Hield helps Pacers top Kings

Updated Feb. 3, 2023 9:57 p.m. ET

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Buddy Hield scored 21 points against his former team and the Indiana Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 107-104 on Friday night to stop a four-game losing streak.

Hield shot 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Aaron Nesmith added 17 points for the Pacers, going 4 for 7 on 3s. Myles Turner had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 23 points. Kevin Huerter scored 16, and Domantas Sabonis and Terence Davis each had 15.

The Kings were without leading scorer De’Aaron Fox, who sat out for personal reasons. Davis sank a 3-pointer with two minutes left to slice the Pacers’ lead to 107-104, but neither team scored the rest of the way.

Barnes missed a 3 with 9.1 seconds left, and Nesmith came up with the rebound.

The Pacers, who led by 12 at halftime, took a 19-point lead in the third quarter before the Kings ended the period with a 20-8 run to narrow the deficit to 87-80 after three.

Indiana went 10 of 21 on 3s to take a 60-48 halftime lead. In contrast, the Kings were 6 for 23 from long range in the opening half.

The Pacers scored 14 straight points to build a 51-39 advantage. Nesmith hit a trio of 3-pointers during the stretch.

TIP-INS

Kings: The Pacers showed a pregame tribute to Sabonis on the scoreboard during his first game back in Indiana after being traded a year ago for Tyrese Haliburton and Hield. Sabonis was inactive due to a knee injury when Sacramento played at Indiana last March. … Trey Lyles, the 2014 Indiana Mr. Basketball from Indianapolis Tech High School, scored seven points off the bench.

Pacers: Daniel Theis, in his second game of the season, scored eight points off the bench. Theis, traded to the Pacers from Boston, hadn’t played until Thursday after having knee surgery in November. … With the return of Theis, two other Pacers post players, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson, didn’t play.

UP NEXT

Kings: At New Orleans on Sunday.

Pacers: Host Cleveland on Sunday.

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