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INDIANAPOLIS -- Bennedict Mathurin scored 31 points but Victor Wembanyama had 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Spurs to a 124-108 win over the Pacers in an NBA preseason game Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers fall to 2-1 in the preseason. Their last preseason game is Friday against the Spurs in San Antonio.
Pascal Siakam added 17 points. Jarace Walker scored 12 points. Luke Kornet added 16 for the Spurs.
Here are three observations.
The difference between the Pacers at their ceiling and at their floor this season could be the play of Mathurin, who instantly becomes one of the Pacers' top two offensive weapons with Tyrese Haliburton out for the year. He's as good as the Pacers have at creating his own shot off the dribble, but they also want him to make quick decisions within the offense. On Monday, he showed how good he can be when he does both.
Mathurin was sizzling from the game's opening moments, scoring 12 of the Pacers' first 14 points on 4 of 4 shooting including 3 of 3 from beyond the arc in the game's first 4 minutes and 18 seconds. He kept cooking from there, both inside and outside. He hit 3s off the bounce and also got to the rim. He drove to the rim in half-court settings, but also got layups on off-the-ball cuts and transition rim runs.
Mathurin hit a deep 3-pointer just before halftime to go into the break with 27 points on 9 of 9 shooting including 4 of 4 from 3-point range and 5 of 5 at the foul line. He kept attacking early in the third quarter and finished with 31 points on 11 of 12 shooting and didn't add a 3-point or free throw attempt. He also had four rebounds and the Pacers were +11 in his minutes.
Cameron Payne has been thrown in as the Pacers' backup point guard for the moment. The Pacers needed somebody after veteran T.J. McConnell strained his hamstring and guard Delon Wright took a nasty blow to the head in a collision with Minnesota's Jaylen Clark in the first game of the preseason last Tuesday. The Pacers waived Wright and signed Payne on Thursday and he had to start in Saturday's game before taking second-unit duties on Monday.
Payne was scoreless in Saturday's game on 0 of 4 shooting in 19 minutes and by halftime Monday he was scoreless again, missing his first two shots in 6:12 on the floor. In the third quarter the lid finally came off. He hit a pair of free throws with 1:27 to go in the period to record his first points in a Pacers uniform, then hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. He finished with 10 points on 3 of 8 shooting and two assits.
Re-live Pacers run to 2025 NBA Finals with IndyStar's commemorative book
Not surprisingly, the injuries the Pacers' suffered in the first two preseason games did a number on their depth. Already without Haliburton for the season, they played Monday's game without McConnell, wings Ben Sheppard (undisclosed injury), Johnny Furphy (left ankle sprain), Quenton Jackson (hamstring) and Kam Jones (back)
The first unit has mostly stayed intact and they were fairly sound again on Monday. Along with Mathurin's 31 points, they got 17 points from Pascal Siakam on 7 of 10 shooting, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Guard Andrew Nembahrd posted 11 points and eight assists. Forward Aaron Nesmith scored nine points on 3 of 4 shooting from 3-point range. Those four returners were each +11 or better in more than 20 minutes of action in the first preseason games that they played beyond halftime.
The second unit, however, had it rough as did the bench as a whole. In the third quarter before the Pacers' starters' checked out for good, they were +9. The rest of the quarter the second unit was -15 and lost touch with the Spurs almost completely. Five Pacers bench players finished -14 or worse and four were -19 or worse. Jarace Walker had 12 points and Payne had 10, but they were the only second-unit scorers in double figures.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bennedict Mathurin scores 31 points in Pacers' preseason loss
Continue reading...
The Pacers fall to 2-1 in the preseason. Their last preseason game is Friday against the Spurs in San Antonio.
Pascal Siakam added 17 points. Jarace Walker scored 12 points. Luke Kornet added 16 for the Spurs.
Here are three observations.
Bennedict Mathurin had a perfect first half
The difference between the Pacers at their ceiling and at their floor this season could be the play of Mathurin, who instantly becomes one of the Pacers' top two offensive weapons with Tyrese Haliburton out for the year. He's as good as the Pacers have at creating his own shot off the dribble, but they also want him to make quick decisions within the offense. On Monday, he showed how good he can be when he does both.
Mathurin was sizzling from the game's opening moments, scoring 12 of the Pacers' first 14 points on 4 of 4 shooting including 3 of 3 from beyond the arc in the game's first 4 minutes and 18 seconds. He kept cooking from there, both inside and outside. He hit 3s off the bounce and also got to the rim. He drove to the rim in half-court settings, but also got layups on off-the-ball cuts and transition rim runs.
Mathurin hit a deep 3-pointer just before halftime to go into the break with 27 points on 9 of 9 shooting including 4 of 4 from 3-point range and 5 of 5 at the foul line. He kept attacking early in the third quarter and finished with 31 points on 11 of 12 shooting and didn't add a 3-point or free throw attempt. He also had four rebounds and the Pacers were +11 in his minutes.
Cameron Payne finally gets on the board
Cameron Payne has been thrown in as the Pacers' backup point guard for the moment. The Pacers needed somebody after veteran T.J. McConnell strained his hamstring and guard Delon Wright took a nasty blow to the head in a collision with Minnesota's Jaylen Clark in the first game of the preseason last Tuesday. The Pacers waived Wright and signed Payne on Thursday and he had to start in Saturday's game before taking second-unit duties on Monday.
Payne was scoreless in Saturday's game on 0 of 4 shooting in 19 minutes and by halftime Monday he was scoreless again, missing his first two shots in 6:12 on the floor. In the third quarter the lid finally came off. He hit a pair of free throws with 1:27 to go in the period to record his first points in a Pacers uniform, then hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. He finished with 10 points on 3 of 8 shooting and two assits.
Re-live Pacers run to 2025 NBA Finals with IndyStar's commemorative book
Gap developing between starters and injury-ravaged second unit
Not surprisingly, the injuries the Pacers' suffered in the first two preseason games did a number on their depth. Already without Haliburton for the season, they played Monday's game without McConnell, wings Ben Sheppard (undisclosed injury), Johnny Furphy (left ankle sprain), Quenton Jackson (hamstring) and Kam Jones (back)
The first unit has mostly stayed intact and they were fairly sound again on Monday. Along with Mathurin's 31 points, they got 17 points from Pascal Siakam on 7 of 10 shooting, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Guard Andrew Nembahrd posted 11 points and eight assists. Forward Aaron Nesmith scored nine points on 3 of 4 shooting from 3-point range. Those four returners were each +11 or better in more than 20 minutes of action in the first preseason games that they played beyond halftime.
The second unit, however, had it rough as did the bench as a whole. In the third quarter before the Pacers' starters' checked out for good, they were +9. The rest of the quarter the second unit was -15 and lost touch with the Spurs almost completely. Five Pacers bench players finished -14 or worse and four were -19 or worse. Jarace Walker had 12 points and Payne had 10, but they were the only second-unit scorers in double figures.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bennedict Mathurin scores 31 points in Pacers' preseason loss
Continue reading...
