by Scott Agness | @ScottAgness
July 12, 2013
The Pacers and Utah Jazz met for the second consecutive game in Orlando, this time with third place in the 10-team league on the line. 34-year-old Rasual Butler, an unlikely candidate, scored 13 points in the final quarter, including a go-ahead 3-pointer, to lift the Pacers past the Jazz once again. The Pacers (3-2) outscored the Jazz 21-11 in the fourth and were victorious, 73-70.
Heading into the final period of the Pacers’ Summer League action, the Jazz led 59-52. Butler scored the first bucket of the quarter and kept firing. He was 5-for-8 in the game and also grabbed four rebounds. Butler even outscored the entire Jazz team by himself in the fourth quarter, 13-11.
Photo Gallery: Pacers 73, Jazz 70 »
Pacers center Jerome Jordan converted on a three-point play to give the Pacers a one-point lead with 72 seconds remaining. Rookie Solomon Hill, who had his worst offensive game this week (two points, 1-of 7 shooting), then blocked Trey Burke’s jumper. Burke took advantage of a Donald Sloan turnover on the next play and put the Jazz back in front by one on an easy layup in transition.
With 28.4 seconds to play, Butler knocked down his third 3-point field goal of the game, which gave the Pacers the lead for good. Burke missed two more outside shots, including one in the corner that could’ve sent the game into overtime. In his five games played this week, Burke was just 1-for-19 from beyond the arc.
"A nice team win again," said Pacers coach Dan Burke. "We had four guys who hadn't played much all week because we had four guys out and two guys who hadn't played all week and everyone contributed. It was great to see. We defended and made timely shots."
The Pacers led the entire first quarter, thanks in large part to Orlando Johnson, who scored eight of his game-high 18 points in the opening stanza. The Jazz stormed back in the second with an 11-2 run and they took a two-point edge into the locker room.
"I just felt more comfortable as the week went on," Johnson said. "I just wanted to let the game come to me, take what the opponents gave me."
Donald Sloan had a steady game, finishing with 13 points, six assists and five rebounds while playing with varied lineups and against Burke. Djibril Thiam had five points, six rebounds and two blocks. Pacers longtime assistant Dan Burke was the team’s Summer League head coach.
Notes
- Every available Indiana player scored and played at least a dozen minutes.
- Miles Plumlee sat out with a sprained right ankle.
- Micah Downs (Raptors), Jonny Flynn (Clippers), Justin Harper (Cavaliers), Christian Watford (Mavericks) and Chris Wright (Raptors) all left the Pacers to join another team for the Las Vegas Summer League.
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