Quenton Jackson found six baskets while searching for his own

Quenton Jackson’s first two assists offered Indiana the version of his game it needed. The former Texas A&M guard set up Larry Nance Jr. for a driving dunk at 5:14 of the first quarter and then found Nance for a 3-pointer at 4:41. Indiana led Philadelphia 17-14, and Jackson had already supplied two different ways to turn a possession into points.

The rest of his 14:24 showed why that contribution was valuable—and why it could not carry the night by itself. Jackson scored two points, made 1 of 6 shots and finished with six assists as the Pacers lost 114-109 Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

He helped Indiana’s offense function when his own shot would not, but a five-point loss leaves little room to celebrate a passing line detached from reliable finishing.

Jackson’s assists reached more than one teammate and arrived in different stretches. His third set up Obi Toppin’s 3-pointer with 7:14 left in the second quarter, when Philadelphia led 43-37. In the third, Jackson found Aaron Nesmith for a floater at 5:17, then delivered to Jarace Walker for a 26-foot 3-pointer at 3:08.

Those five assists before the final seconds helped Indiana build an 82-70 advantage, and they represented real offensive value rather than empty movement around the perimeter.

The Walker sequence also exposed the tradeoff in Jackson’s performance. Walker’s long 3-pointer put Indiana ahead 77-70. Fifty-two seconds later, Walker found Jackson for a running finger roll that extended the lead to 82-70.

It was Jackson’s only made field goal. He could initiate the chain and put a teammate in position to finish it, yet his own opportunities kept ending unfinished: a missed layup at 4:48 of the third, another at 8:16 of the fourth and a missed 29-foot 3-pointer at 7:30.

That imbalance became more significant because Indiana had plenty of distribution. Andrew Nembhard produced 14 assists, and he and Jackson combined for 20 of the Pacers’ 30. Pascal Siakam contributed 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting and 11 rebounds, giving Indiana an efficient scoring anchor.

The Pacers moved the ball well enough to create a 12-point lead, but Philadelphia had enough scoring power to make every empty chance more expensive.

Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points for the 76ers. Anfernee Simons added 20 points and made six of his ten attempts from beyond the arc. Those makes contributed to Philadelphia’s win, alongside Maxey’s scoring.

The Pacers were also without Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy. That increased the importance of Nembhard’s control and Jackson’s passing, while also making the lack of another dependable scorer harder to overlook.

Jackson’s minus-7 should not be used as a verdict on his individual performance. That figure belongs to a game shaped by lineups, matchups and Philadelphia’s broader scoring response; it does not assign responsibility for the Pacers’ defeat. But the missed shots are more concrete.

Five misses against one make meant that Indiana’s other creators had to keep producing while Jackson’s own scoring threat remained limited. The offense could survive that for stretches, especially with Siakam shooting 11-for-17. It could not turn a 12-point third-quarter lead into a win.

The sixth assist arrived with five seconds remaining, when Jackson set up Kelly Oubre Jr. for a dunk that made the score 114-109. It counted, and it belonged in the box score, but Philadelphia had already secured the outcome. Treating that pass as part of a late charge would give a final-possession basket more drama than the sequence contained.

Jackson’s night therefore sits between usefulness and insufficiency. Six assists—one-fifth of Indiana’s total—showed that he could keep creating when his finishing abandoned him. The Nance dunk, Nance 3-pointer, Toppin 3, Nesmith floater and Walker 3 all came before the game’s final seconds and helped produce a lead Indiana nearly converted.

Yet his only basket came from Walker’s creation, and the Pacers ultimately needed more completed shots against Maxey and Simons.

For a guard playing only 14:24, that is a small but clear portrait: Jackson can help manufacture offense without being the player who completes it. Indiana got six assisted baskets from his short shift. It still needed steadier finishing from the player supplying those passes.

Sources

NBA: official final box score

NBA: official play-by-play

NBA: official player biography

ESPN: game record and event timing