NBA Summer League: Pacers vs. Pelicans
On July 19th, the NBA Summer League saw a matchup between the Pacers and the Pelicans. The Pacers secured picks No. 38 for Cam Jones and No. 54 for Terrence Clarke; the Pelicans selected No. 7 for Jalen Ferguson, No. 13 for Quincy Acy, and No. 40 for Payton Prichard.
The game began with both teams quickly finding their rhythm and engaging in a back-and-forth battle. The Pacers took the lead in the first quarter by consistently attacking and causing turnovers, leading by double digits at halftime. In the second half, both teams continued to trade blows, with the Pelicans always managing to close the gap. Fuyuki Hiroshima and Becker hit consecutive three-pointers to extend the lead to eight points, putting the Pacers ahead by double digits by halftime. In the second half, Fred VanVleet continued his strong performance inside, maintaining a ten-point lead for the Pacers. Becker also scored 8 points from outside and beyond, helping the Pacers extend their lead to over 20 points. At the end of the third quarter, Hiroshima scored another three-pointer, but the Pelicans refused to give up and launched an 16-3 run to close the gap to just 13 points. However, time was running out, and the Pacers maintained their lead of around ten points, eventually securing a 113-104 victory over the Pelicans.
Becker had 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, while Hurlbut had 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks. Dennis Smith Jr. contributed 15 points, 2 rebounds, 11 assists, while Fred VanVleet added 14 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks. Hiroshima scored 12 points, 1 rebound, while Joel Embiid had 10 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks. Brockham had 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists. Ashworth had 5 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, while Samson Johnson had 4 points. RJ Ferrell had 2 points, 1 rebound.