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The Pacers wrapped up their time in Las Vegas on Sunday night, dropping their 2023 Summer League finale. Pistons rookie guard Marcus Sasser scored 40 points – 31 in the second half – to lead Detroit (4-1) to a 100-85 win over Indiana (2-3).
Rookie guard Isaiah Wong had a team-high 24 points for Indiana on Sunday. The 55th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft went 5-for-7 from 3-point range and 7-for-11 from the field.
Fellow rookie Ben Sheppard – the 26th overall pick in this year’s draft – finished with 12 points, while Darius McGhee added 10 for Indiana.
But it was Sasser who stole the show, going 16-for-25 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range in his 40-point performance.
Rookie forward Jarace Walker – Sasser’s teammate last season at the University of Houston – did not dress for the Pacers in Sunday’s Summer League finale.
The eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the 19-year-old Walker averaged 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals over his first four professional games. He joined returning veterans Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, and Isaiah Jackson – who were all shut down after two games – in cheering on from the bench at Sunday’s matinee.
The Pistons jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and remained in front for the entire first quarter on Sunday, although Indiana kept it close. Detroit led 19-16 after the opening 10 minutes.
The Blue & Gold surged ahead shortly thereafter, as Ethan Thompson scored eight points during a 16-6 Indiana run to open the second quarter.
The Pacers kept the lead all the way up until halftime and went into the intermission in style. Wong drained a pull-up three to give the Blue & Gold at 47-42 advantage at the break.
Sheppard scored five early points in the third quarter to help Indiana maintain the lead, but the Pistons eventually surged back ahead with a 12-2 spurt midway through the frame that featured eight points from rookie guard Marcus Sasser.
The Blue & Gold briefly tied the game on Eli Brooks’ jumper with 2:11 remaining in the quarter, but Detroit scored the final five points of the frame to take a 68-63 lead into the fourth.
Sasser stayed hot in the fourth quarter. The former All-American guard at Houston scored nine straight points for Detroit over the first 3:17 of the period. On the other end, two Mojave King free throws were all the Pacers could manage over that span, as the Pistons pushed their lead to 77-65.
The Pacers mounted a charge over the final minutes. Wong knocked down two more threes as he scored 10 straight Indiana points over a 2:05 stretch. Sheppard then drained a trey to make it an 86-80 game with 3:02 remaining.
But that would be the closest the Pacers would get, as Sasser and Pistons closed them out with a couple more timely shots. The rookie scored the final seven points for Detroit to get to 40, setting a new high for any player in a Summer League game this year.
Originally posted on nba.com