Pacers defeat Pelicans in summer league finale

The Indiana Pacers wrapped up their summer league schedule on Saturday night, squaring off against the New Orleans Pelicans in Las Vegas. They put together a strong performance in the finale, defeating the Pelicans by a final score of 91-73. With this victory, the Pacers finished summer league play with a record of 2-3.

For the second straight game, it was a hot start from behind the arc for the Pacers. They started the game on a 19-6 run while connecting on four of their first five from 3-point range. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Pelicans went on a run and took a lead late in the 2nd quarter. The Pacers managed to reclaim a slim two-point lead, with a score of 41-39 at the half.

The start of the second half looked a lot like the start of the first for the Pacers. A three and two assists from Braden Smith pushed the Pacers lead back to 10, and they eventually built a 19 point lead after three quarters. The Pacers would never relinquish the lead again, on way to their second summer league victory.

Jalen Slawson was the clear MVP of the summer for the Pacers, and the 6'7 wing was solid again on Saturday night. Slawson once again eclipsed the 20-point total, scoring 22 points on 8-of-15 from the field to lead the Pacers in scoring. Slawson averaged over 20 in the five summer games, and also averaged over 3 blocks, while throwing down at least one big dunk per night.

Another angle of Jalen Slawson taking flight ✈️ pic.twitter.com/umjHH7WIOB
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) July 19, 2026

While summer league games often include a lot of iso-ball, the Pacers shared the rock very well on Saturday night. For the game, the Pacers had 28 assists, compared to just 14 assists from the Pelicans. Yuki Kawamura led the way with 12 of those assists for Indiana, while Purdue grad Braden Smith added nine of his own.

"Every teammate made shots for me," said Kawamura after the game. "I appreciate that. I'm so proud of my teammates and so happy we won the game. I learned a lot in the summer league."

Taelon Peter and Keba Keita both chipped in 14 points for the Pacers, while Reink Mast continued his strong play adding 12 points and six rebounds. The Pacers held the Pelicans to just 36% from the field, turning in their best defensive effort in Vegas.

Overall, the Pacers will be happy to leave Las Vegas on a high note. And now, the countdown is on for the real thing this October.

Add us as a preferred source on Google