Summer League Rewind: Dejean-Jones, Birch heat up for Pelicans
MONDAY‘S GAMES
Cavaliers 94, Bucks 87 (OT) — Milwaukee (0-3) squandered a 21-point lead and was shut out 7-0 in overtime as Cleveland (1-2) won for the first time in Las Vegas. D.J. Seeley led five Cavaliers scorers in double figures with 14 points. Former UNLV guard Rashad Vaughn led the Bucks with 18 points. Vaughn, who started and played 22 minutes, shot 8 of 16 from the field. Sean Kilpatrick added 16 points for the Bucks.
Pelicans 89, Nets 83 — Former UNLV forward Bryce Dejean-Jones scored 26 points, and New Orleans rallied past Brooklyn after blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. Seth Curry added 20 points for the Pelicans (3-0). Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored18 points to lead the Nets (1-1), who committed 18 turnovers.
D-League Select 84, Hawks 74 — Atlanta (1-2) was outscored 30-13 during the second quarter and was unable to rally back as the D-Leaguers led by 22 with 6:16 remaining. Justin Dentmon led the Selects (2-1) with 15 points, and Scotty Hopson added 11 points and eight rebounds. Lamar Patterson scored 15 for the Hawks, who shot 2 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Kings 90, Warriors 71 — Sacramento (1-2) prevailed in the Northern California summer showdown, leading by 30 midway through the third quarter. It was the first win for the defending summer league champions, who were led by James Anderson‘s 17 points. Dominique Sutton and Stefan Nastic scored 14 apiece to lead Golden State (1-2). The Kings outrebounded the Warriors 49-37, and Sacramento shot 52 percent from the floor.
Nuggets 86, Heat 83 — Ian Clarkâs 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining put Denver up, and two free throws from Erick Green following an offensive foul by Josh Richardson sealed the win for the Nuggets (3-0). Clark scored 19 points in 29 minutes, while Shabazz Napier led Miami (1-1) with 20.
Knicks 76, Lakers 66 — New York took a 14-point first-quarter lead and withstand a furious rally in the fourth quarter. The Lakers trailed 63-50 midway through the final period but got within 69-65 with 1:36 to play after a 15-6 run. The Knicks (2-0) outscored Los Angeles 7-1 after that, with Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant each hitting two free throws. Galloway and Cleanthony Early led the Knicks with 13 points apiece, while Jabari Brown led the Lakers (1-2) with 20 points. Rookie guard D‘Angelo Russell struggled, finishing with eight points, one assist and eight turnovers.
Raptors 95, Rockets 87 — Norman Powell scored 19 points to lead Toronto (3-0). The Rockets, who trailed by 16 late in the third quarter and got within 85-82 with 1:51 to play, were led by Glen Rice Jr. with 28 points. Houston forced 22 Toronto turnovers but still fell to 2-1.
Jazz 91, Timberwolves 82 — Utah (1-1) led from start to finish, led by Jared Cunningham‘s 17 points off the bench. Adreian Payne led Minnesota (1-2) with 18 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Minnesota did not dress Zach LaVine, its leading scorer in the summer league. He averaged 22 points in two games for the Timberwolves.
THREE STARS
1. James Anderson, Kings. He shot 6 of 6 from the field and had 17 points to give Sacramento its first win.
2. Bryce Dejean-Jones, Pelicans. The former UNLV swingman scored 26 points to lead his team past the Nets. Jones hit his first five shots and finished 8 of 12 from the floor, 4 of 7 on 3-pointers and 6 of 7 at the free-throw line.
3. Casey Prather, D-League Select. He scored 13 points off the bench on 4-for-6 shooting as the Selects defeated Atlanta.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Former UNLV forward Khem Birch compiled 13 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans in a win over Brooklyn. Birch, who played for Sioux Falls in the NBA Development League last season, has averaged 9.0 points and 7.6 rebounds in three games for New Orleans.
QUOTABLE
"There‘s something about playing in the Thomas & Mack. I love it. I‘m used to it." - Former UNLV forward Khem Birch, after his 13-point, 11-rebound performance for New Orleans.
HUSTLE STAT OF THE DAY
Denver‘s Nikola Jokic had three deflections, 12 contested 2-point shot attempts and three contested 3-pointers as the Nuggets defeated Miami.
ON THE SCENE
When it comes to basketball royalty, few can match Jerry West. The "Logo," an executive board member for the Golden State Warriors, was at the Thomas & Mack Center to watch the Warriors against Sacramento.
TODAY‘S SCHEDULE:
At Cox Pavilion
Portland vs. Sacramento, noon
Brooklyn vs. Chicago, 2 p.m.
Miami vs. Boston, 4 p.m.
At Thomas & Mack Center
Washington vs. Dallas, 12:30 p.m.
New York vs. Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Utah, 4:30 p.m.
COMPILED BY STEVE CARP/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL