Playing on the second night of a back-to-back and without their three leading scorers, the Pacers hung tough with the Warriors through two quarters on Thursday night in San Francisco, heading into halftime trailing, 63-55.
The Warriors jumped out to an early 9-3 lead over the undermanned Pacers, but Goga Bitadze did his best to keep Indiana within striking distance early. The third-year center out of Georgia scored eight of the Blue & Gold's first 14 points, knocking down a 3-pointer, converting a three-point play, and then throwing down a two-hand slam at the 6:26 mark in the opening quarter that trimmed the deficit to 15-14.