Sacramento Summer League 2018: Tuesday Scores, Stats, Highlights and Reaction
July 4, 2018
The inaugural California Classic headed into its second day Tuesday during the NBA's Sacramento Summer League.
Moe Wagner and the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to rebound from a defeat Monday to the Sacramento Kings when they faced off with the Miami Heat. For the Kings, the duo of Harry Giles III and Marvin Bagley III hoped to energize the Golden 1 Center crowd once again against the Golden State Warriors.
Here's a recap for the night's action.
Moe Wagner Struggles to Make Impression as Lakers Lose Handily
Wagner poured in 23 points as the Lakers lost their summer league opener to the Kings. Los Angeles could've used that offense Tuesday as it fell 89-74 to the Heat.
The former Michigan Wolverines star didn't make his presence felt, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds. Lina Washington of ABC 10 in Sacramento thought the first-round draft pick was at least bringing a lot of effort to the table:
Lina Washington @LWashingtonTVLast night Harry Giles talked about how he and Lakers rookie Moe Wagner were chirping back and forth the entire game, mentioning how he had seen it on TV but in person it went from “almost disrespect” to pure competition. Wagner’s keeping that same energy against the Heat today.
Fellow rookie Svi Mykhailiuk chipped in with 12 points for the Lakers.
The game belonged to Heat players Derrick Jones Jr. and Duncan Robinson, who combined for 40 points.
Robinson had the hot hand, shooting 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson thought the undrafted free agent might be playing his way onto the Heat's roster:
The same could be said of Jones, who opened the summer league with a double-double (24 points, 11 rebounds) on Monday. His 21 points came on 8-of-14 shooting as he found a lot of success inside.
Jones made 14 appearances for the Heat this past season and officially re-signed with the team Sunday. The California Classic is the perfect showcase for the 21-year-old to prove himself worthy of a meaningful role, and Fox Sports Sun's Will Manso thought that's exactly what he's doing:
Bam Adebayo is another Heat player looking to have a big summer league, and he flirted with a double-double (nine points, 10 rebounds) against Los Angeles.
De'Aaron Fox's Absence Looms Large as Marvin Bagley III, Harry Giles III Disappoint
In the Kings' opening game, the team fed off a raucous crowd that treated the summer league like the regular season. Golden 1 Center couldn't find the same energy, and Sacramento limped to a 71-54 defeat to the Warriors.
The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones reported De'Aaron Fox was dealing with a sore left Achilles, which ruled him out for the game. In his absence, the supporting cast failed to pick up the slack.
Bagley scored seven points on 3-of-16 shooting. He was 0-of-5 on three-pointers, an indication that part of his game will be a work in progress. Giles, meanwhile, was 2-of-9 for four points:
Justin Jackson at least delivered, getting a game-high 20 points.
Warriors rookie Jacob Evans made his debut for the team and posted 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.
Not surprisingly, Jordan Bell stood out from the rest with his all-around contributions. Bell finished with eight points, six rebounds, seven assists, two steals and four blocks.
Although the Warriors agreed to a deal with DeMarcus Cousins, they lost JaVale McGee and haven't agreed to re-sign Zaza Pachulia. Cousins is likely to miss a big chunk of 2018-19 while recovering from his torn Achilles, too.
Bell was a valuable role player for Golden State as a rookie, and the stage should be set for him to do even more in his second season.