By John Denton July 2, 2016
ORLANDO – Joe Young scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half, including 11 during a decisive 15-2 second-quarter run, as the Indiana Pacers thumped the Orlando Magic Blue squad 93-66 in first-day action of the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League.
Young, who appeared in 41 games with the Pacers during his rookie NBA season, made his first five 3-point shots in the game. He converted a thunderous left-handed dunk in the third quarter as he was hit hard at the rim. He landed hard on his hip and right hand and stayed down for several minutes before getting back to his feet and staying in the game.
“I’ve been doing that for years, but people are just starting to recognize it,” Young said of his dunking ability. “I’ve got to give my teammates credit. If it wasn’t for Glen (Robinson III) making the pass, I wouldn’t have had that dunk.”
Indiana (1-0) shot 57.4 percent and made 13 of 22 3-point shots. Conversely, Orlando Blue (0-1) connected on just 33.7 percent of its field goals and made only four of 21 3-point tries.
The Pacers led 37-30 midway through the second quarter before Young keyed the big finish to the first half with three 3-pointers and a layup. For the game, Young made eight of his 12 shots and five of his seven 3-point shots.
Georges Niang, the 50th pick of last week’s NBA Draft by the Pacers, played well in all phases of the game and finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three 3-pointers and two steals.
Orlando rookie Stephen Zimmerman, the 41st overall pick of last week’s NBA Draft, finished with seven points, four rebounds and two blocks in his NBA debut. The 19-year-old center from UNLV played 23 minutes and made three of nine shots, but turned the ball over five times.
“I felt great, but unfortunately we played a hot team in the Pacers and they couldn’t miss,” Zimmerman said. “But I think it was a good game to get everybody’s jitters out of the way. Now we can come here on Monday (and play better).”
Devyn Marble, a member of the Magic the past two seasons, scored 12 points and snatched three steals for Orlando.
Young and Niang played especially well early on, helping the Pacers to take a 55-36 lead into halftime. Indiana made 21 of their first 35 shots (60 percent), including seven of 11 from 3-point range. Young made his first four 3-point shots and had 16 by halftime, while Niang chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two threes in the first two quarters.
