INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Domantas Sabonis had 26 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists against his former team and De’Aaron Fox added 25 points and six steals as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Indiana Pacers 133-122 on Friday night.
Malik Monk finished with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Kings, who won for the fifth time in their last six contests.
Bennedict Mathurin had 31 points and five rebounds for the Pacers, who shot 54% from the field but committed 21 turnovers and fell to 4-8 in their last 12 games. Pascal Siakam added 22 points and six rebounds.
The Kings, who shot 57%, raced ahead by as many as 18 points in the third quarter. Indiana closed within 11 at 99-88 entering the fourth, but never got closer than seven in the final period.
Indiana All-Star Tyrese Haliburton scored 14 points and had an uncharacteristic five turnovers and just one assist while coming off the bench in his third game back from an injured hamstring. With the organization managing his minutes, Haliburton checked in for the first time at the start of the second quarter and played only 22 minutes.
The teams met nearly two years to the day of their milestone trade – Feb. 8, 2022 – that sent Haliburton to Indiana and Sabonis to Sacramento. The Kings improved to 3-2 in the clubs’ five meetings since the swap.
Sacramento trailed 39-38 at the end of the first quarter, but forced nine turnovers in the second period and held a 71-64 lead at the intermission.
Indiana played without starting center Myles Turner, who’s averaging 17 points and 6.9 rebounds per game but has a sprained ankle. Backup big man Jalen Smith (10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game) sat out due to back spasms.
UP NEXT
Kings: Continue their seven-game road trip Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls.
Pacers: Play at the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
