Pacers win 1st road game, beating Bulls behind Siakam, Mathurin

Pascal SIakam, Bennedict Mathurin go off

The Pacers built a 19-point third-quarter lead but once again had some moments when it seemed like the game might get away from them. After a 15-2 run to start the third quarter, they allowed the Bulls an 18-4 lead that got them back within three points.

But on this night, Siakam and Mathurin simply would not let the game get away. The Pacers star wings each came through with one of their best nights of the season with Siakam setting a season scoring high and Mathurin having his best scoring night since the season opener.

Siakam scored 36 points on 13 of 24 shooting including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. His mid-range turnaround jumper was phenomenal as he was able to get to that at will and used it for most of his 2-point buckets. He also grabbed nine rebounds and two steals.

Mathurin took a little while to get going, but finished with 28 points on 9 of 16 shooting including a season-high six 3-pointers on 11 3-point attempts. He also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Andrew Nembhard gets it done on both ends

Though the Pacers have clearly been more competitive since they got Andrew Nembhard back from an early-season shoulder strain, he’d sometimes struggled with the additional responsibility that’s come with being the Pacers’ full-time starting point guard with Tyrese Haliburton out for the season and also having to carry the squad in the moments when he’s been on the floor and Siakam hasn’t been. He entered Friday’s game averaging career-highs of 17.4 points and 6.2 assists per game, but in all 14 games he appeared in up until then, he posted a negative plus-minus figure.

That changed Friday as Nembhard’s contributions on both ends of the floor led to the Pacers’ first road win of the season and one of their most impressive performances.

Nembhard scored 15 points on 7 of 14 shooting and dished out seven assists against three turnovers, but he was arguably more impressive on defense. He recorded three steals but more importantly stonewalled Bulls guard Josh Giddey, helping to hold him to nine points on 2 of 9 shooting. Nembhard finished with a plus-minus figure of +4.

Ethan Thompson

With Ben Sheppard out with a calf strain, the Pacers had to shake up their wing rotation. Garrison Mathews, on a 10-day contract, got the start, but once newly-signed two-way contract guard Ethan Thompson got on the floor he stayed there and made a huge impact.

Thompson looked a little lost early, but he’s made his name in the G League over the last four years as a shooter and an overall scorer and once shots started falling, the rest of his game came together too. He went 3 of 4 from 3-point range in the second quarter, helping the Pacers build a five-point halftime lead. He played the last 6:02 of the first quarter and 11:50 of the 12 minutes of the second quarter. so he played almost an 18-minute shift. Then Pacers coach Rick Carlisle inserted him in the lineup that started the second half.

Thompson scored early in the second half for his first double-figure scoring performance in the NBA. He finished 4 of 6 from the floor for 11 points. He also recorded two rebounds, three assists and two blocks and the Pacers were +25 in his 34 minutes. Prior to Friday, he had played 10 NBA minutes in his life, all of them this week.