After struggling to find his stroke during Friday's Summer League opener, TJ leaf erupted on Saturday, sending in a team-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting as Indiana notched its first victory of the summer, beating the Spurs 86-76.
Leaf was in the zone from the start, making three of his first four shots of the game as he led Indiana offensively. While the Pacers trailed for much of the first half, an overpowering third quarter gave Indiana an 11-point lead going into the fourth.
"Just credit to my teammates, they did a good job getting me in the flow early," said Leaf after the victory. "I just tried to come out and be more aggressive, take good shots, and I'm just glad we got the win at the end."
Over the final 10 minutes, Indiana was able to keep the Spurs at arm's length with a series of hustle plays, which included an offensive rebounding exhibition put on by Alize Johnson, who converted a bucket and the foul to push the Pacers ahead by 13 with 5:45 remaining.
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In the final minutes, Ben Moore flew over the Pacers' bench to save a loose ball, crashing through a Gatorade cooler in the process. The all-out play resulted in a basket from Alex Poythress as Indiana continued to extend its lead.
"That's what we're all about," said Pacers Summer League Head Coach Steve Gansey of the diving save. "That was a huge play by Ben."
Aside from Leaf's impressive performance, the Pacers also received strong contributions from Moore (10 points) and Johnson, who nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
On San Antonio, it was Derrick White who had the scoring touch, sending in a game-best 19 points.
The Pacers got off to a slow start to the game offensively, falling behind 22-17 after going just 7-of-24 as a team in the opening quarter.
As the second quarter got underway, Indiana started to hit a rhythm with its second unit in the game, as C.J. Wilcox banked in a layup to pull within four.
With the starting unit cycling back into the contest, the Pacers began to inch even closer to the Spurs as Leaf continued to shine on offense.
Trailing by three with just under three minutes remaining in the half, rookie Aaron Holiday buried his first 3-pointer of the game, knotting things up at 40.
Moments later, Travis Leslie found space driving down the lane and threw down a right-handed slam, jolting energy into the Las Vegas crowd and putting the Pacers up by one.
But the Spurs had an answer, scoring two unanswered field goals to close the half with a 45-42 lead.
To begin the second half, Indiana's defense put forth a masterful quarter, limiting the Spurs to just eight points and opening up a 64-53 lead entering the fourth.
In the final quarter, Indiana was able to do enough on offense to put the game away as the Pacers snagged their first win of the MGM Resorts Summer League.
"We want to win. We're competitive," TJ leaf said after the victory. "No matter what game we're playing, we want to win."