Insider: Pacers match franchise scoring record in win vs. Spurs, Rick Carlisle wins 900th

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers tied a franchise record for points in an NBA game with a 152-111 blowout victory of Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, giving coach Rick Carlisle his 900th career win.

The Pacers improved to 4-3. The Spurs fell to 3-4.

Here are four observations.

Pacers score: Pacers rout Spurs, keep Victor Wembanyama quiet

Pacers offense is exceptional in first half

For much of this season the Pacers' offense has been defined by its combination of potency and inconsistency. That was never more true than in Saturday's loss to the Hornets when they posted an abysmal 19-point second quarter on 6 of 24 shooting, followed that with a 50-point third in which they made 17 of 21 shots and 12 of 15 3s, then scored 28 in the fourth, shooting 10 of 18 and 6 of 10 but committing killer turnovers down the stretch.

Monday, though, they brought back the lights-out shooting of Saturday's second quarter and kept the offense humming throughout the first half. They scored 44 points in the first and 42 in the second to take an 86-61 lead at the break with exceptional passing and shooting.

The Pacers made 29 of 50 field goals, 14 of 22 3-points and all 14 of their foul shots in the first half, turning the ball over just five times and posting 13 second-chance points to finish the half with a gaudy 1.56 points per possession, breaking 1.5 per possession in each quarter. They had four players in double figures by halftime and all 10 players who touched the floor in the first half scored. The Spurs tried to mix things up by throwing in a 3-2 zone toward the end of the second quarter and that still made no difference. The ball movement was excellent as usual as the Pacers posted 20 assists on those 29 field goals.

"The ball was moving well," All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said. "I thought we were putting good energy in the ball. I think we were just playing the right way. We were getting enough stops that allowed us to play in transition. We understood that with their length with Victor Wembanyama and Zach Collins that this was a game when you drive it, you're looking to kick and get them moving defensively and I think we did a good job with that tonight."

The Pacers tacked on another 33 points in the third quarter on 58.3% shooting and then emptied the bench in the fourth. But still finished the game shooting 55 of 95 from the floor and 20 of 38 from 3-point range and 22 of 23 at the line with 1.37 points per possession and 60 points in the paint. All 14 players who touched the floor scored, six ended up in double figures and only one scored 20 points.

Tyrese Haliburton shakes off Saturday's finish

Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton seemed devastated after Charlotte's LaMelo Ball picked his pocket in the final seconds Saturday, keeping him from getting a shot off when the Pacers trailed by just one and had a chance to win. However, he was clearly able to move past that and maintained the shooting touch he had in a 43-point performance against the Hornets.

Haliburton posted 20 points on 8 of 15 shooting and 3 of 5 3-pointers to go with five assists in the first half alone, knocking down the fadeaway jumpers that carried him in Saturday's second-half explosion.

Haliburton only played 10:19 in the second half when the Pacers put the game out of reach. He added just three points after the break, but finished with 23 points and eight assists.

"Saturday, I was done with Saturday when I got out of the shower," Haliburton said. "I washed that off and moved on, understand there's 82 games. The beautiful thing about Saturday's game is we play again today. I think just keep being who I am and stop overthinking the game and play basketball and do what I do. My teammates have been a big help. That's helped a lot."

Obi Toppin has his best game as a Pacer

Rick Carlisle was asked before the game began who he'd use to defend Victor Wembanyama. He declined to name names, but said it would "probably be someone big."

Carlisle didn't use his biggest starter, center Myles Turner, as the primary defender. He instead went with 6-9 power forward Obi Toppin and asked him to be as physical in the matchup as he possibly could. He responded and helped hold the French sensation to 13 points on 3 of 12 shooting.

"He's definitely tall, but being physical with him, that's really the only thing you can do," Toppin said. "I think I got an early foul on him just setting a tone, like, it's-not-gonna-be-easy type of thing. But nah, all you can do is just try to stay in front and contest his shots. He's going to still be able to get his shots off and he's going to make some. You can't overreact."

The matchup seemed to energize Toppin who had one of the best defensive performances of his career and also had his most productive offensive performance of the year so far. He finished with 19 points on 6 of 11 shooting, hitting 1 of 3 3-pointers and also bringing down the house with a steal and a tomahawk dunk on a fast break in the third quarter. he hadn't scored more than 11 points in his first six games with the Pacers.

Beyond Toppin, the Pacers saw several other players handle the Wembanyama assignment well despite a massive disadvantage in height. Aaron Nesmith, a 6-5 wing, was giving up nearly a foot, but gave Wembanyama problems in the second and third quarter. Center Isaiah Jackson also took him on when backup Jalen Smith got into foul trouble and Jackson had the highlight of the night, swatting away a Wembanyama dunk attempt in the second quarter.

"We just wanted to keep force in the game on him," Carlisle said. "Both vertical force with running as well as as much horizontal force to just not let his center of gravity to get by you. If he gets by you he's just going to put his whole arm in the rim on a dunk. I haven't seen anything like it. No one has."

Buddy Hield still lights out

It's taken some time for Buddy Hield to find comfort in his new role coming off the bench and for the Pacers to figure out how exactly to deploy him when he isn't in the starting lineup, but there seems to be more synergy there in the last three weeks and it's showing in Hield's offensive performance.

Hield scored in double figures for the third straight game and had his most efficient game of the season. His 19 points matched Saturday's season high, and this time he made 7 of his 8 field goals and 5 of his 6 3-pointers in 21 minutes. He was sharp from outside but continued to show an ability to get down hill off the bounce and score at the rim. He had a highlight layup when he drove past Wembanyama and got him to bite on a pass fake, staying on the ground so Hield could get around him and score.

In seven games, Hield is averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting 46.2% from beyond the 3-point arc.

Pacers stats vs. Spurs

SAN ANTONIO (111): Johnson 6-12 4-5 16, Wembanyama 3-12 5-6 13, Collins 6-8 1-3 14, Branham 3-6 2-2 8, Sochan 3-9 0-0 6, Barlow 1-4 2-2 4, Champagnie 2-8 0-0 4, Mamukelashvili 2-4 1-2 5, McDermott 5-9 3-4 17, Osman 2-6 1-2 6, Bassey 5-5 0-0 10, Graham 0-2 2-2 2, Jones 1-5 2-2 4, Wesley 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 40-94 23-30 111.

INDIANA (152): Mathurin 4-8 2-2 10, Toppin 6-11 6-6 19, Turner 5-7 4-4 15, B.Brown 3-7 0-0 7, Haliburton 9-19 2-2 23, Jackson 3-3 1-1 7, Nwora 2-3 1-2 6, Walker 0-1 2-2 2, Smith 4-4 0-0 9, Nembhard 3-7 0-0 9, Nesmith 5-8 2-2 15, Hield 7-8 0-0 19, McConnell 1-2 2-2 4, Sheppard 3-7 0-0 7. Totals 55-95 22-23 152.

SAS 28 33 26 24 — 111

IND 44 42 33 33 — 152

3-Point Goals—San Antonio 8-26 (McDermott 4-6, Wembanyama 2-5, Collins 1-2, Osman 1-2, Graham 0-1, Sochan 0-1, Branham 0-2, Jones 0-2, Mamukelashvili 0-2, Champagnie 0-3), Indiana 20-38 (Hield 5-6, Nesmith 3-4, Nembhard 3-5, Haliburton 3-7, Smith 1-1, Turner 1-1, Nwora 1-2, B.Brown 1-3, Toppin 1-3, Sheppard 1-4, Mathurin 0-2). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_San Antonio 36 (Wembanyama 10), Indiana 49 (Turner 11). Assists_San Antonio 26 (Jones 8), Indiana 38 (Haliburton, Nembhard 8). Total Fouls_San Antonio 15, Indiana 24. A_15,129 (20,000)

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Spurs: Pacers match record with 152 points vs. Wembanyama