Indiana Pacers struggle to close quarters and fall to Minnesota Timberwolves in summer league action

The Pacers and Timberwolves battled on Sunday

The Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves get ready for a summer league game on July 14, 2024. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Tony East) /

LAS VEGAS — The Indiana Pacers played their second 2024 summer league game on Sunday afternoon as they took on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Indiana was hoping to bounce back after an overtime loss against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

Rookie wing Johnny Furphy opened the scoring for the Pacers with a nice drive from the left corner, and Quenton Jackson followed it up with a three. Those two having better nights, should they be sustained, would go a long way for the blue and gold to build off of their first game result.

Indiana was struggling on defense early in the action. They were allowing too many drives and fell behind in the ensuing stretch. They came alive on that end after a few moments of play, but they were down 10-8 after three minutes.

Pacers second-year forward Jarace Walker found his range to help the blue and gold climb back into the lead on the scoreboard. Walker had nine of Indiana's first 17 points and was guarding lottery pick Rob Dillingham.

The score remained close, with the Pacers trailing by just two points with two minutes left in the opening period. Their reserves, including good play from Enrique Freeman and Tristen Newton, were keeping up.

That bench group kept pushing, and Indiana held a 28-26 lead after 10 minutes of play. Furphy and Walker had 16 points combined to that point.

Early in the second frame, Minnesota found some footing. They raced ahead with a quick 11-2 run to create separation, and they were able to do a lot of that damage in transition. The Pacers were playing sloppy after a mature start.

The second quarter score reached 15-2 in favor of the Wolves before some points from Kendall Brown and Ben Sheppard, but the blue and gold had much more work to do to keep up. They needed to string together some stops and create advantages on offense.

Indiana battled back and kept the score within seven for a few minutes when some of their starters returned. They were getting stops and using it to run, which led to some successful plays from Oscar Tshiebwe. It was an eight-point game with two minutes to go in the half.

At the break, the Wolves led 51-44. Furphy topped the Pacers with 13 points and added four rebounds.

To kick off the second half, the teams kept trading baskets. The deficit remained similar for the Pacers in the opening third quarter minutes as they subbed guys in and out. Freeman made some nice plays to prevent the blue and gold from falling farther behind.

Not long after this stretch, Freeman scored six points in a row, including a four-point play. He was playing excellent basketball, and Walker hit a three after that sequence to give the Pacers the lead. They quickly gave it away, but the Pacers were back in the battle.

A few threes from Dakota Mathias as well as more energy from Freeman had Indiana ahead 71-70 with about one minute to go in the third period. But they did a poor job closing the frame, and the Wolves were up 78-71 heading into the fourth. Furphy's 16 still led his team.

Turnovers and fouls doomed the Pacers in the closing minutes of the third, but those are fixable mistakes. They weren't out of the game yet, but they had to clean up some sloppy mistakes in the final quarter.

After falling down by as much as 10, the Pacers recovered. Quenton Jackson, both via a few buckets and a nice pass, helped Indiana chop the lead down to three with just over six minutes to go in the game. It was an important stretch for the blue and gold.

The deficit hovered near three for a few minutes as both teams failed to score. With four minutes to go, it was 88-85. But Walker changed that with a three that tied the game soon after. The closing stretch would decide the result.

With two minutes to go, it was a one-point game at 91-90, but the Pacers had tied the game once again with 90 seconds to go thanks to a three from Sheppard. They were right in the game with just a few seconds to go despite rarely leading.

Daishen Nix hit a huge three to give the Wolves a late lead, though and the Pacers were in trouble. They were down by five with 31.8 seconds to go as Newton went to the foul line.

He only knocked in one of the two, and Minnesota held on to win 104-94. They closed the game well to get it done — Indiana struggled to finish many quarters.

Furphy had 18 points and six rebounds. Walker and Mathias both added 15 points. Newton has seven assists. The Pacers are 0-2 in summer league and next play on Tuesday.

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• Indiana Pacers center James Wiseman says opportunity to develop was key in his free agency decision. CLICK HERE.
• Johnny Furphy thinks his maturity, off-ball movement, and motivation will make him a good fit with the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle hopes to see motor, rebounding, defense from Jarace Walker this summer. CLICK HERE.
• Obi Toppin couldn't imagine signing anywhere but with the Indiana Pacers in free agency. CLICK HERE.
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