INDIANAPOLIS -- Bennedict Mathurin knew what he wanted when the day began.

"I'm trying to get MVP," the Pacers' second-year guard said during a media session before practice for the four-team Rising Stars tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday morning.

And when Mathurin saw the opportunity to go take it, he put his stamp on it. Which is to say he had no qualms about taking over the game and also unabashedly talked smack while he was doing it, some of which was caught on TNT microphones.

Mathurin scored 18 points in Team Jalen's win 40-35 win over Team Tamika in the first round, then scored four more in Team Jalen's 26-13 win over Team Detlef in the finals -- the games in the tournament had no clocks with the semifinals being first-to-40 and finals being first-to-25. With 22 total points he was the unanimous choice for MVP, giving the Pacers a strong start to the first All-Star Game weekend they've hosted since 1985.

"It's great for us," Mathurin said. "It's great for the Pacers. I think it's also great for the kids who are watching me and seeing me as an idol. I'm really grateful for that."

Mathurin came out firing in the first game and he didn't let early mishaps slow him down. In Team Jalen's first 10 possessions, he had two missed fadeaways and had a turnover as Team Jalen fell behind 9-0, but he didn't see that as any reason to stop attacking. He was 0 of 3 from the field until he got a driving layup to get on the board. He missed a 3 but then got two more layups and a dunk. Once he hit a 3-pointer that gave Team Jalen a 30-24 lead, he was looking for every possible opportunity to score. Even when the ball slipped out of his hand when he was trying a windmill dunk, he didn't let that deter him.

"I just saw a couple shots go in and I was like, 'This is a wrap,'" Mathurin said. "If I'm being totally honest, it's also my city. I had to make sure I bring it home. That was also the main thing."

And once he realized he was on, he didn't have a problem letting other people know it.

That included Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, who was playing on Team Tamika. Mathurin and the former Mishawaka Marian, La Lumiere and Purdue star have battled since Ivey was taken fifth and Mathurin sixth in the 2023 NBA draft, and Mathurin has generally got the best of those exchanges. And on Friday he very much let Ivey know it.

Ivey fouled Mathurin on a jump shot, and on the way to the free throw line, Mathurin told Ivey, "Even in the Rising Stars, you can't guard me." Ivey asked him, "You said what?" Mathurin repeated it again. Ivey got up in Mathurin's face and asked Mathurin yet again, and Mathurin said it one more time.

"We were just having a normal conversation," Mathurin said. "Competing. Talking crap. Just having fun."

Mathurin was still having fun when he went to the line with a chance to win the game if he hit two free throws. He saw Orlando forward and reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero lined up in the low block and said he wanted to bet $25,000 that he'd make both shots and win the game. It wasn't clear if Banchero took him up on the offer or if Mathurin was really serious, but he missed both free throws.

But then he won Team Jalen the game anyway, knocking down a 14-foot fadeaway over guard Scoot Henderson to clinch the game, then dancing along the sidelines and slapping hands with a fan on the side of the floor.

Mathurin finished 7 of 13 from the floor, taking nearly half of Team Jalen's 27 shots in that first game. He was 2 of 4 from 3, 2 of 5 from the line. He didn't have any assists in the first game, but he did have dazzling no-look behind-the-back dish to teammate Walker Kessler for a layup in the second.

Mathurin's shots didn't seem to bother his teammates, who were happy to back down to give the player on the hometown team the chance to win MVP.

"Usually when a guy is in their home city and that's his intention, you understand and you're not trying to get in the way of that," said Oklahoma City rookie center Chet Holmgren, who was Mathurin's teammate with Team Jalen. "Benn's a great player too. All credit to him. If he wants to go out and have some extra juice to go get that MVP, go ahead, we're going to support him in that. The whole team gets paid if we win."

Mathurin's performance was a reminder of his elite capacity as a scorer. He was first-team All-Rookie last season when he averaged 16.7 points per game with his 1,302 total points being the third highest figure of any Pacers rookie in history.

This season his overall scoring numbers are down as he's averaging 14.1 points per game. The clearest reason why, however, is that he's taking fewer shots and figuring how to operate within the Pacers' system, as he's actually been more efficient this season. His shooting numbers are up almost across the board. He's shooting 45.0% from the field after finishing at 43.4% last year. His 3-point clip is up to 36.6% from 32.3% and his effective field goal percentage is up from .487 to .506. He's drawing fewer free throws, which is a downside of attacking less, but his assists are also up from 1.5 per game to 1.9, showing that he's starting to get a sense of how and when to move the ball.

He hasn't always been consistent in that regard and there still have been times when he's forced action. He also enters All-Star break in a slump having dealt with injury and illness issues, scoring just four points on 2 of 10 shooting in his final two appearances before the break.

But on a whole he's shown real progress, and is learning how to play next to other stars, including All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and newly acquired two-time All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam.

"It's sacrifice, sacrifice," Mathurin said. "College was different, high school was different. I told (Rick Carlisle), I said I'm willing to be coached hard. I'm willing to sacrifice for the team. I'm trying to win as many games as I can. My part of this team is to help the team win and have an impact as soon as I come into the game."

Rising Stars, though, is also different, so Mathurin didn't have any misgivings about getting his shots, and getting the MVP.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NBA-All-Star: Bennedict Mathurin calls his shot, wins Rising Stars MVP