NBA: Pacers’ makeshift lineup still manages to topple Warriors
Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles between Isaiah Jackson #23 and Duane Washington Jr. #4 of the Indiana Pacers during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on January 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Keifer Sykes, getting an extended opportunity with Indiana’s starting backcourt out of action, contributed five points to a 10-0 burst in overtime that allowed the short-handed Pacers to shock the Golden State Warriors 121-117 on Thursday night in San Francisco.
After a Justin Holiday 3-pointer with 6.0 seconds remaining in regulation forced the extra session, the Pacers, playing without regular starters Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert and Myles Turner, immediately fell five points down in the five-minute overtime before rallying.
Oshae Brissett split a pair of free throws to get Indiana even at 115-all with still 2:16 to go, after then Sykes bombed in a 3-pointer and drove for a two-point hoop, flipping the five-point advantage to the Pacers’ side.
Keifer Sykes knocks down back to back buckets to put the @Pacers up 5 late in OT! pic.twitter.com/VWOg2M8rjh
— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2022
The Warriors, who began the day with the best home record in the NBA, got within three and had possession with 4.8 seconds left, but an inbounds pass deflected off Klay Thompson and out of bounds, setting up a Jeremy Lamb free throw that iced the Pacers’ second win in two nights.
Rookie Chris Duarte had a team-high 27 points for the Pacers, who beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
Stephen Curry had a game-high 39 points for the Warriors, who were playing the opener of a back-to-back, with the Houston Rockets to visit on Friday night.
The Warriors appeared on the doorstep of a regulation win when Curry’s two free throws gave them a 108-107 lead with 34.5 seconds remaining, then padded the advantage with two more with 9.4 seconds left.
🚨 ITS ALL TIED UP ON TNT! 🚨
Great hustle and a tough finish by Stephen Curry! pic.twitter.com/uHsjxgOQvW
— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2022
But Golden State chose not to foul with a three-point lead, and it cost them when Holiday bombed in his tying 28-footer.
Golden State had the final shot of regulation, but Juan Toscano-Anderson shot too hard on a driving attempt.
All five starters in Indiana’s makeshift lineup scored in double figures, with Holiday (16 points), Goga Bitadze (13), Torrey Craig (12) and Sykes (10) joining Duarte.
Bitadze also collected a team-high nine rebounds and five assists.
Isaiah Jackson added 15 points and Lamb 14 off the bench for Indiana, which remained unbeaten at the new Chase Center with a third win in three years.
Curry shot 6-for-16 on 3-pointers, but his teammates combined to go just 3-for-26 as the Pacers outscored the Warriors 45-27 from beyond the arc.
Kevon Looney had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Warriors, while Thompson added 12 points and Andrew Wiggins 11.
