Jalen Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 0:33 | | +3 | Ben Sheppard makes three point jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 31-47 |
| 0:28 | | +3 | Trae Young makes three point pullup jump shot | 34-47 |
| 0:05 | | Obi Toppin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:01 | | Ben Sheppard offensive rebound | ||
| 0:01 | | Mouhamed Gueye blocks T.J. McConnell's three point jump shot | ||
| 0:01 | | Jalen Smith offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | +2 | Jalen Smith makes two point tip layup | 34-49 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:47 | | Obi Toppin offensive foul (Charge) (Garrison Mathews draws the foul) | ||
| 11:47 | | Obi Toppin turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 11:35 | | +2 | AJ Griffin makes two point pullup jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 36-49 |
| 11:20 | | Ben Sheppard misses two point turnaround bank jump shot | ||
| 11:20 | | Bruno Fernando defensive rebound | ||
| 11:13 | | AJ Griffin misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:09 | | Dejounte Murray offensive rebound | ||
| 11:09 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point jump shot | 38-49 |
| 11:01 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 10:54 | | +3 | Obi Toppin makes three point jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 38-52 |
| 10:34 | | Jalen Smith shooting foul (Bruno Fernando draws the foul) | ||
| 10:34 | | +1 | Bruno Fernando makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-52 |
| 10:34 | | +1 | Bruno Fernando makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-52 |
| 10:19 | | Doug McDermott misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 10:16 | | Bruno Fernando defensive rebound | ||
| 10:07 | | +3 | Dejounte Murray makes three point pullup jump shot (Bruno Fernando assists) | 43-52 |
| 9:57 | | +2 | T.J. McConnell makes two point driving layup | 43-54 |
| 9:39 | | Dejounte Murray misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:36 | | T.J. McConnell defensive rebound | ||
| 9:32 | | Obi Toppin misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 9:29 | | Vit Krejci defensive rebound | ||
| 9:26 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point running dunk (Vit Krejci assists) | 45-54 |
| 9:13 | | +2 | Ben Sheppard makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Obi Toppin assists) | 45-56 |
| 8:57 | | AJ Griffin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:53 | | Jalen Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 8:40 | | AJ Griffin blocks Obi Toppin's two point cutting layup | ||
| 8:38 | | Obi Toppin offensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | +3 | T.J. McConnell makes three point jump shot (Ben Sheppard assists) | 45-59 |
| 8:10 | | +2 | Bruno Fernando makes two point cutting dunk (Vit Krejci assists) | 47-59 |
| 7:43 | | Pacers turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 7:35 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point driving dunk | 49-59 |
| 7:35 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:13 | | Mouhamed Gueye blocks Tyrese Haliburton's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:09 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:01 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point driving layup (Vit Krejci assists) | 51-59 |
| 7:01 | | Andrew Nembhard shooting foul (Dejounte Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 7:01 | | +1 | Dejounte Murray makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 52-59 |
| 6:48 | | Vit Krejci shooting foul (Tyrese Haliburton draws the foul) | ||
| 6:48 | | Tyrese Haliburton misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:48 | | Pacers offensive rebound | ||
| 6:48 | | +1 | Tyrese Haliburton makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 52-60 |
| 6:33 | | Myles Turner blocks Bogdan Bogdanovic's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:30 | | Mouhamed Gueye offensive rebound | ||
| 6:29 | | Mouhamed Gueye misses two point layup | ||
| 6:29 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic offensive rebound | ||
| 6:24 | | Myles Turner kicked ball violation | ||
| 6:13 | | Aaron Nesmith shooting foul (Trae Young draws the foul) | ||
| 6:13 | | +1 | Trae Young makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 53-60 |
| 6:13 | | +1 | Trae Young makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 54-60 |
| 6:13 | | +1 | Trae Young makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 55-60 |
| 6:03 | | +2 | Andrew Nembhard makes two point pullup jump shot | 55-62 |
| 5:50 | | +3 | Mouhamed Gueye makes three point jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 58-62 |
| 5:30 | | Tyrese Haliburton misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:28 | | Mouhamed Gueye defensive rebound | ||
| 5:21 | | +3 | Dejounte Murray makes three point jump shot (De'Andre Hunter assists) | 61-62 |
| 5:03 | | Pascal Siakam misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:02 | | Hawks defensive rebound | ||
| 4:50 | | Tyrese Haliburton shooting foul (Dejounte Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 4:50 | | +1 | Dejounte Murray makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 62-62 |
| 4:50 | | Dejounte Murray misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 4:49 | | Pascal Siakam defensive rebound | ||
| 4:38 | | +2 | Tyrese Haliburton makes two point driving finger roll layup (Pascal Siakam assists) | 62-64 |
| 4:26 | | +2 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes two point driving layup | 64-64 |
| 4:19 | | +3 |