Siakam scores 27 points and helps Pacers rally with big second half to beat the 76ers 112-100

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-100 on Friday night.

Myles Turner added 18 points and seven rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 10 assists as the Pacers ended a four-game road losing streak.

Jeff Dowtin scored a career-high 24 points for the 76ers, who lost their third straight. Jared Butler added 17 points and Adem Bona had 16 points and nine rebounds.

The 76ers led 26-18 after one and still led 51-47 at the half, before Siakam scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the third to send Indiana into the lead for good.

The Pacers outscored the 76ers by 16 points in the second half.

Pacers: Indiana moved back into a tie with the Bucks for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference ahead of a trip to Milwaukee on Saturday for a rematch of the Pacers' victory Tuesday on Haliburton's four-point play with 3.4 seconds remaining.

76ers: Playing without Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia will take whatever healthy bodies it has on the road for the next six games.

The Pacers opened the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run that turned a three-point game into a double-digit advantage. Siakam hit two baskets during the run, both on assists from Haliburton.

The Pacers made up for 28.6% shooting from 3-point range by scoring 60 points in the paint.

The Pacers stay on the road to visit Milwaukee on Saturday. The 76ers open their road trip at Dallas on Sunday.

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Philadelphia 76ers' Guerschon Yabusele reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers Friday, March 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam, right, goes up for a shot between Philadelphia 76ers' Ricky Council IV, front, and Oshae Brissett during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Indiana Pacers' Aaron Nesmith (23) goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Adem Bona (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton, right, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Ricky Council IV during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Indiana Pacers' Ben Sheppard, left, and Philadelphia 76ers' Adem Bona struggle for a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton, left, goes up for a shot agaist Philadelphia 76ers' Ricky Council IV during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)