Pacers Come Up Short Against New York
The Indiana Pacers were gearing up to play against the Washington Wizards for their first Summer League game until news broke that the Wizards didn’t have the necessary amount of players due to Health and Safety Protocols. The Pacers were then scheduled to play against the New York Knicks on Monday, Aug. 9. Who they fell to 94–86.
Heading into the summer-ball matchup, the Knicks were coming off of a 89–79 loss against the Toronto Raptors, which saw Obi Toppin notch 24 points and eight rebounds.
The Knicks had no injuries coming into the game, but the Pacers were without third year center Goga Bitadze who is dealing with a back injury and personal reasons.
New York’s starting line-up was Immanuel Quickley, Quinton Grimes, Wayne Selden, Obi Toppin and Jericho Sims and were coached by Daisuke Yoshimoto.
Indiana’s starting line-up was Jordan Bone, Chris Duarte, Cassius Stanley, Oshae Brissett and Amida Brimah and were coached by Mike Weinar.
The Pacers started the game off slow, allowing New York to control the glass and create second-chance opportunities and turning the ball over, however Duarte, Bennie Boatwright and Duane Washington Jr. started making it rain from downtown. Unfortunately for Indiana, Boatwright came down awkwardly on his right knee and was laboring, having to be helped off the floor. The Pacers led by six after the first quarter, 24–18.
The Pacers continued lighting it up from 3 as Washington knocked down back-to-back threes. Later, Boatwright was declared out for the game with a sore right knee. Late in the second quarter the Pacers began losing momentum until Duarte hit a circus shot to end the first half. The Pacers were up 44–41.
The Pacers started letting the game get out of hand, sacrificing their lead in the third quarter. Duarte continued to impress for Indiana and Quickley and Toppin were becoming a nightmare for Indiana. The Knicks found themselves holding a five-point lead, 67–62 after three quarters.
Quickley and the Knicks proved too much for Indiana and held off Indiana’s attempts at a comeback. Quickley finished the game with 32 points, which led all scorers. The Pacers made one last effort at comeback with Brissett converting on an and-one, however Toppin iced the game with a coast-to-coast layup. The Knicks won 94–86.
The Pacers lost their first game of Summer League, however the 13th pick Duarte played very well along with Brissett and two-way player Washington. The Pacers play tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.
The Knicks improve to 1–1 in Summer League action and will take on the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2. Quickley and Toppin both impressed against Indiana in their quest for more playing time next season.
