Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers take control early, beat Pistons

Tyrese Haliburton had 25 points and 13 assists, Pascal Siakam added 20 points and the Indiana Pacers returned from the All-Star break with a 129-115 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Thursday in Indianapolis.

T.J. McConnell had 16 points for Indiana, which scored 42 in the opening quarter and led by as many as 31 late in the first half. Bennedict Mathurin scored 15 points, Myles Turner had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Isaiah Jackson added 13 points.

Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 30 points and eight assists. Jalen Duren had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Simone Fontecchio and Jaden Ivey scored 14 points apiece, Ausar Thompson had 11 points and Evan Fournier chipped in 10.

Haliburton recorded at least 25 points and 10 assists for the 15th time this season while shooting 10-of-18 from the field and 4-of-10 from 3-point range.

Haliburton set the tone in the opening quarter with 11 points and five assists to help give the Pacers a 42-25 lead. Ben Sheppard hit a 3-pointer to end the period for Indiana, which shot 68 percent from the field and 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from 3-point range.

The Pacers carried the momentum into the second quarter and stretched their lead to 65-39 on Obi Toppin's trey with 2:25 left in the half.

Haliburton had 16 points in the first half for Indiana, which took a 72-43 lead into intermission. Detroit committed 11 turnovers and shot 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from beyond the arc in the half.

The Pistons battled back and outscored the Pacers 45-30 in the third quarter while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 6-of-8 (75 percent) from 3-point range. Duren had 11 points and five rebounds in the period to lead Detroit's rally.

Indiana, which took a 102-88 lead into the fourth quarter, weathered the Pistons' charge and held a 114-97 advantage after Mathurin drilled a long 3-pointer with 6:44 remaining.

The Pacers played without forward Aaron Nesmith, who sat out with a sprained right ankle.

Detroit lost its fourth straight and played without forward Isaiah Stewart, who began a three-game suspension following his altercation with the Phoenix Suns' Drew Eubanks on Feb. 14.