NBA Summer League 2015: Scores and Highlights from Wednesday's Las Vegas Results

Wednesday's NBA Summer League action marked the start of tournament play in Las Vegas. The championship round began with the top eight seeds receiving byes, and eight games were played to determine who'd face them.

Numerous top draft picks, headlined by No. 1 Karl-Anthony Towns and second overall pick D'Angelo Russell, took the court. Their games were spaced out during the day, so even these pseudo-exhibition contests were worth tuning in for.

Take a look at how all the games played out with brief recaps of each contest below.    

Milwaukee Bucks def. Houston Rockets, 97-93

John Locher/Associated Press

Houston is the No. 9 seed, the highest in action tasked with taking on a Bucks squad eager to bounce back from a blown 21-point lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers in its previous contest.

It was evident Milwaukee was out to avenge its collapse on Wednesday en route to building an eight-point lead entering the final quarter. However, the Rockets soared to a 9-0 run to grab the advantage at 75-74, only to ultimately allow the Bucks to avert disaster.

One silver lining from the loss for Houston was the play of rookie Montrezl Harrell, who put up 16 points and pulled down four offensive rebounds among his five total boards. The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds spoke highly of Harrell:

Promising as the young core of Milwaukee's NBA team is, the summer league squad has shown commendable class throughout—even after losing the first three games, per BasketballInsiders.com's Jessica Camerato:

The positive atmosphere paid off and netted the Bucks their first win at the best possible time. They'll move on to face Phoenix on Thursday.

One wonderful development for the Bucks in Vegas has been the play of guard Sean Kilpatrick. The former Cincinnati standout has been lighting it up this summer and continued to do so Wednesday with 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead the victorious effort.

On Monday, Kirkpatrick stated on Twitter, "My time is coming. Everyone's path to success is different. That's why when you have reached your goals never forget the struggle that you had to go through." It's hard not to believe his time toward the presumptive goal of reaching the NBA is indeed imminent.

Rookie first-round pick Rashad Vaughn poured in 23 points for Milwaukee, and forward Kevin Jones had 20 to go with a team-high nine rebounds. The Bucks' combination of camaraderie and talent could well lead to a surprisingly deep run in the tournament.

Brooklyn Nets def. Philadelphia 76ers, 75-68

Ronda Churchill/Associated Press

All eyes would have been on Jahlil Okafor, but the Sixers big man sat out this contest. Philly struggled to adjust at the start when the Nets ran out to a 23-7 lead after one quarter.

It wasn't until the third quarter that the Sixers started to make things competitive. One source of momentum came on a tremendous dunk by J.P. Tokoto:

Some may criticize the multitude of second-round picks Philadelphia general manager Sam Hinkie accrued. At least Tokoto justified his upside and athleticism on his thunderous finish at the rim.

The early hole was too much for Philadelphia to overcome, though. Brooklyn managed to remain out in front despite standout summer league performer Ryan Boatright exiting with a stinger after playing just over seven minutes, as the Nets announced.   

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson flashed nicely in the early going on a highlight-reel block to indicate he has the chops to be a defensive stopper on the NBA level:

Markel Brown poured in 23 points to lead all scorers on 10-of-20 shooting. Next up for the Nets is a showdown with the San Antonio Spurs.

Brooklyn's opponent won't be as formidable as the NBA juggernaut. Nevertheless, it's a big opportunity for the Nets summer squad participants to make strides and perhaps catch on elsewhere, since Brooklyn doesn't have a D-League affiliate.

The summer league ends for the 76ers on Friday when they take on the Rockets. Okafor is one of the few summertime bright spots the organization can point to amid a continuing, frustrating rebuild.

Atlanta Hawks def. Miami Heat, 75-64

Four Hawks scored in double figures as the team overcame 22 total turnovers to defeat a Heat squad that was offensively inept. Atlanta's Mike Muscala posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and center Edy Tavares added 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Hawks.com's KL Chouinard applauded the victors, particularly Muscala and Lamar Patterson, for their chemistry and involving multiple players in the offense:

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel noted the defensive tenacity Atlanta had to take Miami point guard Shabazz Napier out of his element:

An inefficient performance from Napier harmed the Heat's offense. Napier did lead Miami with 21 points but missed 12 of 18 shots from the field, shot free throws at a 7-of-13 clip and had only two assists to seven turnovers.

In the former UConn star's defense, Justise Winslow wasn't suiting up for this game, limiting the options for Napier. 

The next step for Atlanta is a showdown with the third-seeded Denver Nuggets. Perhaps the Hawks can trap Nuggets rookie lottery pick Emmanuel Mudiay, who will need to be contained if Atlanta is meant to advance further in the tournament.

Golden State Warriors def. Sacramento Kings, 83-67

James Michael McAdoo turned in a stellar all-around performance with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals to drive the Warriors to victory.

McAdoo's outing upstaged the attention placed on the opposing front court with rookie lottery pick Willie Cauley-Stein in action. The Kentucky product did stuff the stat sheet to a degree with six points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocks.

ESPN Insider's Kevin Pelton observed how well Cauley-Stein responded to an injury scare to make an impact play:

T.J. Beisner of Kentucky Sports Television poked a bit of fun at critics who feel Cauley-Stein isn't dedicated to being a great player:

The effort level seen out of Cauley-Stein had to please Sacramento fans, even if the final outcome wasn't desired. Kings point guard David Stockton scored 17 points in defeat to lead the team.

Warriors first-rounder Kevon Looney fared rather well with 11 points off the bench. Looney is still a project, so any encouraging flashes from him in the summer have to be thrilling Golden State's brass.

The 'Dubs will move on to face the New York Knicks. Those teams were on the opposite end of the spectrum this past NBA regular season, so it will be fascinating to see how that matchup unfolds, especially with No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis on the floor for New York.

Washington Wizards def. Utah Jazz, 86-78

The Washington Wizards only shot 42.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from three Wednesday evening, but those tallies were enough to propel them to an eight-point victory over the Utah Jazz. 

All told, five Wizards players finished in double-figures, as Scott Machado led the way with 17 points and a game-high eight assists. Orlando Johnson was Washington's steadiest scorer on the evening, tallying 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds to record the game's only double-double.

First-round pick Kelly Oubre Jr. struggled, shooting 3-of-11 from the field, but he managed to finish with 11 points, two of which came in aerial fashion:   

Bryce Cotton shouldered the load for the Utah Jazz, but there wasn't much else to write home about beyond the 22-year-old's 20-point (7-of-17 shooting) showing. 

Former Oregon State star Jared Cunningham just barely cracked double-figures with 10 points, but Utah was outscored by 10 points during his 16 minutes on the floor.

Trey Lyles, the 14th pick in June's draft, remained relatively quiet with just seven points (3-of-11 shooting) and seven rebounds. The Kentucky product has plenty of kinks to work through as Utah seeks to develop him into a more versatile scoring option.    

The Wizards will be back in action Thursday evening against Seth Curry and the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Jazz are headed for consolation play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.  

Dallas Mavericks def. Los Angeles Lakers, 88-86

The Lakers were eliminated from the Las Vegas championship bracket with a two-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but the Purple and Gold's high-profile youngsters didn't go down without showing some encouraging signs of progress. 

Although No. 2 overall pick D'Angelo Russell finished with just eight points, he added team highs of six rebounds and five assists to his final line. 

Russell's running mate Julius Randle dropped 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, a scoring equal to that of 2014-15 First Team All-Rookie selection Jordan Clarkson.

And as Bleacher Report's Andrew Bailey noted, Randle hadn't flashed that sort of polish yet in Sin City: 

Jabari Brown went on to lead the Lakers with 19 points, but Dallas' Justin Anderson (16 points) once again provided the highlight of the night by snuffing Tarik Black at the rim.

NBC Sports' Michael Gallagher passed along video of the encounter:

Jeremy Tyler stole the show with 25 points and 11 rebounds, and his superlative effort pushed Dallas into a second-round elimination battle with the sixth-seeded D-League Select squad on Thursday. 

Chicago Bulls def. Cleveland Cavaliers, 91-73

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Retribution for the Eastern Conference semifinals, anyone? 

The Chicago Bulls blitzed the Cleveland Cavaliers late Wednesday night behind 16 points apiece from Doug McDermott, Bobby Portis and Vander Blue, each of whom stroked the rock at fairly efficient clips. 

Overall, the Bulls converted 49 percent of their total shots and 50 percent of their threes, half of which came courtesy of Tyrus McGee. The former Iowa State Cyclone finished with 14 points, and Chicago outscored Cleveland by a whopping 15 points during his 21 minutes off the bench. 

McDermott followed up a 19-point showing with another double-figure effort, this one coming on 50 percent shooting (8-of-16 from the field). 

While Chicago's has established starters in Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy on the perimeter, McDermott could have an opportunity to carve out a role off the bench as a floor-stretching option at the 3 under new head coach Fred Hoiberg. 

On the flip side, Cleveland's offense was in disarray—as many summer league units tend to be—all night long. The Cavs were outscored in all four frames, and D.J. Seeley (16 points) and Quinn Cook (10 points) were the only players to score at least five baskets. 

Cleveland will wrap things up with a consolation contest Friday as the Bulls prepare for a quarterfinal showdown with the top-seeded Toronto Raptors. 

Portland Trail Blazers def. Minnesota Timberwolves, 82-77

John Locher/Associated Press

Karl Anthony-Towns' pursuit of a Las Vegas Summer League championship ended Wednesday, but the No. 1 overall pick dazzled in defeat. 

Although the Minnesota Timberwolves were relegated to consolation play by the Portland Trail Blazers, Towns stole the show by tallying 20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists while shooting 7-of-9 from the field. 

As Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley noted, it's frightening to think how Towns' game could evolve given how much polish he's displayed thus far: 

To Buckley's point, 19-year-old kids aren't supposed to have this kind of floor vision:  

With the win, the Blazers advanced to play the Boston Celtics on Thursday afternoon, but they'll likely do so without shooting guard Allen Crabbe. 

According to Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears, Crabbe suffered a left leg injury and is slated to undergo an MRI: 

With summer league a minor concern at this point, the Blazers will need to hold out hope that Crabbe's injury isn't serious enough to prevent him from missing regular-season action.