Myles Turner Leads Pacers to Narrow Win vs. Stephen Curry, Warriors
January 13, 2021
The Indiana Pacers broke a two-game losing streak with a 104-95 road win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Indiana went on a 13-0 fourth-quarter run to turn a 90-88 deficit into a 101-90 lead with 1:18 remaining in regulation. Myles Turner's three-pointer gave Indiana the lead for good at 93-90, and Aaron Holiday added a pair of buckets and an assist during that stretch.
Golden State led 57-50 at halftime but struggled from the field, shooting just 38.6 percent. The Warriors scored only 18 points in the third quarter and 20 in the final 12 minutes.
Turner and Domantas Sabonis each had double-doubles for the 7-4 Pacers, with Turner leading the Pacers with 22 points. Andrew Wiggins paced the 6-5 Warriors with 22 points.
Notable Performances
Pacers C Myles Turner: 22 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals
Pacers F/C Domantas Sabonis: 18 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists
Pacers PG Malcolm Brogdon: 13 points, 8 assists, 2 steals
Warriors PG Stephen Curry: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Warriors SG Andrew Wiggins: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks
Warriors F/C Draymond Green: 7 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds
Pacers' 4th-Quarter Run Propels Indiana to Win
A back-and-forth game appeared to be going in the Warriors' favor in the fourth quarter after Damion Lee and Mychal Mulder hit back-to-back three-pointers to put Golden State up 88-85. Aaron Holiday responded with a three of his own, but Curry fired back with a 19-footer for the lead.
The Warriors would not score again for nearly four minutes.
Holiday, who posted nine fourth-quarter points and six dimes, erased the Warriors' lead for good:
Turner, who played 42 minutes and hit three of five three-pointers in addition to his excellent work down low, put Indiana ahead with a three from the wing:
The Holiday brothers then took center stage: Aaron Holiday made a layup for a five-point edge before Justin Holiday got the ball off a dish from his brother and hit a three-pointer for the 98-90 advantage:
A Sabonis putback layup and a Justin Holiday free throw ended the run. Golden State cut it as close as seven points but could not creep any further.
Tuesday's win was a fantastic result for the Pacers, especially considering their recent struggles. Indiana's defense had not fared well during its two-game losing streak, falling 127-122 to the Sacramento Kings and 125-117 to the Phoenix Suns.
However, the Pacers bore down on that end, most notably when they held Golden State scoreless for nearly four minutes. Great defense led to buckets, and the Pacers were able to leave San Francisco with a much-needed victory.
Cold Shooting Continues to Hinder Warriors
The Warriors deserve tremendous credit for starting their season with a winning record after 11 games (even if it's barely so at 6-5) given that they lost superstar shooting guard Klay Thompson for the season with an Achilles injury in November.
Golden State looks like it will fight for an automatic playoff berth, or at least land in the top 10 in the Western Conference and work its way into a play-in tournament.
However, the Warriors' shooting woes have proved to be the team's downfall in 2020-21, putting a ceiling on this team's prospects.
Golden State entered Tuesday shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three-point range. The former number ranked 26th in the NBA, and the latter was 22nd.
The Warriors failed to hit either mark Tuesday on a night where the team scored just 38 second-half points. Stephen Curry and Wiggins each went a so-so 7-of-17, Brad Wanamaker missed all six of his shots and Draymond Green missed five of his seven.
Golden State also missed seven shots and committed two turnovers during that aforementioned 13-0 run that ultimately sealed the Warriors' fate.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was the only Warrior to make more than half of his field goals, and he barely did so at 6-of-11.
The silver lining, of course, is that Oubre fared well. He began Tuesday with a 33.6 percent field-goal rate alongside a 13.7 percent three-point rate.
The career 42.8 percent shooter is capable of far better, and perhaps the Pacers game is a step in the right direction en route to his usual norms.
The issue is that the rest of the team is off the mark as well. Curry began Tuesday shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range, which is notable considering that he never shot below 40 percent from three during any of his first 10 NBA seasons.
In addition, Green was at 30.4 percent overall, with a 23.1 percent three-point mark.
Golden State has shown a lot of fight in these first 11 games, most notably when the team erased a 21-point deficit against the Los Angeles Clippers and won by 10.
The Warriors may not have a championship-level ceiling, but a playoff run isn't out of the question. That isn't happening without improved shooting, but there are 61 regular-season games left, meaning there's plenty of time for the team to break out of its slump.
What's Next?
Both teams will play on the road Thursday. The Pacers will visit the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center, and the Warriors will take on the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.