The Pacers' Summer League squad hit the floor again for a Sunday matinee battle against the Sacramento Kings. The Blue & Gold were looking to build upon its dominant 96-84 win over the Charlotte Hornets, while the Kings hoped for their first win after falling to the Orlando Magic in double overtime on Saturday.
Unfortunately, after a hard-fought battle, the Kings walked away with a 103-96 victory over the Pacers in Cox Pavillion. Leading 98-96 with less than a minute to play, the Kings' top draft pick, Keegan Murray, put the game on ice with a tough three-point play in the paint. After that, Indiana could not come up with a response.
Nonetheless, Pacers fans should be happy with several performances. Second-year forward Terry Taylor led the squad with 16 points and seven rebounds, including a clutch offensive board to give Indiana a chance late in the fourth. Bennedict Mathurin added 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, while Andrew Nembhard finished with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Other Pacers with notable performances included David DiLeo (nine points on three 3-pointers), Simisola Shittu (eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, seven boards, one assist) and Nate Hinton (eight points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals).
Sacramento earned the upper hand with three early threes, including two from sharpshooting guard Frankie Ferrari. Trailing 6-5, the Kings mounted a 13-4 run to grab a 10-point edge with 5:52 left. Seven points of Sacramento's run came from seven-footer Neemias Queta, who became the first Portuguese-born player to log minutes in an NBA game last season.
However, the Kings' hot shooting did not slow Mathurin on the offensive end. The forward logged seven of the Pacers' first 13 points, including a tough finish in the paint over two Kings defenders. Later, Andrew Nembhard showed off his passing talent, bouncing a dime to Isaiah Jackson for an easy bucket. With 1:56 left, the Gonzaga product added a running 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 26-18.
The Blue & Gold got back to within four twice before the end of the frame. However, Sacramento managed a 33-25 edge after the first quarter. The Kings finished 12-of-20 (60 percent) from the floor, including 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from deep.
Thanks to the inside work of Shittu, the Blue & Gold stayed on the Kings' heels in the early moments of the second quarter. Then, trailing 39-32, Hinton tallied six points of a 9-0 Indiana spree to grab the squad its first lead of the ballgame (41-39).
However, Sacramento quickly jumped back in front, using a string of six unanswered points. The Kings led 45-41 with 4:52 left in the first half.
A pair of Nembhard buckets knotted the score at 45 apiece soon after. But, Indiana failed to grab the lead. A 12-4 Sacramento run over the final four minutes gave the Kings a 57-49 edge at halftime.
Despite buckets from Mathurin, Taylor, and Jackson, Sacramento kept steady with its advantage. The Pacers' defense had trouble defending Queta in the paint and Murray on the perimeter. Sacramento led 68-55 with 6:20 remaining in the frame.
However, Mathurin and Jackson quickly gave the team a spark. At the 5:59 mark, the second-year center snagged a lob from Mathurin and threw it into the hoop. Later, Mathurin closed the gap to eight with a driving flush through a foul. The plays ignited a 16-3 Pacers run that tied the game at 71 with 1:27 remaining.
After, rookie Kendall Brown sank 1-of-2 at the line to give Indiana a one-point advantage. When Sacramento responded with a three, Gabe York drilled a 27-foot triple with 2.5 seconds left to give Indiana a 75-74 lead heading into the final frame.
The squads remained knotted at 79 apiece as defense tightened up in the fourth. At the 7:00 mark, DiLeo nailed a triple for Indiana to jump ahead. Then, the former Central Michigan forward added another from the baseline just 44 seconds later. The treys anchored an eventual 8-2 Pacers run over a 1:59 span that gave the squad an 87-81 lead.
However, the Kings did not fold. Ferrari and Murray nailed back-to-back threes to grab a 92-91 lead with 2:54 to go. The triples appeared to spark Sacramento, who soon stretched the gap to five.
With 1:24 left, Nembhard sank a pair of free throws to cut the gap to 96-93. After Murray responded, Mathurin sank 1-of-2 at the line. But Taylor snagged the miss and drew a foul. He drilled both free throws to cut the deficit to 98-96 with 56.6 seconds left.
However, the Blue & Gold could not stop Murray on the other end, and the squad fell for the first time this summer.