Andrew Nembhard sparks the Pacers to a 116-105 victory over the Kings

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Andrew Nembhard had 28 points and a season-high 12 assists, and helped Indiana regain control in the fourth quarter as the Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 116-105 on Monday night.

Bennedict Mathurin added 25 points and Pascal Siakam scored 23 for the Pacers, who matched a season best with their second straight win and improved to 6-18 overall. Indiana has won four of six after starting 2-16.

Russell Westbrook finished with 24 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds for the Kings in his fourth triple-double this season and the 207th of his career. DeMar DeRozan added 20 points and Zach LaVine had 16.

Indiana was in control much of the way, extending a 66-51 halftime lead to 77-58 on Nembhard's layup with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter. But the Kings used a 37-point quarter to trim it to 92-88 going into the fourth, then reeled off an 11-0 run to open a 101-97 lead on Westbrook's basket midway through the period.

Nembhard made a 3-pointer to stem the tide and Mathurin followed with one of his own to put Indiana back on top at 103-101. Nembhard followed with another 3 and a layup to extend the Pacers' lead to 108-101.

The Kings (6-18) were coming off a victory in Miami on Saturday and trying to win two in a row for the second time this season.

Kings: Host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

Pacers: Visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

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Sacramento Kings guard Demar Derozan (10) shoots while being defend by Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff, right, and forward Jarace Walker (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) reacts after making contact with the defense of Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker en route to the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) shoots while being defended by Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, left, and center Jay Huff, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32) makes a pass during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Indianapolis, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) reaches for a shot by Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying the effort to halt virtually all leasing of wind farms on federal lands and waters was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates U.S. law.

Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it unlawful.

Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of state attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, that challenged Trump’s Day One order that paused leasing and permitting for wind energy projects.

Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels to produce electricity.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell hailed the ruling as a victory for green jobs and renewable energy.

“Massachusetts has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into offshore wind, and today, we successfully protected those important investments from the Trump administration’s unlawful order,” Campbell said in a statement.

James said she was grateful the court stepped in “to block the administration’s reckless and unlawful crusade against clean energy.”

“As New Yorkers face rising energy costs, we need more energy sources, not fewer," James said. “Wind energy is good for our environment, our economy, and our communities."

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said Monday night that offshore wind projects were given unfair, preferential treatment during the Biden administration while the rest of the energy industry was hindered by burdensome regulations.

“President Trump has ended Joe Biden’s war on American energy and unleashed America’s energy dominance to protect our economic and national security,” Rogers said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The coalition that opposed Trump's order argued that Trump doesn’t have the authority to halt project permitting, and that doing so jeopardizes the states’ economies, energy mix, public health and climate goals.

The coalition includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state and Washington, D.C. They say they’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars collectively to develop wind energy and even more on upgrading transmission lines to bring wind energy to the electrical grid.

The government argued that the states’ claims amount to nothing more than a policy disagreement over preferences for wind versus fossil fuel energy development that is outside the federal court’s jurisdiction. Justice Department lawyer Michael Robertson said in court that the wind order paused permitting, but didn’t halt it, while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reviews the environmental impact of wind projects.

The executive order said there were “alleged legal deficiencies underlying the federal government’s leasing and permitting” of wind projects under the Biden administration.

A previous judge in the case allowed it to proceed against Burgum, but dismissed an action against Trump and other Cabinet secretaries. Judge William Young allowed the states to proceed with claims that blocking permits for wind energy projects violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which outlines a detailed process for enacting regulations, but not the Constitution.

Wind is the United States' largest source of renewable energy, providing about 10% of the electricity generated in the nation, according to the American Clean Power Association.

Marguerite Wells, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, said wind energy is a key component of powering the nation's electric grid.

Wind “is currently one of the most cost-effective ways to generate power and is being used successfully not only in the United States, but across the world,'' she said. “With this ruling behind us, projects can now be judged on their merits. We thank the attorneys general who helped us get this case over the finish line.”

Kit Kennedy of the Natural Resources Defense Council called the decision a win for consumers, union workers, U.S. businesses, clean air and the climate.

“From the beginning of its time in office, the Trump administration put a halt to the wind energy projects that are needed to keep utility bills in check and the grid reliable,'' Kennedy said.

The wind order “has been a devastating blow to workers, electricity customers, and the reliability of the power grid,'' she said, adding that the Trump administration "should use this (ruling) as a wake-up call, stop its illegal actions and get out of the way of the expansion of renewable energy.''

FILE - Wind turbines stretch across the horizon at dusk at the Spearville Wind Farm, Sept. 29, 2024, near Spearville, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

FILE - A Block Island Wind Farm turbine operates, Dec. 7, 2023, off the coast of Block Island, R.I., during a tour organized by Orsted. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

President Donald Trump listens during a roundtable on farm subsidies in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)