2014 Summer League

David Benner

Orlando — The Indiana Pacers concluded Summer League play at the Amway Center Friday with a 95-86 victory over the Boston Celtics, finishing third in the 10-team league.

The Pacers pretty much led this one throughout with all five starters in double figures and the three available bench players scoring at least six points apiece.

Donald Sloan led the Pacers with his best game of the league with 20 points, 10 assists and no turnovers. DeQuan Jones had 18, Frank Gaines 14, Kevin Jones 10 and Willie Reed 10.

It was an impressive week for the Pacers, who had only one roster player (Sloan) available to play. Second-year player Solomon Hill had to sit out with a sprained right ankle, but the roster comprised mainly of D-League players rose to the challenge.

"It was a great experience," said Sloan. "These are guys fighting to get in the league, much as I was a couple of years ago, and they played to win, not get stats. I felt the chemistry. On paper, we weren't supposed to go 4-1. We played our style of basketball, played together and finished strong. Take away the first half of the first game (a big loss to Brooklyn) and we would be playing for the championship.

"I think all the scouts and coaches here this week looked at this team and Iiked how they played, how they competed and will give some of them a shot."

Pacers assistant coach Dan Burke, who coached the team, added, "As an organization, we're proud of these guys. They played their hearts out. Today was another example. It was our fifth game in seven days, we had just 10 turnovers and when Boston made a run, we stepped up and turned them back."

summer-league-2014-pacers-95-celtics-86

Summer League 2014: Pacers 95, Celtics 86

admin

Orlando — The Indiana Pacers improved to 3-1 in the Orlando Summer League with an 84-74 victory over Miami at the Amway Center Thursday afternoon.

The Pacers led almost the entire game, but unlike their two previous games, couldn't put Miami away, never leading by more than 10 points. The Pacers played the game without any of their regular roster players as Solomon Hill continued to sit out with a sprained right ankle and Donald Sloan sat out for rest purposes.

But this team, after a blowout loss to Brooklyn in the first game, has come back to be one of the best teams in Orlando. Thursday, it was a group of D-League players who carried the Pacers.

James Nunnally led with 19 points on 7 of 11 from the floor; Kevin Jones had 16 points and 15 rebounds; DeQuan Jones had 12 points, Arinze Onuaku had 10 and Dee Bost, filling in for Sloan, had eight points with seven rebounds and five assists.

"It was definitely a wake-up call for us after that first loss," said Kevin Jones, a 6-8, 251-pound power forward. "Everybody came together after that. It has been a lot of fun because it hasn't been one or two people stepping up, but different guys every game. Everyone has contributed at one time or another to winning."

"We have a bunch of hard workers and they play the game the way it's supposed to be played," said Pacers' assistant coach Dan Burke. "When they do, good things happen. Today was another example of that. It starts with defense (Miami shot 36 percent). We had some trouble executing against their traps, but the second half we did a good job moving the ball, making the extra pass and hitting open shots. It was a helluva effort."

The Pacers now wait the outcome of the remaining two games for their starting time Friday. They are likely to play in the 10 a.m. third/fourth place game and have an outside chance of playing in the noon championship game. Both will be carried by NBATV.

summer-league-2014-pacers-84-heat-74

Summer League 2014: Pacers 84, Heat 74

summer-league-2014-pacers-94-thunder-71

Summer League 2014: Pacers 94, Thunder 71

ORLANDO – The Indiana Pacers won their second straight game in the Orlando Summer League by beating Oklahoma City, 94-71, Wednesday at the Amway Center.

Much like Monday's victory over Boston, the Pacers used a huge second quarter to pretty much take control of the game. Against the Celtics, the Pacers trailed by 18 in the first quarter, but used a 34-11 second quarter and never trailed from there, building a lead as big as 26. Against the Thunder, the Pacers trailed by seven in the first quarter, but had a 34-13 second to totally take control of this game. The Pacers eventually would lead by as many as 31.

"We're responding to runs a lot better," said guard Donald Sloan, who led the Pacers with 19 points and six assists. "Teams are always going to make runs, it's how you handle them and respond. I give a lot of credit to the bench because they come in and give us great energy."

Frank Gaines had 17 for the Pacers, Kevin Jones 15 points with 12 rebounds, James Nunnally 12 points, Arinze Onuaku had 10 and DeQuan Jones nine. The balanced attack led to 52 percent shooting for the game.

"That was another solid effort," said Pacers assistant coach Dan Burke. "From one time out to the next time out, we expect all-out effort and we're getting it and it's always a team effort. Different guys every game are stepping up and the bench is doing a really good job."

Throw out the first half of the opening game against Brooklyn (the Pacers lost by 20 after a very sluggish start) and the Pacers have outscored their opponents by 51 points.

2014 Summer League

Summer League 2014: Pacers 95, Celtics 86

Summer League 2014: Pacers 95, Celtics 86

Summer League 2014: Pacers 84, Heat 74

Summer League 2014: Pacers 84, Heat 74

Summer League 2014: Pacers 94, Thunder 71

Summer League 2014: Pacers 94, Thunder 71

Pacers 96, Celtics 77

Summer League 2014: Pacers 81, Nets 101