NBA Summer League TV Schedule 2012: When and Where to Catch All the Vegas Action

The games may not technically count for anything, but don't tell that to the various rookies and young players looking to make impacts in the NBA Summer League.

Things get started in Las Vegas on Friday, and although winning may not be the main objective for many of the players, showing that they belong in the NBA will be.

Many of the game's biggest stars got their starts in the NBA Summer League before they ever played official NBA games. The NBA regular season is obviously a completely different animal, but the Summer League allows inexperienced players to compete against their peers and has become a measuring stick of sorts to see how prepared the newcomers really are.

Here is everything you need to know about this year's NBA Summer League slate, including when and where to catch all the action, as well as which players you should be paying special attention to. 

Where: COX Pavilion and Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas

When: Friday, July 13 - Sunday, July 22

Watch: NBA TV 

Full TV Schedule

Friday July 13

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—Atlanta vs. Washington
6 p.m.—Houston vs. Toronto
8 p.m.—Golden State vs. LA Lakers
10 p.m—Sacramento vs. Charlotte 

Saturday July 14

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—Memphis vs. New York
6 p.m.—Golden State vs. Denver
8 p.m.—LA Lakers vs. Sacramento
10 p.m.—Houston vs. Washington 

Sunday July 15

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—New York vs. Phoenix
6 p.m.—Denver vs. Dallas
8 p.m.—San Antonio vs. Atlanta
10 p.m.—Washington vs. NBA D-League

Thomas & Mack

6:30 p.m.—Toronto vs. Miami
8:30 p.m.—Cleveland vs. Charlotte
10:30 p.m.—New Orleans vs. Portland 

Monday July 16

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—Atlanta vs. Boston
6 p.m.—Dallas vs. Toronto
8 p.m.—Cleveland vs. NBA D-League
10 p.m.—LA Clippers vs. Minnesota

Thomas & Mack

6:30 p.m.—Houston vs. Sacramento
8:30 p.m.—LA Lakers vs. Miami
10:30 p.m.—Milwaukee vs. New Orleans 

Tuesday July 17

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—Denver vs. New York
6 p.m.—Washington vs. Memphis
8 p.m.—Portland vs. Houston
10 p.m.—Chicago vs. Boston 

Thomas & Mack

6:30 p.m.—San Antonio vs. LA Lakers
8:30 p.m.—Cleveland vs. Phoenix
10:30 p.m.—Minnesota vs. Charlotte 

Wednesday July 18

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—Milwaukee vs. Washington
6 p.m.—Chicago vs. Houston
8 p.m.—Atlanta vs. Dallas
10 p.m.—San Antonio vs. LA Clippers 

Thomas & Mack

6:30 p.m.—Sacramento vs. Toronto
8:30 p.m.—New Orleans vs. Phoenix
10:30 p.m.—Golden State vs. Miami 

Thursday July 19

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—New York vs. Toronto
6 p.m.—Portland vs. Atlanta
8 p.m.—Cleveland vs. Minnesota
10 p.m.—NBA D-League vs. Milwaukee 

Thomas & Mack

6:30 p.m.—Boston vs. Sacramento
8:30 p.m.—LA Clippers vs. LA Lakers
10:30 p.m.—Charlotte vs. Denver 

Friday July 20

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—New York vs. Cleveland
6 p.m.—Denver vs. Portland
8 p.m.—Miami vs. San Antonio
10 p.m.—NBA D-League vs. Phoenix 

Thomas & Mack

6:30 p.m.—Memphis vs. Charlotte
8:30 p.m.—Chicago vs. Golden State
10:30 p.m.—Dallas vs. New Orleans 

Saturday July 21

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—Portland vs. Miami
6 p.m.—Dallas vs. San Antonio
8 p.m.—NBA D-League vs. Minnesota
10 p.m.—Memphis vs. Phoenix 

Thomas & Mack

6:30 p.m.—Golden State vs. New Orleans
8:30 p.m.—Chicago vs. LA Clippers
10:30 p.m.—Milwaukee vs. Boston 

Sunday July 22

COX Pavilion

4 p.m.—Chicago vs. Milwaukee
6 p.m.—Boston vs. LA Clippers
8 p.m.—Memphis vs. Minnesota

*NBA TV will televise all 60 games, 39 of which will be live.

Top Players to Watch

Bradley Beal

He may not have to live up to as much hype as No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, but Washington Wizards first-rounder Bradley Beal will have high expectations in his own right.

The star Florida guard was taken third by the Wiz, and many are expecting him to step into the starting lineup right away alongside electric point guard John Wall.

Scoring guards are generally given every opportunity to shine in the NBA Summer League, so this will be Beal's big chance to supplant someone like Jordan Crawford and be an immediate go-to guy.

Beal has been compared favorably to Ray Allen thanks to his smooth jump shot, and I expect it to be on full display in Las Vegas.

Thomas Robinson

Heading into the draft, many believed that Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson would be the No. 2 pick, behind Davis. That didn't come to fruition, however, as Robinson slid all the way to No. 5 before the Sacramento Kings snatched him up.

Many considered that pick to be one of the biggest steals of the draft, but now Robinson has to prove that to be true.

Robinson is an intense player who always puts forth maximum effort, so I have to believe he will enter the NBA Summer League with a chip on his shoulder. Four teams passed him up in the draft, and he will be out to prove that was a big mistake.

Robinson can dominate in the paint offensively or on the boards defensively, so Kings fans will be monitoring those two things very closely.

Damian Lillard

Coming out of tiny Weber State, there are a lot of question marks surrounding Damian Lillard. The Portland Trail Blazers took the explosive point guard with the No. 6 pick in the draft and hope that his dominance in the Big Sky Conference carries over to the NBA.

Lillard was a high-volume scorer with distribution capability in college, but the level of competition will be significantly higher in the NBA Summer League. Lillard rarely played against his rookie counterparts in college and was usually lighting up inferior opponents.

The Summer League will give him an opportunity to show that he is just as talented as anyone, though.

The Blazers also have a starting spot up for grabs at point guard, so if Lillard can outperform teammate Nolan Smith, then he has a great chance to receive big minutes immediately.

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