‘Good NBA players for a long time’: Bennedict Mathurin vs. Keegan Murray; Pacers fall to Kings

LAS VEGAS — Bennedict Mathurin dribbled down the lane and threw an alley-oop to Isaiah Jackson, but the pass was too far and high.

Or so everyone thought.

In one motion, Jackson stretched back, caught the ball with his right hand and threw it in. The play was officially ruled a dunk, but Jackson’s fingers never actually touched the rim.

“I know I can go get it,” Jackson said. “I just told him, ‘Throw it up and I’ll go get it.’ I told the whole team that and hopefully they just keep throwing them up.”

A few plays later, Mathurin got in on the action himself, throwing down an and-one dunk to energize the Pacers in the third quarter of their Summer League game Sunday against the Kings at Cox Pavilion.

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The No. 6 pick again showed flashes of his potential, totaling 15 points and three rebounds as the Pacers climbed back into the game, but No. 4 pick Keegan Murray got the last laugh. He tallied a game-high 23 points and three assists to steer Sacramento to a 103-96 victory.

Asked how Mathurin handled the matchup between lottery picks, Pacers assistant and Summer League head coach Ronald Nored said Mathurin performed well.

“(He was) 6-for-16, so the numbers may not bear that out,” Nored said. “We made it as difficult as possible on Murray. They were able to guard each other from time to time. … Benn makes a tough shot … and then Murray comes down and makes a tough shot. These guys are learning. They’re gonna be good NBA players for a long time.”

Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin, left, goes up for a shot while Sacramento’s Keegan Murray defends as the Pacers face the Kings in a Summer League game at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on July 10, 2022.

Mathurin scored the Pacers’ first points on a 3, just like he did Friday in his Summer League debut. He followed up with a pull-up jumper and floater for seven first-quarter points, but the Kings built an 11-point point lead in the opening frame.

Indiana rallied to take a 40-39 lead in the second quarter on a layup by Nate Hinton before Sacramento regained control and built a 13-point third-quarter lead.

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That’s when Mathurin threw the alley-oop to Jackson, which started a 15-3 run for the Pacers, who led 75-74 going into the fourth quarter.

“We had a chance,” Nored said. “We probably could’ve executed a little better down the stretch, but for the most part I like the shots we got. They made some tough shots, and we had some good shots at it, too, just couldn’t finish it.”

Sacramento’s Frankie Ferrari nailed a 3 to tie the game at 89 with 3:29 remaining, and after Terry Taylor made a layup for the Pacers, Murray drained a 3 on the ensuing possession to give Sacramento a 92-91 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

The former Iowa star scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and iced the game with an and-one dunk on Duane Washington Jr. with 48.2 seconds left.

“I got a couple buddies that are coaching Sacramento and I just walked up to them and said, ‘This guy’s the real deal,'” Nored said of Murray. ” … He’s an assassin on the offensive side of the floor, and he’s really solid defensively, too.”

Pacers guard Chris Duarte did not play Sunday after starting Friday. A league source told IndyStar it was not due to Duarte’s lingering left big toe injury but because he’s a proven player. The 25-year-old scored 16 points in the Pacers’ Summer League opener and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team last season.

Washington started in place of Duarte on Sunday and scored six points. Taylor paced the Pacers with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Jackson had seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Rookie guard Andrew Nembhard started for the second straight game. The former Gonzaga star had four turnovers in the first half but settled down and finished with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.

“I think we made some good second-half adjustments,” Nembhard said. “As a team, I think we really locked in on defense. At times we were down and came together and had good energy on the bench, and it just didn’t fall our way at the end of the game.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers: Keegan Murray, Kings, outlast Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana