By ASSOCIATED PRESS
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton had 29 points and 12 assists for his 16th double-double of the season, Aaron Nesmith scored a season-high 19, and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 129-111, on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Haliburton scored 17 points in the third quarter, when the Pacers (32-23) took a 101-83 lead. The All-Star point guard shot 9 of 14 overall with four 3-pointers.
The Pacers, who are an NBA-best 16-5 in 2025, had seven players score in double digits. Indiana center Myles Turner returned from a three-game injury absence with 17 first-half points.
The short-handed Clippers (31-25) were without leading scorer Norman Powell (left knee soreness) and No. 3 scorer Kawhi Leonard (left foot soreness). Powell averages 24.2 points per game, and Leonard 16.9.
That meant veteran All-Star guard James Harden looked to take more shots — he went 9 of 17 with six 3s to finish with 31 points and 11 assists. Ivica Zubac added 22 points.
Leonard has played in just 16 games this season, but Powell’s absence proved problematic. The lack of scoring options became increasingly evident as Los Angeles steadily fell behind.
It’s an ideal time to make a run, with two more home games this week and Indiana riding a three-game winning streak. And it helps to have Turner back after he missed three games with a cervical strain.
Meanwhile in San Francisco, Stephen Curry scored 30 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks, 126-102.
The Warriors have won five of six and improved to 5-1 since trading for Jimmy Butler, who made his home debut and finished with 18 points.
Golden State jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first and led by as many as 23 points in the second. Butler and Curry each had 14 in the first half.
PJ Washington and Kyrie Irving scored 17 points apiece for the Mavericks.
The Warriors retired Andre Iguodala’s jersey after the game. The forward helped the Warriors win four championships and was the NBA Finals MVP in 2015.
In Atlanta, Cade Cunningham had 38 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to a season-high six games with a 148-143 win over the Hawks.
Malik Beasley scored 24 points, shooting 6 of 10 from 3-point range.
The Pistons shot a season-best 59.1% from the field en route to a season high in points. They were 20 for 40 from 3-point range. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 points and Dennis Schroder added 16 off the bench.
In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 25 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Celtics to a 118-105 victory over the New York Knicks.
Tatum just missed getting a triple-double for the second straight game after earning one in a victory at Philadelphia on Thursday.
Jaylen Brown had 24 points and eight rebounds, and Derrick White finished with 19 points for Boston, which won its fifth straight and improved to 3-0 against the Knicks this season.
In Orlando, Franz Wagner and Anthony Black each scored 23 points, Paolo Banchero added 19 and the Magic pulled away in the second half to beat the Washington Wizards, 110-90.
Black scored 18 of his career-high 23 points in the second half.
Jordan Poole scored 16 points for Washington, and Richaun Holmes added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Wizards have lost six straight to fall to 9-47.
In Toronto, Immanuel Quickley, Chris Boucher,and RJ Barrett each scored 23 points and the Raptors made 20 3-pointers in a 127-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Quickley made 5 of 7 3-pointers and the Raptors were 20 of 35 overall from long range in sending the Suns — coming off a victory Saturday in Chicago — to their fifth loss in six games.
