Game Rewind (Summer League): Pacers 96, Hornets 84

The Pacers Summer League Squad kicked off their schedule Friday afternoon with a battle against the Charlotte Hornets. The five-game schedule acts as the NBA’s version of spring training. It is meant for Rookies and other young basketball players to get some game action under their belts before the real season starts in October.

Indiana fans couldn’t ask for a better showing from its young group. In the third quarter, the Squad outscored the Hornets 32-13 to roll to a 96-84 victory. The Pacers’ defense held the Hornets to fewer than 20 points in three separate quarters.

Four Pacers finished in double figures, and none were more impressive than Bennedict Mathurin. The sixth overall pick illustrated his overall talent, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting in 20:11 of action. They also hauled in four boards and a steal. Chris Duarte appeared to take a step forward as well. The second-year guard looked like a leader, finishing with 16 points and four assists. Terry Taylor (11 points, seven rebounds) and Duane Washington Jr. (10 points, six assists) also looked sharp. It was a breath of fresh air after a rough 2021-22 regular season.

The squads battled closely over the opening minutes. Blue & Gold fans witnessed Mathur make an immediate impact with eight of the first 12 Pacers points, including two triples. The latter, an open dart from the top of the key, pushed the Pacers ahead 12-7 with 6:29 left.

After Charlotte cut the gap to one, the Pacers rattled off 13 unanswered points, including wide-open Threes from Isaiah Jackson and Duane Washington Jr., to take a 25-11 advantage late in the first quarter. The Blue & Gold entered the second quarter with a 28-19 edge.

Treys from Bennie Boatwright and Washington Jr. started Indiana’s second-quarter scoring. However, the Hornets notched eight unanswered points near the Midway mark to cut the lead to 34-28.

Mathurin reached the double-figure mark on a nifty 20-foot step-back jumper with 5:31 left. The bucket extended Indiana’s lead back to double digits, 38-28.

After a Duarte jumper with 4:23 remaining gave the game a 40-30 score, the Blue & Gold endured a 4:16 scoring drought. In the meantime, Charlotte rattled off unanswered to cut the gap to three. Luckily, the Pacers’ woes ended after Jackson battled for a tip-in with 7.6 seconds left. Indiana led 42-37 at the break.

A 16-2 Pacers run, including seven from Mathurin, extended Indiana’s advantage to 58-39 with 5:58 left in the third. The sixth-overall pick illustrated his two-way ability during the spree, swiping a steal and drilling a transition three. The forward also teamed up with Duarte, throwing down his former Pac-12 rival’s dish off the backboard on a fast break.

As the frame continued, so did the Pacers’ dominance. Leading 60-45, the Blue & Gold rattled off eight unanswered points, including a Kendall Brown alley-oop from Washington, to stretch the gap to 23. Bryce McGowens’ triple at the 2:23 mark stopped the streak. But Taylor nailed a three on the other end to keep the train rolling. Indiana took a 74-50 lead into the final frame.

The first Pacers highlight of the fourth quarter belonged to Brown, whose alley-oop finish from Washington gave Indiana a 76-54 lead with 8:25 left. Washington then added a bucket of his own 22 seconds later, pushing the edge to 24.

Indiana remained in control as the halfway mark passed. The Hornets used a 5-0 Spree to cut the deficit to 16. But, Mathurin ended the run with another transition bucket. With 3:22 left, the Rookie connected on a Crafty bank hook shot to push himself above the 20-point mark. The bucket gave Indiana a 91-73 advantage. From there, the Blue & Gold closed out the game without a hitch.

Jackson finished with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Brown also added nine with three rebounds, and Andrew Nembhard tallied five points while dishing out five assists.