Warriors pound Pacers 120-83 for eighth consecutive victory

INDIANAPOLIS - Klay Thompson kept his shooting touch in sync Monday night.

All he needed was a trip to his second home.

The All-Star guard again dazzled Indiana Pacers fans with a knockout performance. He scored 25 points in 26 minutes and took the entire fourth quarter off, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 120-83 rout for their eighth consecutive victory.

It was the worst home loss for Indiana in its NBA history.

Breakout games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse are becoming the norm for Thompson. He scored 16 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and made a last-second shot to beat the division-leading Pacers 98-96 in March 2014.

The next two times he came to town, Thompson scored 39 points in each game.

This time, he went 10 of 18 from the field and 4 of 10 on 3-pointers.

“He’s a professional shooter,” teammate and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry said. “There’s no two ways around it. It’s the same process - getting in the gym, getting shots up, never losing confidence and sticking with it.”

Especially when Thompson plays in Indiana.

Curry finished with 22 points. Kevin Durant, the 2013-14 MVP, had 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Warriors.

Indiana (7-8) looked tired after earning its first road win Sunday night in overtime at Oklahoma City. The Pacers also played short-handed, with three-time All-Star Paul George, starting center Myles Turner and backup forward C.J. Miles all out with injuries.

The difference showed in Indiana’s most lopsided home defeat as an NBA franchise, breaking the previous mark set by the Los Angeles Clippers in a 102-68 rout.

Rodney Stuckey led the Pacers with 21 points, Thaddeus Young had 14 and Indiana was never close after the first quarter.

“Tonight we just didn’t have it,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. “It seemed like our legs were gone and we basically couldn’t keep up with them.”

Golden State took control with an early 15-4 run, pulled away with a 13-4 spurt late in the second quarter and extended its 61-42 halftime lead to 100-71 after three. All the Warriors starters stayed on the bench in the fourth.

After starting the game with four consecutive misses, Curry put on quite a show. He scored 12 in the first half and the rest of his points in the third quarter. But it was the 3-pointer that didn’t count that drew the loudest roars from the crowd. A 70-footer dropped through the net as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first half. The shot prompted a replay review that showed the original call was correct - the ball left Curry’s hands after the horn.

NOTES

A couple of Pacers fans provided a not-so-warm welcome to the Warriors - with some help from Reggie Miller. As one person held a sign using an altered version of Miller’s No. 31 jersey, which read “Y’all blew a 3-1 lead #Dudnation,” the fan next to him gave the choke sign Miller popularized during one of the Pacers’ memorable playoff series against the New York Knicks.

The Warriors finished 13 of 36 on 3-pointers, with six players making at least one.

Golden State had 31 assists on 40 baskets and grabbed a season-high 60 rebounds.

Former Pacers forward David West drew a few boos when he made his first basket, early in the second quarter.