INDIANAPOLIS — Rookie Taelon Peter scored 18 points to lead the Pacers to a 116-101 win over the Thunder in an NBA preseason game and rematch of the NBA Finals on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers are 2-0 in preseason action and play again Monday night at home against San Antonio.
Fourth-year guard Bennedict Mathurin scored 16 points in the first half and forward Obi Toppin had 14 points before both rotation players were removed from action. Guard Quenton Jackson scored 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting including 2 of 4 from 3-point range before leaving with a sore right hamstring. Guard RayJ Dennis had 11 points, center James Wiseman had 10 points. Forward Jarace Walker had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Chris Youngblood led the Thunder with 25 points.
Both reigning finalists gave the night off to numerous key players with a regular season rematch coming on Oct. 23. The Pacers allowed All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, point guard Andrew Nembhard and small forward Aaron Nesmith to sit out and were already missing veteran point guard T.J. McConnell and guards Ben Sheppard and Kam Jones with injuries, on top of All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who is out for the season. The Thunder left 10 players at home in Oklahoma City including MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA forward Jalen Williams and rotation players Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Hartensten, Alex Caruso and Kenrich Williams.
Here are three observations.
Taelon Peter splashes 3s, makes most of opportunities
The extensive injuries to the backcourt have given rookie Taelon Peter — the No. 54 pick out of Liberty — the chance to not only get minutes in the preseason, but time with starters and second-unit players. Peter, who is on a two-way contract, has been making the most of those minutes and he was even more impressive in his second game.
Peter led the Pacers with 18 points on 6 of 11 shooting including 4 of 8 from 3-point range in 27 minutes on the floor. He also recorded five rebounds, four assists and two steals, showing he can play make and defend as well as hit shots. He’s a natural shooting guard, but he can handle the ball when he has to and his touch from distance is excellent. He will likely still spend most of his time with the Noblesville Boom, but if Sheppard, Jackson and Furphy are slow to return from their injuries he might have to make an impact early.
That in itself marks another incredible milestone in the story of Peter, who started his college career at Tennessee Tech, then transferred down to Division II Arkansas Tech before returning to Division I for one season with Liberty. In one season there he helped the Flames win the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles, earning all-conference honors and the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award. The Pacers loved his shooting efficiency fro inside and outside as he made 57.8% of his total field goals including 45.3% of his 3-pointers and 75.6% of his 2s and figured he’d fit in well with their wide-open system.
“He was an experienced four-year guy in college and he knows who he is,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “He knows what his strengths are. He’s tough-minded. He’s physical, doesn’t mind contact. He’s a better athlete than people think and he can shoot the ball.”
Peter has found the offense fits directly with his strengths, allowing him to run the floor and get easy buckets in transition and also to get clean looks from the outside. He has a quick, efficient stroke from 3 and some athletic explosion and muscle in a 6-3, 185-pound frame and he’s well built for randomized basketball.
“At Liberty we played similarly,” Peter said. “I spread to the corners and made shots and we played this randomized basketball on offense. … It prepared me for how we played here.”
Peter said the full-court pressure defense has been an adjustment, but he’s picked that up faster than he expected. He’s had two steals in each of his first two preseason games.
“I surprised myself,” Peter said. “I’ve always been an offensive player. I’ve always been a guy who runs around and shoots 3s gets out and dunks, but I’ve never really put the time and effort into defense. I’ve kind of surprised myself with what I’m able to do on the defensive end. I think it’s been a big part of this transition. I’m doing whatever I can to get on the court and stay on the court. A lot of times that’s what it takes.”
Johnny Furphy had another thunderous dunk before spraining his ankle
Johnny Furphy continues to show that he has no fear about taking it straight to defenders under the basket and dunking over top of them. This time it was Oklahoma City’s Malevy Leons who got in Furphy’s way, much like Bulls rookie Noa Essengue did when Furphy dunked over him at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in July.
Furphy dunked over Leons with similar ferocity, throwing down a right-handed tomahawk dunk and sending the Pacers’ bench into elation.
That dunk came after Furphy had a similar dunk over new center Jay Huff in practice which the Pacers pushed on social media. Huff joked that he wasn’t sure why that one had to be shared so widely and so repeatedly with the world — the Pacers made several posts about it — but said he’s astounded by what his new teammate is doing.
“That Furphy dunk was pretty ridiculous,” Huff said. “Every day we see something like that from him. It’s pretty crazy.”
Furphy finished with eight points on 3 of 6 shooting, but he also suffered a left ankle sprain and left the game.
Cameron Payne scoreless in Pacers preseason debut
With T.J. McConnell hurt and Andrew Nembhard sitting out, Cameron Payne got the start at point guard just two days after he joined the Pacers. He showed proficiency running the offense and a willingness to bring pressure on the defensive end, but it’s still clear that he’s still getting his feet under him. After all, as of Wednesday, he was in New York thinking he was going to go home to Phoenix for the season.
Payne finished with three assists against two turnovers and had moments when his connection with his teammates was sharp. He figured out he can just throw the ball as high as he can to Obi Toppin on the break, finding him with a pass just inside the half-court line for a layup in transition early in the game. However, he and center Jay Huff — himself just acquired by the Pacers in July — had a miscommunication on a lob later in the game that almost resulted in a turnover.
And Payne couldn’t get a shot of his own to fall. He missed two 3-pointers on the game’s first possession and finished with zero points on 0 of 4 shooting in 19 minutes on the floor.
Carlisle acknowledged that a transition is to be expected especially considering what the Pacers require out of their players at both ends. Payne had kept himself in good condition for someone who wasn’t on a team but getting in game condition is something different.
“He’s still getting in shape,” Carlisle said. “At the timeout five minutes into the game, he was really tired. I think we left him in for another minute and tried to space his runs so it’s not too much too soon. But he’ll get his legs quickly. He’s a pro athlete, has been for a decade. I like his feel for the game. I like his knowledge. He knows how to navigate running a team. He’s going to get there very quickly.”
Quenton Jackson came in for Payne to operate as the backup point guard for 11 first half minutes. He didn’t play in the second half because of a sore right hamstring.
Jackson is perhaps most naturally a shooting guard, but Carlisle loves his energy and relied on him heavily in November last season when the Pacers were missing Nembhard, Sheppard and Nesmith with injuries. Though Jackson can play a little wild at times, his energy provides proven spark. On Saturday, he scored 14 points in 11:04 on the floor, making 6 of 8 field goals including 2 of 4 3-pointers. He also dished out two assists and was +10 in his minutes.
“He’s aggressive and he’s another guy who knows who he is and how he has to play,” Carlisle said. “He’s going to play with force, he’s going to play with energy. He’s going to push the issue offensively and defensively. He has a defiance with how he plays, which is who he is.”
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