Pacers overtake Jazz in second half for third straight win

Myles Turner scored 26 points and Pascal Siakam added 22 to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 140-112 win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night in Indianapolis.

It was the third straight win for the Pacers (46-31), who’ve won nine of 11 while keeping a solid hold on the No. 4 spot of the Eastern Conference standings.

Turner also grabbed seven rebounds and swatted six shots, while Siakam contributed five boards, five assists, four blocks and three steals.

The Pacers shot a sizzling 57.3 percent, outscored Utah 42-18 in the fourth quarter, had a 29-8 edge in fastbreak points and blocked 17 shots, tied for third-most in a game in franchise history.

Utah dropped its eighth consecutive game for the third time this season. The Jazz (16-62), owners of the worst record in the NBA, have now lost 18 of 19.

Collin Sexton led all scorers with 27 points. Johnny Juzang netted 17, and Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George each had 15.

Indiana took control of the game midway through the second half, outscoring Utah by eight in the final 3:01 of the third to erase a four-point lead before opening the fourth on fire.

Siakam helped keep the momentum from the end of the third quarter with a dunk and a 3-pointer in a 7-0 run to open the fourth for a 105-94 lead, and the rout was on.

Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points, hitting 12 of 16 free throws, while Tyrese Haliburton chipped in 17 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and three blocks as seven Pacers reached double figures in scoring.

Juzang hit three 3s in a row as Utah went up by seven early and settled for a 34-28 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Jazz surged to a 12-point lead, 45-33, in the second quarter thanks to an 8-0 run that included back-to-back treys from Svi Mykhailiuk and Micah Potter.

Indiana finished the first half strong with a 10-0 run in the final three minutes to trim Utah’s halftime lead to 59-57.