The unusual afternoon start time led to an all too familiar outcome for the Pacers on Friday, as a 13-point halftime lead fueled by high-powered scoring turned into a 119-111 loss to the Utah Jazz as a result of anemic, late-game offense.
After starting the game just 4-of-11 from the field, Indiana made seven of their next 10, jumping out to an eight-point lead by the end of the first frame, as the team dressed in blue-and-gold outscored the Jazz 12-0 in fast break points without committing a single turnover.
Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis paced the team early, notching twelve points a piece on 16 combined shots, with the Pacers running most of the action at Rudy Gobert without necessarily engaging his length.