NBA Summer League 2016: Friday Scores, Highlights and Las Vegas Highlights
Friday marked the final day of competition for 16 of the 24 teams in the 2016 Las Vegas Summer League field. The consolation round pitted squads that had already been eliminated from title contention against one another, giving those players one final chance to shine.
Tournament action will continue Saturday with the quarterfinals before eventually crowning a champion Monday night. The Toronto Raptors, led by Norman Powell and Jakob Poeltl, are the top seed, followed by the Chicago Bulls, with three rounds to go.
For now, let's check out the results from Friday's slate, which will be updated through the completion of play. That's followed by a recap of all the action at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.
Friday's Schedule and Results
| 53 | Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs | 90-86 SA (OT) |
| 54 | New Orleans Pelicans vs. NBA D-League Select | 88-76 DLS |
| 55 | Portland Trail Blazers vs. Boston Celtics | 80-75 POR |
| 56 | Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets | 92-89 HOU |
| 57 | Atlanta Hawks vs. Memphis Grizzlies | 89-79 ATL |
| 58 | Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat | 74-66 PHI |
| 59 | Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks | 80-74 DAL |
| 60 | Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers | 92-88 UTA |
San Antonio Spurs 90, Sacramento Kings 86 (OT)
The San Antonio Spurs used a 28-point surge in the fourth quarter to force overtime and then held the Kings to just two points in the extra period to end their summer-league experience on a high note.
The defending Las Vegas Summer League champions entered the fourth quarter down by 10 points. They used a 14-3 run to grab the lead with just over four minutes to play. The game saw four separate ties in the final 70 seconds before ultimately going to overtime.
NBA TV provided a look at the floater by Dejounte Murray, the Spurs' first-round selection, that leveled the score with 2.2 seconds left:
San Antonio went on to score the first five points of overtime and didn't allow a Sacramento bucket until there were just 21 seconds left to earn the hard-fought victory.
Murray led the way for the Spurs with 20 points, nine assists, four steals and four rebounds. Bryn Forbes and Davis Bertans also reached double figures in the win, each putting up 15 points.
Skal Labissiere, the 28th overall pick in June's draft, had his most complete effort of the summer for the Kings with 19 points (8-of-11 shooting) and five rebounds. Isaiah Cousins had some strong moments with 10 points and five rebounds, but he also turned the ball over five times.
While the Spurs weren't able to defend their championship, they finished the tournament with a 3-2 record and some highly encouraging moments from Murray. The takeaways aren't nearly as positive for the Kings, who ended up with an 0-5 mark.
NBA D-League Select Team 88, New Orleans Pelicans 76
The NBA D-League Select Team outscored the New Orleans Pelicans 52-30 after the halftime break to erase a 10-point first-half deficit en route to its third win of the tournament.
Quinn Cook, the reigning D-League Rookie of the Year, set the pace with 19 points to go along with six assists and four rebounds. Joel Wright added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Jabril Trawick had another solid showing off the bench with 12 points.
Jameel McKay had a much-needed standout game off the bench with 16 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots in the loss. Cheick Diallo also had a strong showing on the interior with 12 points, 10 boards and three blocks.
NBA TV showcased some of McKay's strong work down low:
Unfortunately for the Pelicans, the shooting woes of No. 6 overall pick Buddy Hield continued. He tallied just 11 points, making only five of his 18 attempts. He finished summer-league play going 32-of-98 (32.6 percent) from the field, including 11-of-48 (22.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
Add those numbers to a 1-4 record for the team during the tournament, and New Orleans won't leave Las Vegas with much positive news, though it's too soon to press the panic button.
Portland Trail Blazers 80, Boston Celtics 75
The Boston Celtics left Vegas with a loss, but No. 3 overall pick Jaylen Brown closed out his Sin City stint in electric fashion.
In the five-point loss, Brown went berserk with 21 points, seven rebounds and five steals. The University of California product was also the only Celtics starter to finish as a positive (plus-two) in the plus/minus column.
During Brown's strong showing, Marc D'Amico of the team's official website pointed to one encouraging trend that pertained to the rookie:
The Blazers, meanwhile, put together a fourth-quarter surge and outscored the Celtics by four in the final frame to end their Summer League stint on a high note.
Pat Connaughton paced Portland with 23 points (8-of-18 shooting) and four boards, while Pierre Jackson flirted with a double-double to the tune of 20 points and eight assists.
Jordan Mickey was the game's most imposing interior presence as he compiled 12 points and 13 rebounds (three offensive), but the Celtics were ultimately doomed by 20 turnovers and a lack of composure in the paint.
"We missed a lot of layups," Celtics assistant coach Jamie Young said, per the team's official Twitter account. "We didn't finish well around the rim all week."
Houston Rockets 92, Milwaukee Bucks 89
The Milwaukee Bucks mounted a furious comeback over the final 90 seconds of their Summer League finale, but it wasn't enough against a Houston Rockets team that had just enough cushion to survive after establishing a 15-point lead in the final frame.
The Rockets put forth arguably their most impressive display of the past week, shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 46.4 percent from three in the win.
Montrezl Harrell starred in 26 minutes of action. The former Louisville Cardinal poured in a team-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds, and he also doled out four assists while shooting 9-of-15 from the floor.
Sam Dekker flanked Harrell effectively to the tune of 17 points and eight boards of his own, and a wicked jam served as the highlight of his afternoon, per the league's official Twitter account:
Houston's unsung hero was Gonzaga star Kyle Wiltjer, who notched 11 points and was a team-best plus-20 in 21 minutes off the pine.
The Bucks received contributions from five double-figure scorers, including Thon Maker (12 points, nine rebounds), but they shot a meager 39.5 percent from the field overall.
Atlanta Hawks 89, Memphis Grizzlies 79
No DeAndre Bembry, no Taurean Prince, no problem for the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Even without their two first-round draft picks, the Hawks were able to keep the Grizzlies at arm's length throughout the evening en route to a 10-point win that saw all nine Atlanta players enter the scoring column.
Brandon Ashley, formerly of the Arizona Wildcats, set the tone with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Bryce Cotton topped the charts with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Memphis' Vince Hunter matched Cotton with a game-high 18 points, and Levi Randolph showed up with 16 points and four rebounds.
The win propelled Atlanta to 4-2 overall in Las Vegas, while Memphis fell to 2-3 with the loss after receiving a first-round bye in tournament play. But with defensive stud Wade Baldwin off to rest, Memphis simply didn't have enough juice to keep pace.
Philadelphia 76ers 74, Miami Heat 66
After sitting out consecutive games to rest, No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons returned to the floor and put on a show before the Philadelphia 76ers departed the desert.
In 31 minutes, Simmons racked up 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, two of which came in brilliant fashion, as NBA TV displayed on Twitter:
Shawn Long, who came on strong at times throughout the Sixers' stint in Vegas, led all Philadelphia scorers with 18 points. Long was at his most dominant in the first quarter, when he accounted for 14 of the Sixers' 21 points. He also collected 10 rebounds to join Simmons in the double-double club.
And it wouldn't have been a Sixers Summer League affair if Richaun Holmes (14 points, six rebounds) didn't come up with a head-turning play on defense.
Specifically, Holmes elevated with purpose in the fourth quarter and secured arguably the filthiest block of his young career, per NBA TV:
The Heat, on the other hand, didn't have much to offer in the way of highlights.
With Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder and Okaro White all off to rest, Miami was led by 17 points and seven rebounds from Damion Lee. All told, the team shot 34.3 percent from the field and 20.8 percent from three.
Dallas Mavericks 80, Golden State Warriors 74
The Dallas Mavericks established a 14-point halftime lead and didn't look back as they closed out their summer with a convincing win over the Golden State Warriors.
Despite turning the ball over a ghastly 27 times, the Mavericks were able to hold off the Warriors thanks to a more energetic effort below the free-throw line. Dallas out-rebounded Golden State 45-29, including a 13-8 edge on the offensive glass.
Chane Behanan and Vander Blue were the only offensive contributors of note for the Mavericks, and they finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
The Warriors actually boasted a more balanced effort, as five different players cracked double-figures, but a 4-of-25 shooting display from beyond the arc didn't help matters. Neither did a cumulative conversion rate of 36.2 percent from the floor.
Former Iona star A.J. English tallied 14 points off the bench, but NCAA tournament darling Thomas Walkup didn't fare as well for the Dubs. In just six minutes of action, Walkup missed all three of his field-goal attempts and grabbed two rebounds.
Utah Jazz 92, Los Angeles Lakers 88
The Los Angeles Lakers fell in their finale with D'Angelo Russell (rest) and Larry Nance Jr. (wrist) out, but they had plenty of positives to take away from the four-point loss to the Utah Jazz.
Namely, No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram shined as the Purple and Gold's go-to option.
In 31 minutes, Ingram found a groove and poured in 22 points on an efficient 9-of-13 shooting. However, it was the way in which Ingram scored that was most impressive.
The lengthy swingman's full arsenal was on display, including a long-range conversion from well beyond the arc in the second quarter off a quick pick-and-pop action:
Ingram also used his seemingly never-ending wingspan to disrupt passing lanes and get the Lakers some easy points in transition:
Elsewhere, fellow rookie Ivica Zubac came to play with 16 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Anthony Brown was also among the team's top contributors with a final line that consisted of 15 points and six rebounds.
Joel Bolomboy scored 20 points to lead the Jazz, and Utah received a pair of 14-point efforts off the bench from Dionte Christmas and Spencer Butterfield to send the Lakers packing.
