New York Knicks (1-1) 71 v Los Angeles Lakers (0-3) 63
The New York Knicks improved their summer league record to 1-1 in the first game of day 4. The Knicks defense restricted the Lakers to a dismal 33% shooting from the field. Second round pick Landry Fields had a strong game for the Knicks, who are increasingly pleased with their draft pick. His contribution helped the Knicks to a 71-63 victory.
Fields showed a bit of everything on his way to 17pts 5rebs 3steals and 2 blocks. Fields was a workhorse on both ends. He moved well without the ball, made sharp cuts and understands his role. He is a confident ball handler, willing defender and gets up the court quickly. Fields also had a nice bounce pass for an assist which actually didn’t officially register in the final box score.
Fellow second rounder Andy Rautins wasn’t as aggressive offensively today. Once again he didn’t shoot as well as he is capable of going an ordinary 1/6 fg overall & all from long range. He played hard though and his best SL league days are yet to come.
Bill Walker improved on his first game performance making much better decisions today. He played strong defense on Devin Ebanks and converted on some impressive plays including a pretty reverse lay-up. Rather than forcing shots, Walker was effective driving and dishing and even excited the crowd with a couple of dunks. He is a solid player but has lost the freakish leaping ability that he displayed in high school after so many knee injuries.
Toney Douglas didn’t light up the scoreboard like we are used to seeing but didn’t have a completely bad game. He was looking to run the offense today and took just a couple of poor shots. He was covered well at times by DJ Strawberry. Douglas’ chances of getting the SL scoring title took a hit with his low scoring output of 6 points (3/10FG). He also picked up 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals to go with 4 turnovers.
The Knicks also received contributions from Jerome Jordan (8pts, 4reb 2blks), Patrick Ewing Jr (8pts 4rebs 4blks) & Eric Boateng (7 pts 4rebs 2blks).
The Lakers two second rounders weren’t as impressive today with Devin Ebanks in particular struggling. He finished with the uninspiring stat line of 7pts 5rebs and 4 turnovers. Ebanks took a lot of tough, contested shots in close & had 5 of them sent back. He converted on only 2 of his 13 field goal attempts.
Derrick Caracter was more productive however he still has room for improvement. Caracter did post a double-double finishing the game with 16pts and 10 rebounds but will need to learn how to keep out of foul trouble (8 fouls). He could also use improvement on his face-up game as well as his footwork. He crashed the offensive boards well but did commit 8 turnovers.
DJ Strawberry has improved with every game here. He is vocal on the court and played solid defense when matched up on Douglas. He finished with 12pts 3 assists. Courtney Sims made a small contribution, connecting on a jump hook for a 3 point play on his way to 11pts and 5 rebounds.
Sacramento Kings (1-0) 97 vs Detroit Pistons (2-1) 68
The Sacramento Kings opened their 2010 Summer League this afternoon with a dominant display over the Detroit Pistons. John Wall was courtside to watch his former Kentucky Team mate DeMarcus Cousins help the Kings to a big 97-68 victory.
Sacramento had 5 players in double figures led by second year man Omri Casspi who finished with 16 points 5rebounds and 2 assists and 5 turnovers. He was aggressive, looking for his offense on nearly every possession. The 2010 #5 pick Cousins had a solid first up game, going close to a double double in the first half. He finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds and displayed the skills that made him a high lottery pick. Cousins has good hands and pulled down any rebound that was within reach. He also displayed a willingness to pass out of the post and was unlucky not to pick up a few more assists after some crisp passes weren’t converted.
The Kings second rounder Hassan Whiteside also had a solid start to his NBA career. Whiteside wasn’t a factor on offense and probably won’t be until he fills his frame out a bit more and further develops his mid range shot. Whiteside excels on the defensive end however and was a big presence in the paint, swatting 5 shots mostly from weak side help. He had a rough landing after missing a dunk trying to posterize Greg Monroe.
Tyrese Rice gave strong production off the bench, draining 15 points in just 18 minutes. He ran the Kings offense well when he was in the game. Donte Greene put 11 points up on 5/11 shooting.
The Pistons, in particular Austin Daye, has a forgettable day 4 of Summer League. The Pistons shot poorly, connecting on only 35% from the field. In his 16 minutes of play, Daye only managed 5 points and 2 assists going a shocking 0/7. He also committed 6 fouls and 4 turnovers. Daye’s uncharacteristic performance also included back to back air balls from long range.
Greg Monroe had an average outing collecting 7 points and 7 rebounds. He also picked up 7 fouls and 4 turnovers. He did have an impressive one handed bounce pass to Elijah Milsap (7pts 5rebs) for his only assist.
Mac Koshwal was rewarded for his hustle and energy, collecting a double double in his best game yet. He hit the offensive glass hard picking up 5 offensive rebounds on his way to a 10 point, 12 rebound performance.
San Antonio Spurs 85 vs Minnesota Timberwolves 61
The Spurs rolled in the first game in the Thomas & Mack Center for this year’s Summer League topping an uninspired T-Wolves bunch by 25.
Minnesota fourth overall pick Wesley Johnson struggled to put up big numbers. He shot a solid 4-7 from the floor for 10 points but showed an inability to create anything off the dribble. In his defense he’s lacking a great set up man with starting point guard Ramar Smith running the team. He did also make some solid tips defensively.
Lazar Hayward had a team high 13 points for Minnesota. 2009 first rounder Wayne Ellington shot a miserable 2-10 for 4 points.
Dallas Mavericks (1-2) 73 vs Milwaukee Bucks (0-1) 72
The third game at Cox Pavilion on Day 4 was not the prettiest display of basketball for the most part but really came to life in the last final minutes. The game was riddled with poor shooting and turnovers as both sides struggled to gain an advantage. In the final minutes, the Bucks went on 7-0 run and took a 2 point lead with 0.3 on the clock after Deron Washington put back a Darnell Jackson miss. Out of the timeout, a perfectly timed Rodrigue Beaubois in bound lob found JR Giddens who softly put the ball in the basket to send the game into overtime.
With 28 seconds left in the extra period, Beaubois came up with a big 3 to give the Mavs a 2 point lead. Deron Washington again came up with the big play, drilling a three with 6 seconds remaining. A patient Beaubois then took his time, drove left and swished a pull up with 0.7 on the clock to ice the game.
Giddens easily had his best game so far, leading the Mavs with 16 points and 4 rebounds. Beaubois came to life late, making clutch plays including the game winner. He was played closely by DeMarcus Nelson and picked up 6 turnovers with his 15 points (6/14FG) and 7 assists.
Dominique Jones worked hard but again didn’t have the best shooting night. He finished with 9points 4rebs 3ast 2stelas and 2 blocks. Omar Samhan wasn’t as impressive as his second game but still nearly got a double-double with 9pts & 9boards. Jeremy Lin is getting more confidence and it is showing in his results. Lin was more assertive with his shot today, picking up 8pts on 2/5 shooting. He also collected 2rebs 3asst and 2 steals.
Darnell Jackson and Washington were the leaders for the bucks. Jackson was strong inside, effective creating space for himself to operate in close. He had a game high 17 points with his 7 rebounds. The athletic Washington finished with 11points, 8 rebs,
Bucks first round pick Larry Sanders showed glimpses of his ability but had a poor shooting night, hitting just 4 of his 15 field goal attempts. He did have success in the post, connecting on a fade away with Samhan guarding him. He also stepped out to show his outside touch. Sanders grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 3 shots but did pick up 6 turnovers in his debut.
Phoneix Suns (1-2) 96 vs D-League Stars (0-1) 88
Boxscore
Earl Clark finally turned things around after 2 subpar performances. His 18 points on (6-12 fg) paced the team. He also showed nice passing ability feeding Gani Lawal for an easy bucket inside.
Gani Lawal registed the Summer League’s first triple double. Unfortunately one of those categories happened to be fouls as he left the game with 15 pts, 11 rebounds and 10 fouls.
Scottie Reynolds might be playing for a position in Europe, and he impressed with both his scoring and passing. He finished with a highly effective 16 points on 4-6 fg.
The D-Leaguers won 3 of their games last year but couldn’t get on track in their opening game against the Suns.
Washington Wizards (2-0) 89 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (0-1) 64
Another capacity crowd was on hand for the final game of day 4 in Cox Pavilion. The game featured #1 pick John Wall going head to head with fellow former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe. Although it was an entertaining match up, the game itself was very one sided, mostly thanks to some woeful shooting by the clippers (36%) and some horrendous ball handling (29 turnovers).
Wall took only 30 seconds to open his scoring and shook off a fall late in the first quarter (colliding with Bledsoe) to finish with 18 points on 5/12 shooting. Wall managed posted a double double with 10 assists but again his turnovers were an issue going for 8 today.
Wall was well supported by Nick Young who had his shot going, swishing back to back three’s early in the game on his way to 18 points on 7/11 shooting. JaValle McGee could never get going offensively however, going a disappointing 3/10 from the field for 10 points. He did collect 12 rebounds. McGee surprisingly didn’t register a single block today
Wizard’s rookie Trevor Booker had a fairly quiet game but did show some signs. He is active on defense, using quick hands to strip DeAndre Jordan on one occasion. Booker also runs the floor very well for his size, thrilling the crowd with a strong finish from a Wall lob in transition. His highlight though, was going coast to coast for a dunk after nicely playing the passing lanes and showing good anticipation. He finished with 8 points on a perfect 4/4FG, 4 rebounds and 1 steal.
Jordan only had 9 points and 5 rebounds but ferociously attacked the rim at every opportunity.
#8 pick Al-Farouq Aminu had an average debut shooting 3/9 for 11 points (including 2 air balls). Aminu needs to work on his range but was organized offensively, moving well without the ball.
Wall wasn’t the only Wildcat to struggle protecting the ball, with Bledsoe committing 10 turnovers himself. Bledsoe was impressive in spurts today, using his explosiveness to push the ball effectively. His decision making wasn’t the best but it is something he can build on in the coming games. He picked Wall’s pocket and went the distance to finish with a strong left handed dunk. Bledsoe could’ve added to his 4 assists as some of his best passes weren’t converted by his team mates.
Second round pick & recently signed guard Willie Warren had minimal impact early, however was more productive later in the game. Warren ended the game with 10 points (4/7FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist & 1 steal.
Memphis Grizzlies (1-0) 89 vs. Atlanta Hawks (0-1) 85
Boxscore
3rd year star OJ Mayo was a surprising participant, electing to play in Vegas to work on his point guard skills. His 3 assists and 8 turnovers were not the results the team was looking for. However Mayo did help Memphis get the win amassing a game high 20 points on 8-13 shooting.
Greivis Vasquez struggled interchanging with Mayo at the point position. He had 2 points on a lay in but passed the ball well with 4 assists, 3 to.
2nd year point guard Jeff Teague looked good aggresively attacking the basket. His point guard skills still need work (3 ast, 4 to) but he shows a lot of upside.
Alade Aminu had a positive showing scoring 14 pts in 21 minutes on 6-8 shooting.
Hawks second rounder Papa Sy had a solid debut showing point guard skills in a 6-7 frame. His best asset appears to be his ability to defend as he did an excellent job on Mayo and Vasquez. He drew an offensive foul at one point on Vasquez.
Interestingly, Xavier Henry was not with the Memphis team, for unknown reasons.
The game was close throughout with Memphis pulling away in the final minute to get the win.
My thought on Xavier Henry
I think Henry is tryna force his way out of Memphis