Pacers beat the Thunder 89-80
The final game for the Pacers didn’t include T.J. Leaf or Joe Young. Popeye Jones apparently had seen enough of them and decided to give guys like Jordan Lloyd and Ben Moore more of a run.
The strategy proved more than effective enough to take down the Thunder. Stokes once again led the way with 17 points, and he continued his impressive offensive efficiency by shooting 5-for-8 from the field.
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Indiana collected 39 rebounds as a team, dominating the boards compared to OKC’s 26. The Pacers never stretched their lead to double digits, but they were still in control for almost all of the contest. Except for a brief stretch at the beginning of each half, Indiana was ahead for the whole game.
It was an impressive showing throughout the tournament for a Pacers team that included very few players who had seen much NBA time at all. Many fans were advocating for both Jarnell Stokes and Travis Leslie to get a shot on the Pacers roster this season after their impressive performances.
The Pacers are running out of roster spots after the signings of both Darren Collison and Bojan Bogdanovic, but they do have another two-way contract to spare after using their first on second-round pick Edmond Sumner.
Next: Pacers waive Rakeem Christmas
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