NBA Summer League 2018: Scores and Highlights from Sunday's Las Vegas Results
NBA Summer League is typically reserved for rookies and young playmakers looking to make individual statements in an effort to cement their spots on rosters heading into the regular season, but there is team hardware at stake in Las Vegas.
Sunday marked the quarterfinals of the 2018 summer league in Sin City with four games on the slate, including one featuring the defending summer league champion Los Angeles Lakers.
The full bracket can be found at NBA.com, and a recap for Sunday's action can be found below.
Results
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Detroit Pistons 78
Cleveland Cavaliers 82, Toronto Raptors, 68
Portland Trail Blazers 95, Boston Celtics 80
Memphis Grizzlies 82, Philadelphia 76ers 73
Recap
LeBron Gets Firsthand Look at Josh Hart's Ability to Thrive Alongside Him
The Lakers' summer league title defense is still alive after a 101-78 victory over the Detroit Pistons thanks to 18 points from Josh Hart and 19 points from Svi Mykhailiuk.
The action on the court took a backseat, though, to who was in attendance, as LeBron James had a firsthand look at some of his future teammates. Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated shared the four-time MVP's warm reception when he entered the arena:
Hart was the most important player on the floor for Los Angeles in terms of the big picture of the upcoming season, and James watched him slash through the lane, serve as a facilitator with four assists and stretch the defense with a three-pointer. It wasn't difficult to envision the Villanova product doing just that when opposing defenses collapse on the King in 2018-19.
James, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma will serve as the focal points for opposing teams, so expect Hart to see plenty of open looks during the season. He connected on 39.6 percent of his triples while playing in 63 games in 2017-18 and flashed his ability to penetrate against the Pistons.
Few players in NBA history have the vision and on-court awareness of James with the ball in his hands, and Hart showed he can be trusted when that vision leads to passes directed his way.
Collin Sexton Provides Cavaliers Hope in LeBron-Less World
It will be a battle between James' old team and his new one in the semifinals after the Cleveland Cavaliers handled the Toronto Raptors, 82-68, in Sunday's second quarterfinals matchup. Collin Sexton finished with 18 points and six assists, while John Holland added 23 points.
Things aren't going to be the same for the Cavaliers after James left following a run of four straight NBA Finals appearances and a title, so Sexton's performances in Las Vegas provide reason for hope moving forward.
Cleveland is no longer a championship contender and needs its No. 8 overall pick to lead it into the future. While it is just summer league, his showing Sunday came after he averaged 18.4 points and 3.2 assists a night in his first five games.
The Alabama product's ability to slash through the lane has been key for the scoring totals, but the facilitating he flashed Sunday is promising.
The Cavaliers lost one of the best playmakers in NBA history when James departed for the Lakers, as his ability to see plays before they unfold and find teammates drove the team to elevated heights. It isn't fair to expect that from Sexton as a rookie, but Cleveland is going to need playmaking in 2018-19 without James to dictate tempo and capitalize on openings.
Sexton's showing Sunday suggests he is capable of doing that in his inaugural campaign.
Zach Collins Flashes Potential to Have Bounce-Back Season for Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers advanced on the non-Lakers side of the bracket Sunday with a 95-80 victory over the Boston Celtics behind 25 points from John Jenkins and 11 points and eight boards from Zach Collins.
Solid production from Collins is encouraging from Portland's perspective considering he was largely a nonfactor in his rookie season after going No. 10 overall in the 2017 draft.
Expectations were high after he helped lead Gonzaga to the national title game in his one collegiate season, but he averaged just 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game in 2017-18, which is why he found himself in summer league in the first place.
Portland relies on Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in the backcourt, but it doesn't have much proven frontcourt depth behind Jusuf Nurkic. It needs another rotation piece to consistently battle for rebounds and provide timely scoring on the blocks if it is going to contend in the loaded Western Conference.
Collins flashed some of his potential Sunday as someone who can fill that void at his peak.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Has the Talent to Instantly Be Grizzlies' Third Option
The Memphis Grizzlies capped off Sunday's action with an 82-73 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, setting up a semifinals matchup with the Trail Blazers. Brandon Goodwin led the way with 21 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 14 points, eight boards and four blocks.
The showing from Jackson, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, was exactly what a Memphis team in desperate need of young talent was looking for from the rookie after going an ugly 22-60 last season. The need for the young playmaker to thrive is all the more important considering Marc Gasol is 33 years old and Mike Conley is 30.
Jackson demonstrated the complete skill set Sunday to be the immediate third option alongside Conley and Gasol and eventually transition into stardom with more experience.
He drilled two three-pointers despite checking in at 6'11" and provided consistent rim protection on the other side while using his length to battle for rebounds. The Grizzlies were a defensive-oriented team that made life difficult on Western Conference opponents at the height of their play in recent years, and Jackson is someone who will do just that if he continues blocking shots like he did against Philadelphia.
When combining the defense with his shooting touch and size to score on the blocks, the Michigan State product already looks like a third option at 18 years old.
