Kevon Looney’s layup gives Warriors a win over Pacers
Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney (5) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Kevon Looney grabbed a loose ball after Stephen Curry missed a potential record-tying 3-point attempt and flipped in a tiebreaking layup with 13.4 seconds remaining Monday night, giving the Golden State Warriors a 102-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
After trailing almost the entire second half, the Warriors rallied into a 100-all tie with 48.5 seconds to go following consecutive Curry hoops, including a 3-pointer that was his fifth of the game, leaving Curry one short of Ray Allen’s all-time record.
Article continues after this advertisementMalcolm Brogdon misfired with a chance to put the Pacers back on top with 36.6 seconds remaining, giving Curry a shot at putting the Warriors in front.
KEVON LOONEY FOR THE LEAD!@warriors 102@Pacers 100
13.4 left on @NBATV…Pacers ball: https://t.co/rTTQ9EtLON pic.twitter.com/nYOfkX18Fj
— NBA (@NBA) December 14, 2021
His 3-pointer was off the mark, but the ball ricocheted amid bodies right to Looney, who capped a 14-point performance with his point-blank lay-in.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Pacers had a chance to tie, but Warriors defensive ace Gary Payton II forced Caris LeVert into fumbling the ball out of bounds with 2.2 seconds left.
After a timeout, Draymond Green intentionally inbounded the ball to the Pacers’ Oshae Brissett 94 feet from the Indiana hoop, and with the hosts having exhausted their timeout allotment, the Pacers couldn’t get off a shot.
After hitting just two 3-pointers while the Warriors were falling behind 55-47 at halftime, Curry finished 5-for-15, giving him 2,972 for his career.
The 33-year-old will need just one to tie Allen and two to grab the all-time lead when the Warriors visit the New York Knicks on Tuesday on the second night of a back-to-back.
26 points, 5 triples and some CLUTCH buckets for @StephenCurry30…he enters tomorrow night just 2 threes away from the all-time record! #CurryWatch continues with Warriors/Knicks tomorrow at 7:30 PM ET on TNT pic.twitter.com/3EuW0sqml7
— NBA (@NBA) December 14, 2021
Curry finished with 26 points for the Warriors, who won despite shooting just 8-for-30 on 3-pointers. The Pacers were even worse, going 7-for-30.
Andrew Wiggins added 15 points for Golden State, while Green gathered a team-high nine rebounds to complement 15 points and five assists.
Otto Porter Jr. chipped in with 10 points for the Warriors, who have rebounded with wins after each of their five losses this season.
Domantas Sabonis led all scorers with 30 for the Pacers, who saw a three-game winning streak come to an end with an eighth loss in nine games decided by three or fewer points this season.
Sabonis completed a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Myles Turner had 10 boards to go with six points, while Brogdon finished with 23 points to go with a game-high eight assists. LeVert added 19 points.
