Pacers outlast Spurs on the road in overtime
Apr 3, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan (10) drives to the basket as Indiana Pacers guard Caris LeVert (22) defends and guard T.J. McConnell (9) looks on in the second quarter at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
T.J. McConnell canned a jumper with the shot clock running out with 17.8 seconds to play in overtime as part of his 18-point performance as the visiting Indiana Pacers outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 139-133 on Saturday.
The game was the second of a home-road back-to-back for the Pacers, but it was Indiana which had the legs, and the execution, in the extra period to snap a three-game losing streak.
Article continues after this advertisementSan Antonio tied the game at 126 with 29.9 seconds left to play in regulation. Myles Turner then missed for Indiana with 7.3 seconds remaining, and DeMar DeRozan rimmed out a shot at the buzzer to force the game into overtime.
The overtime was tied at 130 with 3:46 remaining until Indiana pulled away down the stretch, with Turner converting three free throws and McConnell hitting a pair of shots.
Caris LeVert led the Pacers with 26 points, with Turner and Aaron Holiday adding 18 each, Edmond Sumner scoring 15, and Doug McDermott and Justin Holiday hitting for 10 points each.
Article continues after this advertisementDeRozan had 25 points for San Antonio, which has lost two straight and seven of its past nine games.
Keldon Johnson and Dejounte Murray scored 20 each for the Spurs, while Derrick White added 18 points, Patty Mills had 16, Rudy Gay tallied 15, and Jakob Poeltl contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds.
San Antonio led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter and 33-32 at the end of the period. Indiana used a 9-0 run to build a 56-46 advantage after a pair of free throws by Sumner at the 3:24 mark of the second period and took a 67-59 lead to the break.
LeVert led the Pacers with 13 points in the half while McDermott added 10. Mills scored 13 points off the bench to lead San Antonio, with DeRozan hitting for 10 by halftime.
San Antonio swept back to the front, at 91-80, via an 11-0 run over a nearly two-minute span that ended at the 4:07 mark of the third period. The Pacers answered with a 10-0 run of their own at the end of the quarter and took a 98-97 lead into the final 12 minutes.
–Field Level Media
