Syracuse, N.Y. — Rakeem Christmas, fighting for an Indiana Pacers roster spot, showed flashes of what he can contribute on Tuesday in Orlando.
The former Syracuse center scored 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots in nearly 22 minutes of game action as Detroit defeated the Pacers 80-76.
Christmas came off the bench and scored the first time he touched the ball, turning in the mid-post and lofting a jump hook over 7-foot-2 Detroit big man Jordan Bachynski. (Christmas, who looks bigger and thicker through the chest and shoulders, is 6-9.