Haliburton, Siakam Torch Brooklyn in 27-Point Indiana Blowout
Indiana dismantled Brooklyn 136–109 on October 25, turning a first-quarter deficit into a rout that wasn't close by the end. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 24 points, 10 assists, and 2 steals, while Pascal Siakam added 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in a performance that looked like two stars deciding the game was over before Brooklyn got the memo.
The first quarter was genuinely competitive — and that's what makes Indiana's final margin so striking. Brooklyn actually led 26–24 after one, with Moritz Wagner burying a 25-foot three at the buzzer off a Nolan Traore feed to cap a late surge. Indiana had led by as many as five at 19–13, but Brooklyn clawed back through Day'Ron Sharpe, Julius Randle free throws, and Josh Minott converting at the line to flip the score. The Pacers went into the second quarter down two and looking shaky.
The second quarter started no cleaner. Brooklyn pushed the lead to 30–24, and the game stayed knotted or within a possession through the 7-minute mark — tied at 30, tied at 32, tied at 35, tied at 38, tied at 39. Every time Indiana nudged ahead, Brooklyn had an answer: Josh Minott's 23-footer off a Traore assist, Egor Demin's 26-foot three to tie it at 38. The biggest single win-probability swing of the night came when Moritz Wagner connected on a 26-foot three-pointer assisted by Julius Randle in the second quarter, swinging Brooklyn's home win probability from 38% to 44%. That's the moment Brooklyn looked most dangerous. It didn't last. Indiana's depth and ball movement — Siakam alone finished with 6 assists to go with his 21 points — appears to have worn Brooklyn down systematically in the second half, with the Pacers outscoring the Nets by a margin that turned a tied game into a 27-point final.
Obi Toppin chipped in 16 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, and Andrew Nembhard added 14 points on 3 assists, giving Indiana four players in double figures beyond Haliburton and Siakam — six contributors total. For Brooklyn, Traore's 17 points and 5 assists were the lone bright spot worth noting; Minott's 15 points and 8 rebounds showed fight, but it wasn't enough. Terance Mann was listed as a DNP — coach's decision. The story of the night was Indiana's collective depth overwhelming a Brooklyn roster that simply ran out of answers once the Pacers turned the corner in the second half. A 27-point win doesn't happen by accident.