Indiana Pacers take down Washington Wizards to open Summer League play
LAS VEGAS — The Indiana Pacers opened up NBA Summer League Play with an eight-point win against the Washington Wizards.
The Pacers have a strong lineup with them for Summer League, and they started five players who will be on their regular season roster (barring trades) in Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, and Isaiah Jackson. That group guided the team to a 7-0 start, with Nembhard controlling the pace early.
Walker made many strong defensive plays in the first frame, and second-year Pacer Kendall Brown had a big impact throughout the quarter. That kept Indiana ahead heading into the second frame.
That's when they started to dominate. A 17-2 run helped the Pacers zoom ahead, with Mathurin's scoring playing a significant role on offense. On defense, Indiana looked fantastic. They led 51-29 at halftime.
"I liked the defense in the second quarter," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of his team's performance. "We're looking closely at the defense."
The third quarter started off going in the opposite direction. Washington opened the frame on a 9-0 run, which was ended by a Mathurin bucket. But the bleeding didn't stop there. Washington continued to claw their way back into the game, and the Pacers struggled to score.
The blue and gold finished with just 13 points in the quarter and held a 64-61 lead going into the final segment. Their struggles continued into the fourth quarter, though, and they gave away the lead for the first time since it was 19-19 with about seven minutes to go.
"I think it was just our attitude. We kind of let up. We had a big lead going into halftime, so we thought it was going to be easy," Pacers summer league head coach Jannero Pargo said of the change in defensive effectiveness.
Walker, Mathurin, and Jackson all had some impressive moments as the Pacers kept themselves composed and within striking distance, and a few moments later they were back ahead. The Wizards took a timeout to regroup.
It wasn't enough to turn the tide. The Pacers retained their lead for the final six minutes and walked away with a 91-83 victory. They are now 1-0 in Summer League play.
"We got the first win," Pargo said after the game. It was his first game as a head coach in an NBA setting.
Mathurin led the way with 27 points. He was looking for his shot and finding the best ways to attack, something that a developing player should be doing in these games. The second-year guard was solid for much of the night.
Nembhard finished with 14 points and eight assists. His pace control shined, and he looked a cut above the rest of the other players on the court, which is encouraging heading into year two.
Jackson had 21 points and 14 rebounds. His athleticism and defense are too much for inexperienced players to handle.
The rookies were of note for the blue and gold, and Walker showed the flashes of skill that led to the Pacers drafting him. His defensive highlights were sublime, he had five assists, and he brought in 13 rebounds. Sheppard, meanwhile, had one point.
"I feel like I got more comfortable as the game went on," Walker said. "Felt good out there."
The summer league Pacers are now 1-0 and next play on Monday when they take on the Orlando Magic.
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