San Francisco—Keifer Sykes hit a go-ahead three with 1:41 left in overtime and a layup on the following possession, rookie guard Chris Duarte scored 27 points and the shorthanded Indiana Pacers beat the Golden State Warriors 121-117 on Thursday night.
Indiana were without most of their regular rotation as their top three scorers Domantas Sabonis (ankle), Caris LeVert (calf) and Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) all sat out watching in their street clothes.
The Warriors got one last chance with 6.4 seconds left after a jump ball and Klay Thompson checked in but couldn’t get his shot off.
It’s just the fifth road win of the season for the Pacers, who also beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. This is the first time Indiana has won back-to-back games since early December.
Golden State fell to 32-13 after its fourth loss in its last six games. Stephen Curry finished the contest with 39 points and eight assists.
It’s just the fourth home loss of the season for the Warriors. Golden State was without forward Draymond Green, who remained sidelined with a back injury.
“We were definitely sped up a little bit, 9 for 42 from 3, but it wasn’t a great game in terms of our execution to get those 42 3-point shots,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I don’t think we earned the right to make a lot more than that. It just felt like we were scattered out there and in a rush for sure.”
Curry had 18 points by the break to help the Warriors build a 63-55 lead and wound up 12 of 27 with six long threes. Kevon Looney snatched up 15 boards for his career-best fourth straight game with double-digit rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins was the last Warriors player with 10 or more rebounds in four straight games.
The Pacers opened the third quarter with a 13-3 run, the Warriors looked shocked and confused on the court. Indiana passed the ball to the open shooter and took advantage of Golden State’s mistakes, forcing them to turn the ball over seven times in the period. The Pacers hit five of their nine three-point shots in the third.
“Golden State is a great, great team. They got two of the best players — two of the best shooters that you’ve ever seen in this game — so I think us coming out with the win, it’s a huge, huge win for us,” Duarte said.
Juan Toscano-Anderson, who hit a huge three with 3:19 to go, rebounded Torrey Craig’s miss with 15.7 seconds left and Curry converted two free throws.
The Pacers went down to start the overtime period, they didn’t panic. Indiana got timely baskets and played strong defense when they needed to.
Seven players were in double figures for the Pacers. Justin Holiday finished with 16 points, and rookie forward Isaiah Jackson chipped in 15 points and seven boards. Veteran guard Jeremy Lamb had 14 points, and forward Torrey Craig finished with 12. Indiana is now 4-14 in contest decided by six points or less this season.
Golden State finished the game with 21 turnovers. They allowed the Pacers to attempt 34 free throws and shoot 42.9 percent from three-point range. The Warriors shot terribly all night long and finished 9-of-42 (21.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
“We’ve got to get out with more intensity,” Duarte said. “We did a good job in the second half. We’ve just got to keep doing that the whole game, staying together. Keep fighting. Keep playing hard.”
UP NEXT:
Pacers: At Suns on Saturday night.
Warriors: Plays Houston on Friday night to complete a back-to-back having won four straight vs. the Rockets.
