Pacers have 4 players with 20-plus points, beat Nets 128-117

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Buddy Hield scored 26 points to lead four Indiana players with 20 or more, and the Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets 128-117 on Friday night.

Myles Turner added 23 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 and Bennedict Mathurin finished with 20 for the Pacers. Halburton also had 15 assists.

Kevin Durant scored 36 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter for the Nets. Ben Simmons made all eight shots and scored 20 before fouling out in the final minute. Kyrie Irving also had 20.

Mathurin, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, sank a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Pacers a 99-96 lead, their first since the the middle of the first quarter. The Pacers expanded the lead to 108-98 with a 3-pointer by Hield with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter.

Brooklyn closed the deficit to 110-107 when Durant sank a 3-pointer, was fouled and converted the four-point play. But Indiana pulled away again.

Nic Claxton, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, was called for a flagrant foul for shoving Haliburton, who had to be restrained from going after Claxton. Haliburton sank two free throws to push the lead to 120-111 with 3:38 to go.

The Nets shot 61% to take a 65-57 lead at halftime. Irving set the pace with 14 points, follow by Simmons with 12. The Pacers made nearly 48% of their shots in the first half.

TIP-INS

Nets: Yuta Watanabe was sidelined with a right hamstring strain for the second consecutive game. … Simmons scored in double figures for the sixth straight game. In the three games prior to the streak, Simmons had a combined total of 10 points.

Pacers: Andrew Nembhard missed his third consecutive game with a bruised left knee. … After a long discussion with the referees during a timeout in the third quarter, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was issued a technical. Durant missed the free throw.

UP NEXT

Nets: Host Portland on Sunday.

Pacers: Open seven-game Western road trip Sunday at Los Angeles Clippers.