Pacers Lose Summer League Contest, as Key Rookie Struggles Again

The Indiana Pacers' offense started this game like a snail stuck in syrup.

The blue and gold opened the contest by making just one of its first 19 shots from the field, falling behind 24-6 a little more than eight minutes into the first quarter. Nothing was falling, the ball wasn't moving, and the Pacers looked completely out of rhythm offensively.

Then everything flipped.

Like the wildebeest stampede in The Lion King, Indiana came charging back. After looking lifeless for much of the opening quarter, the Pacers stormed back to erase the 18-point deficit, while Toronto suddenly looked like young Simba hanging on to a dead tree waiting for someone to rescue them. Indiana outscored the Raptors 39-19 over the final 14 minutes of the first half, sending both teams into halftime tied after what had looked like an impossible comeback.

Unlike the first half, the second half was a back-and-forth battle with neither team able to create much separation. Indiana's frontcourt carried the offense for most of the final two quarters, as Rienk Mast, Gabe McGlothan, and Jalen Slawson were the only three Pacers consistently and efficiently putting the ball in the basket. The trio combined to shoot 17-for-31 from the field while scoring 60 of Indiana's 93 points.

Indiana looked like it might have finally seized control when Mast knocked down the two-point shot to give the Pacers the 87-81 lead. Toronto responded by the trimming the deficit to 89-88, but Slawson answered with a gorgeous top-in to push Indiana's lead back to 91-99.

The Pacers came up with another defensive stop, and with 1:59 remaining, Slawson attacked the rim for the driving dunk to extend Indiana's advantage to 93-88. This would end up being the final basket Indiana would score.

Toronto refused to go away.

Seth Lundy knocked down a 28-foot three-point shot to cut the lead to two, before Jaden Bradley tied the game at 93 with a pair of free throws. On Toronto's next possession, Bradley was fouled again and split his free throws, giving the Raptors a 94-93 lead with Indiana holding the ball for one final possession.

With the shot clock turned off, the Pacers put the ball in Braden Smith's hands.

Pacers’ game-winning attempt was rejected. They were down 94-93 to Raptors and called a timeout with 12.5s left. Another thrilling finish.

Mast had 23/10 off the bench, Jalen Slawson added 21/8 and demonstrated his versatility. Braden Smith was scoreless, but dished 9asts. pic.twitter.com/jR2vBfsPKp
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 13, 2026

Smith drove deep into the paint and, in what quickly turned into a chaotic play, found Mast right at the basket for what looked like it could be the game-winning shot. As Mast released the shot, Lundy came soaring in the air and volleyball-spiked the shot attempt all the way to half court before unleashing a ferocious yell as the buzzer sounded.

Just like that, Indiana's remarkable comeback fell one play short, as they drop to 1-2 in Summer League play with the heartbreaking 94-93 loss.

Braden Smith's Offensive Struggles Continue

Outside of a solid fourth quarter against the the Philadelphia 76ers in game two, Braden Smith's Summer League has been underwhelming.

The undersized point guard finished with zero points on 0-for-7 shooting, though he did hand out nine assists, continuing to show his strength as a passer.

The bigger concern isn't just the missed shots -- it's how difficult they have been to create. Smith has struggled to generate separation off the dribble and consistently get clean looks at the basket. When those opportunities have presented themselves, he hasn't been able to capitalize.

It's still only three Summer League games, so it's far too early to make any definitive judgments. But if Smith is having trouble creating his own offense against Summer League competition, it's fair to wonder what adjustment will look like against the NBA caliber defenders.

Other Standout Performances

Taelon Peter turned in another solid performance, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

Mast led all scorers with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Slawson added 21 points and 8 rebounds. McGlothan chipped in 16 points on 3-of-4 shooting to go along with 6 rebounds, helping shoulder the offensive load throughout the game.

Indiana will look to bounce back Wednesday when it takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves in its fourth Summer League game.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

Add us as a preferred source on Google