The Pacers lost 112-91 to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, falling to 2-2 in the NBA Summer League.
The loss assures that the Pacers will not be one of the four teams that reach the four-team playoff. They have one game remaining on Sunday, but the time of the game and their opponent has not yet been determined.
Here are four observations.
The Pacers’ shooting was brutal
The absence of second- and third-year players Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Isaiah Jackson, who were shut down for the event after the first two games, has been evident on both ends, but particularly obvious on offense where the Pacers haven’t had a lot of scoring options.
On Friday, the Pacers went through even longer scoring droughts than they had on Wednesday. They fell behind 48-33 at halftime, making just 13 of 41 field goal attempts (31.7%) and 4 of 18 from 3-point range. The second half was just slightly better, but they still finished 36 of 83 (43.4%) and 10 of 36 from 3-point range.
The best players still on the roster were among those who struggled the worst. The Pacers put the ball in lottery pick Jarace Walker’s hands as much as they could and he continues to look comfortable handling the ball and passing, but he settled for a lot of mid-range jumpers and made just 6 of 21 field goals and 1 of 10 3-pointers for 13 points.
Meanwhile, guard Isaiah Wong wasn’t as effective as he was Wednesday, making just 3 of 9 field goals and missing all three of his 3-pointers, finishing with just six points.
Indiana couldn’t keep the ball out of the paint
The Pacers’ first two wins were keyed by defense, and having Andrew Nembhard and Isaiah Jackson on the floor particularly helped them on that end. Nembhard was one of the Pacers’ top perimeter defenders last season and Jackson was one of the best rim protectors, finishing second on the team in blocks behind Myles Turner.
But without them, they’ve struggled to keep the ball out of the paint, giving up 58 points there Wednesday and another 60 on Friday. The Mavericks seemed to have no problem getting to the rim on dribble drives and screen-and-rolls.
The Mavericks made 42 of their 83 field goals (50.6%). They made just 10 of 29 3-pointers but still had total control of the game.
Guard AJ Lawson scored 24 points on 10 of 12 shooting, hitting 2 of 3 3-pointers but making seven of his other eight field goals at the rim. Jordan Walker scored 21 with five 3-pointers and Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 18 on 7 of 12 shooting.
Since a quiet first game, rookie Ben Sheppard has had a string of steady performances, and Friday he was one of the Pacers’ few productive players and one of the only ones who showed any shooting stroke.
Sheppard hit 7 of his 13 field goals and 5 of his 10 3-pointers to finish with 19 points. He also grabbed two rebounds and added two assists and a steal.
Former Baylor wing Kendall Brown missed much of last season with an injury and only got so much out of the first year of his two-way deal, but he’s given the Pacers reason in Las Vegas to believe he can be more valuable this year.
The 6-8, 205-pounder has exceptional length, speed and athleticism, and if healthy, could have some value as a rim-running power forward. On Friday, he posted 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting and also grabbed six rebounds.
This article originally appeared on the Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Mavericks: Pacers struggle to shoot in Summer League