Pacers beat Hawks 129-124, overcoming Jalen Johnson's triple-double

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Andrew Nembhard scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam added 25 and the Indiana Pacers held off the Atlanta Hawks 129-124 on Saturday night.

Indiana nursed a single-digit lead for much of the third quarter and led 103-100 entering the fourth. It was tight the rest of the way before Siakam hit a crucial 12-foot jumper with 18.6 seconds remaining to push the Pacers ahead 127-123.

Aaron Nesmith added 23 points, Nembhard had 10 assists and Siakam shot 11 of 15 from the field. The Pacers won despite 23 turnovers.

Atlanta dropped its second straight game despite Jalen Johnson's eighth triple-double of the season. The forward finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points.

The Pacers have won seven of their past 12 games, enjoying a solid stretch of basketball after starting the season with a 6-31 record. Indiana has played all year without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season.

Indiana jumped to an 80-73 lead by halftime, spurred by a 45-point second quarter. Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points before the break while Nembhard also had 21 for the Pacers.

It was Indiana's highest scoring half of the season. The Pacers shot 58% from the field, including 11 of 20 (55%) 3-pointers.

Hawks: At Miami on Tuesday night.

Pacers: Host Houston on Monday night.

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

Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, left, looses the ball in front of Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32) dunks over Atlanta Hawks center Christian Koloko (35) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, right, shoots over Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) shoots in front of Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, left, shoots in front of Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

TOKYO (AP) — Oil prices continued to surge on worries of a prolonged Iran war but most Asian markets that were open Friday rose moderately in cautious trading.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel.

“A more extended conflict raises the threat to physical infrastructure, extends disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, and will entail a longer post-war recovery period, with price impacts spilling over later into the year,” according to a report from BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions.

The U.S. relies on the Persian Gulf for only a fraction of the oil it imports, but oil is a commodity and prices are set in a global market.

The situation is very different in Asia. Japan, for example, needs access to the Strait of Hormuz for much of the nation’s oil imports or would need alternative routes. But some analysts say Japan and other nations are counting on an agreement with Iran to allow fuel to be transported through the strait.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.3% in Friday afternoon trading to 53,164.30. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.0% to 5,391.78. The Shanghai Composite sank 1.0% to 3,881.99. Trading was closed in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia and India for the Good Friday holiday.

Wall Street, where trading is closed Friday, finished its first winning week since the start of the Iran war, although trading started out with a decline driven by a surge in oil prices.

That came after U.S. President Donald Trump late Wednesday vowed the U.S. will continue to attack Iran and failed to offer a clear timetable for ending the conflict in the Middle East.

The S&P 500 rose 7.37 points, or 0.1%, to 6,582.69. Several days of solid gains this week helped the benchmark index notch a 3.4% gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 61.07 points, or 0.1%, to 46,504.67. The Nasdaq composite rose 38.23 points, or 0.2%, to 21,879.18. Both indexes also notched weekly gains.

Treasury yields remained relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to to 4.30% from 4.32%.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged up to 159.64 Japanese yen from 159.53 yen. The euro cost $1.1538, inching up from $1.1537.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader talks on the phone at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

Motorcyclists crowd into a filling station as they wait their turn to buy fuel, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

A currency trader works near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)