Pacers beat Hawks 129-124, overcoming Jalen Johnson’s triple-double

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Andrew Nembhard scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam added 25 and the Indiana Pacers held off the Atlanta Hawks 129-124 on Saturday night.

Indiana held a single-digit lead for much of the third quarter and led 103-100 early in the fourth. The rest of the game was close before Siakam hit a crucial 12-foot jumper with 18.6 seconds remaining to push the Pacers ahead 127-123.

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Aaron Nesmith added 23 points, Nembhard had 10 assists and Siakam shot 11 of 15 from the field. The Pacers won despite 23 turnovers.

Atlanta lost 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.

The Pacers have won seven of their last 12 games, enjoying a strong stretch of basketball after starting the season with a 6-31 record. Indiana played all year without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of last season’s NBA Finals.

Indiana took an 80-73 lead into 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.

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It was the halfway point of Indiana’s highest-scoring season. The Pacers shot 58% from the field, including 11 of 20 (55%) from 3-point range.

To be continued

Hawks: At Miami Tuesday night.

Pacers: Host Houston Monday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba