Former Arizona Wildcats Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry impress in NBA Summer League debuts

It was only four months ago that Bennedict Mathurin and Dalen Terry were in Las Vegas teaming up to lead the Arizona Wildcats to a Pac-12 Tournament title.

Some 120 days and millions of dollars later, Mathurin and Terry are back in Las Vegas beginning their NBA careers for the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls, respectively.

Both players took the floor with their new teams Friday and both walked out of Thomas & Mack Center with wins.

In the later of the two games, Mathurin scored 23 points in 20 minutes to guide the Pacers to a 96-84 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Mathurin also recorded four rebounds and one assist.

Former Arizona point guard Gabe York had four rebounds and four assists with no points in 16 minutes for the Pacers.

Mathurin, the 6th overall pick of the NBA Draft, showed why scouts thought so highly of his offensive potential coming out of Arizona. He scored eight points in the first five-and-a-half minutes.

Mathurin scored from all over the court, including three 3-pointers on six attempts.

In the third quarter, former Oregon Ducks star Chris Duarte set Mathurin up for a pretty backcourt lob.

Mathurin made an impressive drive to the hoop in the fourth quarter.

Mathurin and the Pacers return to action Sunday when they take on the Sacramento Kings at 12 p.m. PT on ESPN.

In the first game of the day, Terry showed off his characteristic versatility, recording nine points, six assists and five rebounds in 31 minutes. Terry, the 18th overall pick in the draft, also had one block and six turnovers.

Terry’s enthusiasm is one of his top calling cards as a young player, and it was on full display in his debut. After emphatically throwing down a breakaway dunk, he got called for a technical, probably for something he said.

After the game, Terry fought off criticism that he wasn’t aggressive enough scoring the ball.

““I was playing basketball,” he said, per the Arizona Daily Star’s Justin Spears. “I’m a basketball player. The way I play, I don’t have to score 30 points to affect the game.”

Terry and the Bulls return to the court Sunday when they face the New York Knicks at 2 p.m. PT on ESPN2.