Running notes: Pacers Summer League Game 1 vs Cavaliers
The summer Pacers are off and running.
LAS VEGAS – Hello from the desert. It's hot, and the summer Pacers are playing basketball again with Summer League underway.
This is the first year that I've been at Summer League and the Pacers don't have a player with a standard contract playing. But there will be battles for two-way slots at stake, plus vital evaluations for the Noblesville Boom and Exhibit 10 spots.
Tony East
Much of the Pacers coaching staff was present courtside, same goes for the front office. And just before tipoff, Fever players Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Bree Hall entered with Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith. Other Pacers players trickled in after the game started.
Meanwhile, the most noteworthy summer Pacers were Braden Smith, Jalen Slawson, Yuki Kawamura, and Taelon Peter. Running notes from Pacers-Cavs in Cox Pavillion.
-The starting lineup: Braden Smith, Tamin Lipsey, Taelon Peter, Jalen Slawson, and Rienk Mast.
-It's a turnover show for the Pacers early. A few from their point guards getting caught in traffic in the lane.
-Mid-first quarter: Jalen Slawson with a few nice on-ball defensive reps in a row.
-3:15 in the first quarter: Braden Smith with a good defensive stop, then a push in transition to get Taelon Peter a layup. Peter drew a foul.
-Rienk Mast with a nice finish in traffic. He's been a standout performer early.
-Jalen Slawson starts the second quarter with a corner three right in front of the Cavs bench. He needed that after a few misses in the first quarter.
-8:45 second quarter: Gorgeous assist from Yuki Kawamura to Mast for a basket. That drew some oooohs and aaahs from the crowd.
-6:55 second quarter: Quick catch-and-shoot three from Taelon Peter after a kickout. A stark contrast early compared to his timid summer league last year.
-5:43 second quarter: Maybe a learned skill from Purdue, but Braden Smith gets off the ball fast when he sees a defender after coming around a screen.
-2:42 second quarter: Braden Smith in transition, and he drops the ball to Keion Brooks without even looking at him. Really impressive vision.
-1:55 second quarter: A third three-point shot from Taevion Kinsey. He's been comfortable as a shooter in this half.
-0:35 in second quarter: A tidy pass from Branden Smith to Keba Keita for a dunk. Smith got deeper in the paint and it led to an opening.
-Halftime buzzer: Gorgeous block from Keba Keita just before the horn. He appears to be very, very strong.
-6:44 third quarter: Really nice lob from Jalen Slawon to Taelon Peter in transition for a dunk. That's the next skill to show from Slawon, some passing and heads-up plays in transition.
-4:42 third quarter: Braden Smith misses a fadeaway jumper on the baseline. He's 0/5 and needs to make some shots. Six rebounds is nice, but just two assists.
-With about two minutes to go in the third quarter, consecutive buckets from Yuki Kawamura. He's got four points and two assists right now but has played quite well for just having that stat line.
-A 30-15 third quarter in favor of the Pacers. They had nine players score in that quarter. Really good ball movement from many, and they're handling their size disadvantage pretty well.
-7:27 in the fourth quarter: Braden Smith with a right corner three. It's his first made shot of the game, but he's done many other important things.
-The early fourth quarter was all Cavs, who went on an 18-6 run. Meleek Thomas was giving the Pacers a ton of problems.
-4:38 fourth quarter: Jalen Slawson blocks an alley-oop attempt from the Cavaliers. His defense has been awesome in this game. That was his fourth block.
-Late fourth quarter: Consecutive points from Rienk Mast after the Cavs cut their 21-point deficit down to one. The second basket came as an and-one, pushing the Pacers lead to six. Mast has been very solid.
-And the Pacers survive with just enough scoring late. Final score: 99-93. Rienk Mast finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Jalen Slawson: 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, five blocks
Yuki Kawamura: Eight points, four assists
Braden Smith: Five points, four assists
Taelon Peter: 13 points, three assists
"Super exciting. I thought we played well for most of the game," Pacers summer league head coach Bryce Taylor said. "They started to make shots late, which is inevitable. They have talented players. But I'm happy with the way that we played overall."
Thank you for reading. I'll be out here for multiple Pacers summer league games, so subscribe/sign up for some on-the-ground reporting from Las Vegas.
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