(Indianapolis) Supporters of the Indiana Pacers who still did not know the name of Bennedict Mathurin will not forget it.
Posted at 9:39 p.m.
In his first steps in the NBA, Wednesday night, the Montrealer recorded 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in nearly 28 minutes of playing time. An excellent first impression in the 114-107 loss to the Washington Wizards.
The evening started well: during the pre-game presentation, the first-round pick was one of the most cheered players by the crowd, which was small for a first game of the regular season.
As was the case in the preparatory matches, Mathurin watched the first minutes of the match from the sidelines. He was quick to take the field, however, entering with 6:46 to go in the first quarter as the Pacers trailed 20-11. And he quickly stood out.
From his first seconds of play in the NBA, Mathurin scored his first two points, waking up the crowd which had been a little discreet until then. The ice was broken.
The more the minutes passed, the more the Quebecer seemed at ease on the field of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, generating the attack. With just a minute left in the first quarter, he fired two three-pointers on assists from TJ McConnell to close the gap at 33-25.
At halftime, Mathurin had 12 points, 4 rebounds and an interception in just 10:56 of playing time. That’s a good way to introduce himself to fans.
Back on the court with 5:47 to play in the third quarter, the 20-year-old struggled a bit more, missing several good field goal breakthroughs and two free throws. But he came back strong late in the game, scoring five points in a row to give the Pacers a slim hope of coming back, but without success.
More details to come.