Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers loss against Detroit Pistons in final 2023 Summer League game

The Pacers finished Summer League with a 2-3 record

The Indiana Pacers finished off Summer League play with a loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

Indiana was without Jarace Walker for the first time, who played in the team's first four Summer League outings. In his place, Eli Brooks started, and the opening group for the Pacers fared well. They kept it close in the opening frame and were down just three points heading into the second quarter.

That's when the blue and gold found a groove. They scored 31 points in the second frame as their bench unit had a good stint, and they paired that with decent defense. The Pacers carried a five-point lead into halftime, and guard Isaiah Wong led the way with 11 points at the time. He hit a buzzer-beater to end the second quarter.

Isaiah Wong at the buzzer! 🚨

Wong buries the deep three to extend the lead before the half.#PacersSummer pic.twitter.com/q2eLoGElKB

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) July 16, 2023

It all started to unravel for Indiana in the third quarter, though. They struggled to create good shots, something that was a common issue for the group starting in their third game. They scored just 16 points in the third quarter while Detroit dropped 26.

The Pistons continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, ballooning their lead as high as 15. The Pacers just couldn't score in their final half of Summer League play until it was too late. They found a rhythm in the closing minutes, but that wasn't enough. It was a 100-85 win for the Pistons.

Indiana finished Summer League at 2-3. They were undefeated with their full roster, but couldn't grab a win once Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, and Isaiah Jackson were shut down from game action.

While the franchise is done playing in any games until 2023-24 preseason, there are still some takeaways from the team's final Summer League outing.

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The Pacers offense was inconsistent

In the second quarter, the Pacers offense was rolling. Their 31 points in that span came as a result of solid play from everyone — the bench and the starters were both connected.

Indiana combined for 54 points in the other three quarters combined. Their offense was inconsistent all night. Isaiah Wong, Darius McGhee, and Ben Sheppard had some decent moments of self creation, but the Pacers only had 11 assists in the entire game. They were not a connected unit on offense.

That was a theme for their final three games and showed how important Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard were early on in Summer League.

Indiana's two-way contract players finished strong

Isaiah Wong and Oscar Tshiebwe signed two-way contracts with the Pacers earlier in July, and they both had solid outings to wrap up play in Las Vegas.

Wong had his best scoring game so far, finishing with 24 points on just 13 shot attempts. He was on fire from deep, where he knocked down five of his seven looks, and he lived at the foul line (7/11). His three assists led the group.

Tshiebwe, meanwhile, cleaned up on the glass again (six rebounds in 15 minutes) and had two blocks. He has proven to be exactly the player he looked like he could be coming out of college.

Ethan Thompson, Darius McGhee, and Robert Woodard II impressed

A trio of bench players all displayed their best abilities in this game. Ethan Thompson, who has been a reliable scorer for most of Summer League, finished with eight points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals while shooting 50% from the field. He closed out Summer League strong.

Robert Woodard II, a former second-round draft pick with two years of NBA experience, grabbed 11 rebounds. Darius McGhee, an undrafted free agent from Liberty, had 10 points and got to the foul line seven times. Neither player had an efficient night, but they showed what their best skills are.

The Pacers are now done playing for the summer. With free agency slowing down, the team will enter a bit of a relaxed period until training camp. They still have a few signings they will make before that, though, such as a two-way contract and Exhibit 10 deals.

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• Bennedict Mathurin shows strengths and growth areas for Indiana Pacers during Summer League play. CLICK HERE.
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