Sunday, July 5, 2015

PW's NBA Summer League Daily Recap (7-5-15)

By Peyton Wesner

Welcome to Orlando "Super Mario!" After a rough first forty minutes in his pro debut, the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft put aside his early struggles to drain the game winning three pointer in overtime for Orlando Blue. Would another 2015 lottery pick step up in a big way for their team this afternoon?

Today's Results
Game 1
0-1 (2 pts) Los Angeles C 69
0-1 (1 pt) Detroit 77

Notables
LAC-Nate Wolters
18 points (7-12), 1 rebound, 1 assist, & 1 steal.
DET-Stanley Johnson
***Summer League Star of the Day
24 points (10-14), 9 rebounds, 1 assist, & 3 steals.

Whatever the Pistons had for breakfast this morning needs to become a part of their daily routine as they walked into the Amway Center practice gym ready to play this afternoon. Starting with a three pointer from yesterday's leading scorer Adonis Thomas, the Pistons raced away to a 26-12 lead thanks to nine first quarter points from both Stanley Johnson (eighth overall pick in 2015 NBA Draft) and Kammeon Holsey. Despite the Clippers being able to comeback from a sixteen point first quarter deficit yesterday versus Orlando Blue, today was a different story. Every time Los Angeles would string together a few baskets and start to chip away at Detroit's lead, Stanley Johnson would hit a jumper or have an offensive stick back to stop the mini run. Speaking of the "Stanimal" he was phenomenal this afternoon as he made his presence felt on both ends of the court. The Arizona product ended the day with game highs in points (twenty-four), rebounds (nine), and steals (three) while having an efficient nine for twelve shooting game. Former Milwaukee Bucks' guard Nate Wolters and last year's twenty-eighth overall pick C.J. Wilcox both finished the day in double figures for Los Angeles.


Game 2
1-0 (6 pts) Memphis 79
0-1 (1.5 pts) Charlotte 75

Notables
MEM-Russ Smith
14 points (5-10), 3 rebounds, 7 assists, & 3 steals.
CHA-Troy Daniels
21 points (7-12), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

When the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies took the floor in the second game of today's Orlando Summer League action, twin brothers Aaron and Andrew Harrison were pitted against each other for the first time in their lives. And despite Aaron outperforming Andrew, the latter's team came out on top. In the first quarter, neither sibling stole the show, but the Hornets' Troy Daniels did. Daniels, who is with the third NBA team of his career, started the game off with a bang as he nailed his first four three-pointers, which flew Charlotte out to an early 18-10 lead. Nonetheless the Grizzlies came roaring back to tie the game thanks to six quick points from JayMychal Green and took the lead with a Tony Crocker jump shot to begin the second quarter. The teams would then match each other basket for basket until Crocker nailed a trey that gave Memphis the lead that they would extend to as much as nineteen in the fourth quarter. Just when one would have thought Charlotte was about to concede, Aaron Harrison made a layup that spurred a 20-2 Hornets' run putting his team behind only one with just under three minutes left in regulation! After two made free throws by both teams, Crocker struck again with another three pointer to increase the lead to four. But the advantage would not stay two possessions as P.J. Hairston drained a three pointer of his own to move the deficit back to one with a minute left. With yesterday's star Jordan Adams having the day off, who would Memphis go to on their crucial possession? Russ Smith! The former Louisville star had the green light as he dribbled off a Jarnell Stokes screen and banked in a hanging jumper while drawing the foul on Harrison for the "and one." Yet Smith could not complete the three point play, which left the door wide open for P.J. Hairston to tie the game with a three pointer. Clank! Andrew Harrison came down with the rebound for the Grizz that supplied them with a possession that Jarnell Stokes capitalized on, ultimately putting the game away.



Game 3
0-1 (2 pts) Brooklyn 70
1-0 (6 pts) Miami 71

Notables
BKN-Ryan Boatright
23 points (7-14), 3 rebounds, & 2 steals.
MIA-Willie Reed
17 points (8-12) & 9 rebounds.

Although neither team "shot the lights out," Brooklyn versus Miami was the best game on today's summer league schedule. The Heat started right where they left off the day before as they took a seven point lead into the locker room at halftime. The only difference to yesterday was that Brooklyn didn't lie down in the second half like the Pacers. Nets' guard Ryan Boatright, who had only three points in the first half, led the rally by making three three-pointers to snatch the lead from the Heat only three minutes into the third quarter. After Miami went back up seven in the final period, the UConn product went on another personal run, this time 9-2, to tie the game with 5:48 left in regulation. With just under a minute remaining, South Beach's Tyler Ennis made a layup, leading to a one on one battle between 2015 first round picks Justise Winslow (Miami) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Brooklyn) on the Heat's next possession. Winslow brought the ball up court, drove to his left, pump faked, and drew a foul in the act of shooting with 7.5 seconds left. Unfortunately for Heat fans, the foward from Duke could not fully capitalize on his chance as he made one of two at the line. Still Miami had the lead as the Nets' Markel Brown caught the in-bounds pass and brought the ball over mid-court. Next, Brown passed the ball to Jonathon Simmons, who took the ball all the way to the rim for the game-winning layup attempt. All air, but he was fouled with 0.4 seconds left. The result of the game lied on the shoulders of Simmons, yet he was not deterred and calmly made both attempts. Victory was in sight for the Nets, but Miami would have a chance. Since the Heat called timeout before in-bounding, the ball would be moved to their side of the court. When Justise Winslow was handed the ball by the referee, six foot, one inch guard Tyler Johnson broke towards the rim off a Willie Reed screen. At this point, Winslow threw a perfect lob that was caught in mid-air by Johnson and banked off glass for the game winning basket. Heat win! Heat win! With Johnson's shot, Miami advanced to 2-0 and are currently in the drivers-seat to play in the Orlando Summer League Championship Friday afternoon. 



2014 First Round Picks In Action
-Jordan Adams MEM (#22 Pick)
---Did Not Play.
-P.J. Hairston CHA (#26 Pick)
---10 points (4-14), 4 rebounds, & 2 assists.
-C.J. Wilcox LAC (#28 Pick)
---10 points (4-10), 3 rebounds, & 1 steal.

2015 First Round Picks In Action
-Stanley Johnson DET (#8 Pick)
---24 points (10-14), 9 rebounds, 1 assist, & 3 steals.
-Frank Kaminsky CHA (#9 Pick)
---14 points (6-8), 8 rebounds, 1 steal, & 2 blocks.
-Justise Winslow MIA (#10 Pick)
---14 points (3-10), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, & 2 steals.
-Rondae Hollis-Jefferson BKN (#23 Pick)
---8 points (4-8), 7 rebounds, & 2 steals.
-Jarell Martin MEM (#25 Pick)
---Will not participate in summer league due to foot injury.
-Chris McCullough BKN (#29 Pick)
---Will not participate in summer league due to ongoing recovery from a torn ACL.

Standings
1. Memphis          2-0 12.5 pts 
2. Miami               2-0 12 pts
3. Detroit              1-1 8 pts
4. Orlando White  1-0 7 pts
5. Oklahoma City 1-0 6.5 pts
6. Orlando Blue    1-0 6 pts
7. Brooklyn           0-2 4 pts
8. Los Angeles C   0-2 3 pts
9. Charlotte           0-2 3 pts
10. Indiana            0-1 2 pts 


Tomorrow's Slate
1:00 PM (Orlando Summer League)
Indiana vs Orlando White
3:00 PM (Orlando Summer League)
Orlando Blue vs Oklahoma City
5:00 PM (Orlando Summer League)
Detroit vs Miami
7:00 PM (Utah Summer League)
Philadelphia vs San Antonio
9:00 PM (Utah Summer League)
Boston vs Utah

Tomorrow's Game of the Day
7:00 PM (Utah Summer League)
Philadelphia vs San Antonio

Tomorrow is finally the day that the "City of Brotherly Love" gets their first glimpse of what the 76ers "played" for during the 2014-2015 season: Jahlil Okafor. Okafor, the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, dominated college basketball this past season as he averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game for Duke. The nineteen year old will get his first taste of NBA basketball versus second year guard Kyle Anderson and the San Antonio Spurs, who intend to spoil his pro debut with a victory.



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