With his former head coach in attendance, Bennedict Mathurin made the most of his 28 minutes off the bench in the Indiana Pacers' season-opening 114-107 loss to the Washington Wizards in Indianapolis on Wednesday.Β
Donning No. 00, Mathurin, who was the seventh overall pick by the Pacers in the NBA draft, recorded 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three turnovers. Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd was in attendance for Mathurin's NBA debut.Β
During the Pacers' comeback in the fourth quarter, Mathurin had an up-and-under layup and drew a foul to complete the and-one.Β
.@BennMathurin to the hoop.πͺ pic.twitter.com/28ITmqf1iA
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 20, 2022
Mathurin finished Wednesday shooting 7-for-15 from the field and 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Fellow ex-Wildcat T.J. McConnell tallied eight points and four assists in 17 minutes off the bench. The Pacers' starting lineup included point guard Tyrese Haliburton, shooting guards Buddy Hield and Chris Duarte, power forward Terry Taylor and center Jalen Smith.Β
Other Wildcats to make their NBA debuts on Wednesday include Christian Koloko (Toronto Raptors) and No. 18 overall pick Dalen Terry (Chicago Bulls), albeit Terry didn't play in the Bulls' 116-108 win over the Miami Heat. Koloko had three points, six rebounds and a block in the Raptors' 108-105 win over the Cleveland Raptors.Β
Here's how other Wildcats fared on Wednesday:Β
Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets: 22 points, 10 rebounds
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz: 17 points, four rebounds, four assists
Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns: 18 points, 10 rebounds
Josh Green, Dallas Mavericks: One point, four rebounds, two assists
Zeke Nnaji, Denver Nuggets: Did Not Play
