NBA Summer League 2016: Scores and Highlights from Monday's Las Vegas Results

For the first time since play opened in Las Vegas on Friday, there was no matchup featuring a pair of top-six picks going head-to-head on the summer-league schedule. Instead, teams Monday began seeing their positioning solidify on the penultimate day of pool play.   

Thon Maker tried to build on a pair of double-doubles to start his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks, while the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers' Brandon Ingram and the Minnesota Timberwolves' Kris Dunn tried to continue building their resumes. 

Ingram's Lakers have featured a breakout outing from second-year guard D'Angelo Russell, who seems primed to push the distractions of his rookie season to the background and become a star.

The Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors were all in action trying to clinch a perfect 3-0 record in pool play. That would assuredly give them a two-day break, as seeds Nos. 9 through 24 get elimination play started Wednesday.

Here is a look at how everything played out from Vegas. 

Memphis Grizzlies 85, Milwaukee Bucks 81

D.J. Stephens and Vince Hunter each had big games off the bench, and Wade Baldwin IV flashed some dribble-drive tenacity as the Grizzlies held on for an 85-81 win over Milwaukee.

Stephens, who last played for the NBA Development League's Iowa Energy, knocked down nine of his 13 shots and grabbed seven rebounds in a 21-point performance. Only Milwaukee's Terran Petteway matched his points total.

Most remarkable about Stephens' performance is that he did not do it all at the free-throw line. Only one of his 21 points came at the charity stripe, running in stark contrast to his teammates.

Memphis attempted 41 free throws as the Bucks continued to have remarkable foul trouble. Maker, who recorded a double-double in points and rebounds each of his first two games, recorded a summer-league special Monday: 10 points, 10 fouls. He made just two of his five shots and committed four turnovers in what was easily his worst outing in Vegas.

On the bright side, here is a good idea:

The free-throw advantage helped carry Hunter, who needed only six shots to get his 17 points. The former UTEP standout added seven rebounds and might wind up getting an NBA look or two if he does not return to Greece next season.

Baldwin had 13 points, six rebounds and two assists, with more than half of his points coming at the line. Even Andrew Harrison, who otherwise had an abysmal performance (2-of-14 from the field), got to 12 points thanks to his seven free throws.

Rashad Vaughn matched Harrison bad shot for bad shot, finishing 4-of-17 on field-goal attempts. He was the Bucks' second-leading scorer with 16. Perhaps the best story of Vegas for Milwaukee has been Malcolm Brogdon, who continued looking like an NBA rotation player with a 15-point, six-assist outing.

Brooklyn Nets 72, Atlanta Hawks 65

The Nets are a long way from competing at the actual NBA level. But these Summer Nets are giving some (small) hope for the future.

Chris McCullough scored a game-high 16 points, and Isaiah Whitehead added 10 as Brooklyn earned a 72-65 triumph in an ugly, low-scoring affair.

McCullough, who was limited to 24 games as a rookie because of knee surgery, flashed a dynamic offensive profile. He made both of his three-point attempts, got to the line seven times and pulled down eight rebounds. 

Whitehead was the Nets' only other double-digit scorer as the team survived despite committing 20 turnovers and making just six threes. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had some positive impact with an eight-point, four-rebound, four-assist performance, and Yogi Ferrell had nine points in his push to make the big club.

But this win was mostly a result of Atlanta's offensive futility.

The Hawks shot 32.9 percent from the floor, which included a 6-of-26 rate from beyond the arc. DeAndre Bembry and Kevin Pangos were the only players who made at least half their shot attempts. Brandon Ashley led the way with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Taurean Prince had 10 off the bench in his Hawks debut.

It was a stark contrast to the Hawksian way of play they'd shown through the first two games. Atlanta wound up assisting on only 10 of its 23 field goals.

D-League Select 89, Houston Rockets 71

Jaron Johnson and Reggie Hearn combined for 32 points off the bench, helping the D-League defeat the Rockets by a comfortable margin.

Houston shot only 36.1 percent from the floor and committed 18 total turnovers in a rather sloppy all-around performance. Former Wisconsin standout Sam Dekker had 11 points and a team-high six assists in defeat, while Montrezl Harrell led the Rockets with 18 points.

Joel Wright, who averaged 14.2 points per contest in the D-League last season, led his squad with 19 points. He is also unique in that he's been drafted in the D-League twice, but if Wright continues impressing throughout the summer, he may get an NBA call soon enough.

Although it's harder to project D-League players' oulook, at least Houston can take solace in how aggressive Harrell was being and the job Dekker did as a distributor.

Toronto Raptors 80, Dallas Mavericks 69

Shooting guard Norman Powell led Toronto with a game-high 23 points to keep the Raptors undefeated at 3-0 in Las Vegas.

SportsNet Stats highlighted just how lights-out Powell has been through three games:

Toronto fans also had to be pleased with polarizing former first-round pick Bruno Caboclo. The Brazilian is still undeniably raw, yet he did show encouraging flashes on Monday, posting 12 points—including 10 in the fourth quarter—five rebounds and three steals.

The Mavs faithful can't be too thrilled with what they saw from 2015 first-rounder Justin Anderson. Expected to take on an increased role following Chandler Parsons' free-agent departure, Anderson looked shaky.

After scoring 10 points on only 4-of-16 shooting, Anderson tried to look at the silver lining behind his struggles:

Other notables from the Raptors' side came from the backcourt. Second-year lead guard Delon Wright dished out five dimes, while former Wichita State star Fred VanVleet poured in nine points off the bench to help Toronto's victorious cause.

If VanVleet continues to keep up his level of play, he could well steal a spot on the final roster after going undrafted.

Miami Heat 92, Denver Nuggets 81

The Heat may have emerged with the "W"—thanks largely to Rodney McGruder's 23 points—but much of the intrigue surrounding this matchup came from Denver's side.

Rookie lottery pick Jamal Murray certainly wasn't shy about shooting, pouring in 29 points but only on 10-of-25 shooting.

Still trying to make an impression on the NBA landscape, Jimmer Fredette suited up for the Nuggets and added 18 points of his own.

Former Louisville standout Damion Lee, who was feeling it from downtown en route to 17 points, including five-three pointers, was the X-factor who decided the contest.

Again, though, one of the major storylines to watch in Vegas is how well Fredette plays and whether he at least merits a training camp invitation from Denver. Whether it's with the Nuggets or elsewhere, Fredette isn't relenting his pursuit of an NBA dream.

Cleveland Cavaliers 99, Minnesota Timberwolves 68

Without Kris Dunn's services, Minnesota faltered, particularly in the third quarter, which the Cavs dominated 29-9.

The Wolves announced Dunn was diagnosed with a concussion prior to Monday's tip. His absence was glaring but shouldn't worry Minnesota fans who have a ton of young, promising core players too valuable to play in the summer.

Reserve forward Raphiael Putney had 19 points for Cleveland, nailing five of the team's 13 triples on 27 attempts from beyond the arc. The Cavs' proficiency from the perimeter and overall shooting percentage of 54.7 proved to overwhelm the Wolves.

Former Duke guard Tyus Jones didn't have much of a supporting cast around him but didn't play his best basketball either.

Jones scored 15 points to lead Minnesota but had only three assists to five turnovers, while big man Adreian Payne missed 10 of 12 shots and racked up seven personal fouls.

New Orleans Pelicans 70, Sacramento Kings 66

In what was otherwise an unsavory showcase of hoops, two rookies stepped up to provide the vast majority of entertainment value between these two teams.

Buddy Hield stuffed the stat sheet in driving the Pelicans to victory, logging a line of 23 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals. New Orleans trailed by seven at halftime but used a 29-11 third quarter to surge ahead.

As for the other first-year player who occupied the spotlight, Kentucky one-and-done Skal Labissiere was one of only two Kings to score in double figures with 16 points. Bleacher Report draft expert Jonathan Wasserman weighed in on this year's 28th overall pick:

Showing a deft shooting touch with two three-pointers made on three such attempts, Labissiere has the finesse to thrive in the modern NBA.

With a bit more bulk added to his frame and forthcoming experience, he should be a strong contributor in Sacramento for years to come. He did crash the glass for six rebounds versus the Pelicans, which is another positive sign for Labissiere's outlook.

Los Angeles Lakers 78, Golden State Warriors 65

With Kevin Durant's arrival in Oakland making for quite a top-heavy roster, one can deduce the Warriors didn't have too many bodies to trot onto the court in Vegas.

That allowed this game to essentially be a one-man show, starring Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell. In only 23 minutes of action, Russell managed to notch 26 points on only 13 shots. He was the only player on his team to score more than nine.

The second-year pro tried to keep it cool on Twitter afterward:

"

Humble

— D'Angelo Russell (@Dloading) July 12, 2016"

Like Russell, Brandon Ingram is a No. 2 overall pick, but the latter struggled on Monday, missing all five of his field-goal attempts. Ingram did persevere, sank seven of nine free throws and had seven rebounds, which offset his overall offensive struggles to a degree.

Keifer Sykes had 16 points to lead Golden State, but again, the Dubs didn't have many viable summer leaguers in the fold. They shot only 29.7 percent from the floor as a team and went 14-of-24 from the charity stripe.

Such abysmal offense is the polar opposite of what the Warriors are known for. Chances are their upcoming A-team regular season will be a bit more fruitful in terms of buckets to be had.