Jazz beaten by Pacers, handed 1st home loss in NBA regular season

Pacers take 111-100 win in Utah as victors' Malcolm Brogdon scores season-high 30 points, 4 players ejected after scuffle

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - The Utah Jazz suffered their first home loss in the 2021-22 NBA season as they were beaten by the Indiana Pacers 111-100 on Thursday.

Point guard Malcolm Brogdon scored a season-high 30 points to lead the Pacers to victory in Utah's Vivint Arena.

The other Pacers point guard T. J. McConnell added 21 points for the winning team.

Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell racked up 26 points.

Utah's French center Rudy Gobert made a "double-double", posting 19 points and 11 rebounds.

However, Gobert was among the four players, who got ejected for an on-court scuffle in the fourth quarter.

Gobert scuffled with Pacers' Myles Turner after a layup.

The French player was blocked by Turner, but then he grabbed Turner's jersey to bring the Pacers center-forward down.

Turner shoved Gobert as the Frenchman was not indifferent to his opponent's move, grabbing Turner to scuffle.

Many players rushed to the scene to join it, there were bear hugs but no punches.

Indiana's Turner and Utah trio Gobert, Joe Ingles, and Mitchell were ejected by the referee with four minutes left while the Pacers were leading the game 102-92.

The Jazz are now in the third position in the Western Conference standings with eight wins and four losses.

Meanwhile, the Pacers got their fifth victory in the regular season. Indiana previously lost eight games to be in the lower ranks in the Eastern Conference table.

- Bulls' Vucevic tests positive

Chicago Bulls' Montenegrin center Nikola Vucevic contracted the coronavirus to miss multiple games in the NBA.

"Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the NBA's health and safety protocols on Thursday, sources told ESPN," NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said.

The Bulls' All-Star player is expected to be out of action for at least 10 days.

The Chicago Bulls without Vucevic will visit the West leaders Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, San Francisco on Friday.

Sitting in the second position in the East, the Bulls have an 8-3 win/loss record this season.

- Results:

Philadelphia 76ers - Toronto Raptors: 109-115

Utah Jazz - Indiana Pacers: 100-111

Los Angeles Clippers - Miami Heat: 112-109

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