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Only 16 teams remained in the Samsung NBA Summer League and on Day 7 of the competition Round 2 was scheduled to be underway. Here are the top 16 teams that played in the 8 matches that transpired on Thursday:
(8) Sacramento Kings vs (24) Minnesota Timberwolves (Sacramento won 100-86)
It was an even contest between two teams which were on opposite sides of the seedings. The Timberwolves, seeded last, made it to the championship bracket after defeating Phoenix but failed to repeat the performance against Ben McLemore and the Sacramento Kings. Both teams had four players who registered double figure points and once again, Power Forward Gorgui Deing registered a double double of 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Kings were led by McLemore’s 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists performance and Marshon Brooks’ 19 points. For Indian fans there was good news once again as Sim Bhullar took the court for a thrid consecutive game. But for the third game in a row, the coach did not play him for more than 2 minutes, thus restricting Bhullar’s contribution to a lone rebound.
Sacramento now play the Chicago Bulls in the quaterfinals of the Summer League.
(7) New Orleans Pelicans vs (23) Charlotte Bobcats (Charlotte won 104-75)
The Bobcats were winless through three games during the group stage. However, when it mattered the most they stepped up their performance and despite being the 23rd seed out of 24 teams, eliminated a higher seeded team for the second day in a row. After defeating Dallas Mavericks who were the 10th seed, they have now relegated the Pelicans who were the 7th seed. They move ahead into Round 3 to face the unbeaten New York Knicks.
The Pelicans would not be crushed by the result, but they would be concerned about the margin of defeat. Coming into the match the New Orleans squad would have defiitely been confident about beating Charlotte; instead, they got run over by their opponents. Courtney Fells and and Russ Smith both scored 19 points while Abdul Gaddy scored 14, but no other player on the Pelicans scored more than 6 points.
On the other hand, Charlotte had five players in double figures led by P.J. Hairston’s 21 points and splendid performances by Mickey McConnell (8 points and 11 assists) and Josh Davis (14 points and 12 rebounds).
(6) Portland Trail Blazers vs (22) Atlanta Hawks (Atlanta won 88-65)
Once again a lower seeded team coming into the championship bracket with no wins, grabs two consecutive victories when it matters the most. The Hawks followed up the Pelicans for the second upset of the day and in the process avenged an earlier loss to the Trail Blazers. Portland found offense hard to come by with their poor shooting on the day as only three of their players scored above 6 points led by Will Barton, who had a double double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Bobby Brown’s 20 points.
On the contrary the Hawks were shooting lights out – 50% from the field, 52% from the beyond the three point line and 93% from the free throw line. Adreian Payne and Stephen Holt led the scoring for the team, notching up 19 and 15 points respectively. The Hawks now face the Houston Rockets in the quaterfinals.
(5) Utah Jazz vs (12) San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio won 86-77)
Other than the one game lost in the group stage, the Summer League team of the NBA Champions have looked unfazed no matter which opponent they have faced. Spurs improved to a 4-1 record after beating the Jazz in Round 2 and now stand to face the fourth seeded Washington Wizards.
San Antonio’s offensive output was led by Austin Daye (20 points) and DeShaun Thomas’ 14 points, while for the Jazz the number 5 overall pick Dante Exum had a disastrous game with just 5 points and 2 assists to show in box score. Rodney Hood top scored for the Jazz in vain with 19 points.
(4) Washington Wizards vs (13) Miami Heat (Washington won 78-67)
With their win over the Miami Heat, the Wizards continue their unbeaten run in the tournament making it 4 wins in a row. The Wizards were once again led by Glen Rice Jr.’s aggressive performance of 22 points and 10 rebounds and Otto Porter’s contribution of 14 points and 6 rebounds.
For the Heat, the much talked about point guard Shabazz Napier finally had a performance to talk about with his 14 points. However, for the second game in a row it was center Justin Hamilton who led the Heat in scoring with 15 points along with 9 rebounds.
(3) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (14) Houston Rockets (Houston won 96-90)
Andrew Wiggins, the number one overall pick in the 2014 Draft, and his team the Cavaliers started the tournament off with three consecutive wins in the group stage but could not beat the Rockets when it mattered the most. Wiggins and Will Cherry both led the scoring for Cleveland scoring 21 points each but the effort was in vain as the team is now relegated to the Consolation Round.
Houston, the 14th seed, was led by Isaiah Canaan’s 28 points and center Donatas Motiejunas’ double double performance of 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Rockets take their place in the quaterfinals to face the 22nd seed the Atlanta Hawks.
(2) New York Knicks vs D-League Selects (New York won 80-73)
The Knicks team continued their good form, notching up their fourth consecutive win of the tournament to finalise their berth in the quaterfinals. They were led by guard Tim Hardaway Jr’s game high 25 points. Shane Larkin, acquired from the Dallas Mavericks, contributed 14 points and 5 assists while former NBA Champion Shannon Brown came off the bench to score 10 points.
For the opponents, the D-League Selects, T. Mitchell top scored for a second consecutive game with 20 points while point guard T. Kelley chipped in with a useful 18 points and 6 assists. The Knicks now face the Atlanta Hawks in the quaterfinals while the Selects are eliminated to the consolation round.
(1) Chicago Bulls vs (16) Philadelphia 76ers (Chicago won 79-68)
In a game of torrid shooting, the top seeded Bulls came out on top on the back of their balanced attack which saw as many as six different players score in double figures. Sophomore Tony Snell led the Bulls’ offense with 18 points and 7 points along with center Cameron Bairstow who had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Neither team shot above 40% from the field or above 30% from beyond the three point line.
Sixers star Nerlens Noel did have an effective 14 points but could not contribute in any other manner owing to just 5 rebounds. Jordan Mcrae top scored for Philadelphia with 25 points but could not lead the Sixers to victory. The Bulls now play Sacramento in the quaterfinals.
Here are the top 10 plays from the 8 game night:
