Pacers Summer League Game 3: Defense, communication and inability to overcome AAU-type delay in loss to Thunder
The Summer Pacers managed just 13 points in the first quarter. Both Jarace Walker and Isaiah Wong saw extended time at point guard.
LAS VEGAS — The previous game just would not end. Timeout after timeout, then a long review, a game-tying 3-pointer and then an overtime session. Just perfect.
Before the Pacers took the court for their third playoff game, all they could do was wait in the corners of Cox Pavilion, on the campus of UNLV, and wait.
Finally, Mavericks forward Braxton Key followed up a missed shot with a dunk to finish off the Golden State Warriors, who continue to be without former IU forward Trayce Jackson-Davis due to a right hamstring injury.
The game ended at 8:08 p.m. ET, then the players took the courts for a brief warmup at 8:12 p.m. Finally at 8:20 p.m., 50 minutes after their game was originally slated to begin, Oscar Tshiebwe jumped center against Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And Tshiebwe won the tip.
“It felt like an AAU game,” guard Isaiah Wong said afterward.
The Pacers were sluggish from the start, had the lead briefly but then lost it four minutes in and never got it back. They dropped to 2-1 in summer league with a 98-87 loss on Wednesday.
“You’re ready to play and then you got to wait 30, 40 minutes so you get all tight,” said forward Kendall Brown. “It wasn’t a start that we wanted, but we just had to overcome that but it was hard.”
To make things more difficult, the Thunder played their top guys — three lottery picks, including Holmgren — whereas the Pacers shut down their top three players after two games: Isaiah Jackson, Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard.