The Pacers' Summer League team was back in action Tuesday night at Cox Pavillion in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Blue & Gold squared off against the Detroit Pistons for game three of their five-game summer schedule.
From the opening tip, the game belonged to Indiana. The Pacers tallied the first seven points of the game and never looked back. In total, 13 Pacers out of the 14 that played registered points as the squad rolled to a 101-87 win. The Blue & Gold shot 37-of-69 (53.6 percent) from the floor while the defense held the Pistons to just 31-of-70 (44.3 percent) shooting. Indiana led by as many as 30 in the wire-to-wire win.
Once again, Bennedict Mathurin proved himself to be NBA-ready. The forward posted a game-high 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Terry Taylor and Isaiah Jackson also excelled, finishing with 14 points apiece. Taylor added nine boards, while Jackson tallied four blocks and the dunk of the night. Not to be outdone, newcomer Aaron Nesmith finished as the Pacers' final double-figure scorer with 12 points. Indiana acquired Nesmith as part of the trade that sent veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics.
The Blue & Gold started the first quarter with a spark. Taylor and Nesmith combined for 12 of the squad's first 14 points as Indiana jumped out to a 14-7 lead with 5:31 remaining. Moments later, Mathurin got himself on the scoreboard, adding four straight. With 3:51 left, the rookie drilled a 21-foot, step-back jumper in his defender's face. The bucket secured a 20-9 advantage for Indiana.
As the offense cooled off, the defense stepped up in its place. The squad held the Pistons scoreless for a 3:09 span. Then, with 2.2 seconds left, Taylor hit the double-digit mark in the first, collecting his fourth offensive rebound before connecting on a tip-in. Indiana shot 9-of-19 from the field and led 25-11 after one.
The Pacers kept the train rolling in the second quarter, finding more success in the paint with their big men. Jackson was on the receiving end of a Nate Hinton alley-oop, while rookie Kendall Brown tallied four quick paint points. The buckets helped grab a 33-18 advantage with 7:23 left in the first half.
The squad continued to connect in the paint, with Duane Washington Jr. and Andrew Nembhard adding short buckets to extend Indiana's lead to 19. Then, Mathurin spread out the Pistons with another 21-foot pull-up jumper at the 3:53 mark.
Meanwhile, the defense kept Detroit from cutting the deficit to fewer than double digits. Eventually, a pair of Mathurin free throws with 2:15 left gave Indiana its first 20-point advantage (45-25). Indiana would finish the first half with a 52-30 edge. Mathurin led the way with 13 points, while Taylor had 10.
A 7-2 Indiana spree to start the third quarter propelled the squad to a 59-32 lead over Detroit. Mathurin capped the mini-run with a crisp pull-up triple from the left side. Indiana's defense allowed just one field goal over the first 2:22 of the frame.
As the midway mark approached, the story remained the same. Mathurin and Taylor continued to be the primary scorers. With 5:21 remaining, the duo paired up as Mathurin dished the rock to Taylor for a swift turnaround jumper. At the 4:49 mark, Mathurin hit the 20-point mark with a pair of free throws, extending Indiana's lead to 67-39. Soon after, Jackson took to the skies for the highlight of the night, powering home a fast-break slam.
Detroit managed an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 22 with 1:47 left. However, that would be as close as they would get in the frame. Jackson, Nembhard, Nesmith and Brown all contributed to closing the quarter strong. Indiana led 78-54 going into the final frame.
Gabe York's hot perimeter shooting kept Detroit from coming back early in the fourth. The former Arizona guard notched two triples in less than two minutes, including a beautiful baseline trey over his defender, to give Indiana an 88-59 lead.
The exceptional advantage allowed the Blue & Gold to rotate in their reserves. China native Fanbo Zeng and former Michigan guard Eli Brooks got their names on the scoresheet. With 1:44 left, Jermaine Samuels Jr. added a cutting dunk. Then, former Murray State guard Tevin Brown pushed the crew over the 100-point mark.
It was an impeccable bounce-back performance for the Pacers' Summer League roster after falling short against Sacramento. With one regular game left on the schedule, a Summer League Championship appearance is not out of the question for this cohesive squad.