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The first day of the NBA Summer League matchups included drama, letdowns, thunderous dunks and of course an unprecedented earthquake to top it all off. Headlined by the clash of former Duke teammates RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson in their summer league debuts, the Knicks-Pelicans contest met a rather unexpected ending.
An earthquake of 7.1 magnitude occurred roughly 10 miles northeast of Ridgecrest, California, the effects of which were felt in Las Vegas as well and in the Thomas & Mack Center where the aforementioned clash was taking place.
While the Knicks-Pelicans had to be stopped midway through the fourth quarter, the Suns-Nuggets game that was scheduled to be played at the same venue later was eventually postponed.
Of the scheduled ten games, only seven of the 10 games could be conducted in proper fashion. Let's skim through the Day 1 Summer League encounters and all they incorporated.
#1 New York Knicks vs New Orleans Pelicans (Pelicans won 80-74)
In what was a much anticipated showdown between the No. 1 and No. 3 draft picks of this year, there emerged more storylines than priorly imagined. Zion scored a quick 10 points in the first period itself and announced his arrival on the NBA stage, before going down to an unfortunate knee knock in the following quarter and eventually missing the rest of the game.
His friend and former Duke teammate disappointed with a rather dull 4-17 shooting from the field and finished with just 10 points in 25 minutes of playtime. Prior to the tremors bringing the game to a screeching halt in the final seven minutes of the game, Frank Jackson of the Pelicans had already stamped his authority on the game through his 11-of-17 shooting from the floor for a game-high total of 30 points. Both teams headed to the locker rooms post mother nature's intervention and New Orleans were declared winners eventually.
#2 Detroit Pistons vs Croatia (Pistons won 96-80)
Detroit stomped an impressive victory over the Croatian national team with the help of Khyri Thomas' 26 points, including seven 3-pointers, in 31 minutes. Their newest addition in Svi Mykhailiuk added 17 points and five assists while Todd Withers contributed 16 points of his own.
“I was just stepping into it and knocking it down without trying to rush the shot or hesitate to shoot it; just let it fly.” Thomas said.
Pistons' primary point guard, Bruce Brown chipped in with 12 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds and seemed comfortable in handling the backcourt, showing concrete promise for the oncoming future.
Their 17-5 run early in the fourth period pulled the game out of Croatia's hands as first-round pick Sekou Doumbouya sat out the entire game.
#3 Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks (Sixers won 107-106)
Milwaukee's Colson and Landale led the game in scoring and combined for 47 points. On the other hand, the Sixers' rookie Matisse Thybulle didn't live up to the hype, scoring just 7 points off a subpar 2-6 shooting from the field. Marial Shayok came off the bench to drop a team-high total of 19 points for the Sixers. What he lacked in explosiveness and athleticism, he made up for it via impressive catch-and-shoot ability on threes.
Bucks lost by a point as Sterling Brown's shot from 3/4th court hit the rim and bounced off. One of Zhaire Smith's alley-oop finishes became the highlight of the night. He finished with 10 points on 5-8 shooting from the floor.
#4 Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers (Timberwolves won 85-75)
Keita Bates-Diop led Minnesota in scoring with his 17 points as his team outplayed the Cavaliers in their summer league opener. Coming from 11 down, the Timberwolves outscored their opponents 29-14 in the third quarter and also held the Cavs to just 15 points in the final period.
Minnesota's Kelan Martin grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds along with 12 points as Josh Okogie chipped in with 14 points of his own. Second-round pick from this year's draft, Jaylen Nowell was unavailable due to a right thigh contusion.
#5 Miami Heat vs China (Heat won 103-62)
After jumping quickly to a 59-25 lead by half-time, the Heat did not take their foot off the gas and put the game away early in the second half. First round pick Tyler Herro led Miami with his 23 points on 4-9 shooting from deep, along with 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 steals. Nick Mayo aided the Heat's winning cause by chipping in with 20 points off the bench.
Wang Zhelin from the Chinese Men's National Team led his squad with a solid 12-point, 14-rebound double-double, which eventually proved to be too little against the Miami onslaught.
#6 Mavericks vs Nets (Mavericks won 96-92)
Antonio Cleveland carried the Mavericks' scoring charge with a game-high total of 22 points along with five boards and a steal. Also, former Nebraska Basketball standout Isaiah Roby made his much-awaited debut with the Mavericks and finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in 28 minutes of action.
On the other hand. third-year center Jarrett Allen led the Nets with his 19 points and 9 rebounds while second-year forward Rodions Kurucs added 14 points and 7 boards. Brooklyn got to within a point of Dallas with 10 seconds remaining, but three foul shots from the Mavericks - including two from Antonio - sealed the game.
#7 Los Angeles Lakers vs Chicago Bulls (Bulls won 96-76)
After missing six of his first seven shots, the 7th overall pick for the Bulls, Coby White finished the contest with 17 points, three assists, three rebounds in 30 minutes. Daniel Gafford's solid double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds saw Chicago through to a convincing win over the Lakers. Zach Norwell Jr. led the Lakers with 15 points.
Despite White's threes not falling, his quickness and ability to finish at the rim made a notable impact throughout the game. Meanwhile, Nick Perkins - the undrafted free-agent power forward - tallied 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals for LA.
#8 Charlotte Hornets vs Golden State Warriors (Hornets won 93-85)
Warriors' exciting first round pick, Jordan Poole (out of Michigan) finished with a rather inefficient 15 points as he shot an unimpressive 3-of-15 from beyond the arc (and 6-19 from the field). Meanwhile, Second-year pro Devonte Graham provided the offensive spark for the Hornets with his 21 points and 4 three-pointers.
Dwayne Bacon - third-year pro out of Florida State - shot a respectable 9-20 from the floor and the led the scoring for Charlotte with his game-high total of 25 points. He was the sole reason the Charlotte Hornets could knock off Golden State in the summer league opener.
#9 Orlando Magic vs San Antonio Spurs (Magic won 75-59)
Orlando's rising star Mo Bamba poured in 15 points on 72% shooting from the floor in just 14 minutes. On the other hand, Spurs guard Lonnie Walker was the lone fighter from the San Antonio camp as he put together a game-high 28 points but couldn't will his team to a victory.
Walker and Eubanks were the only two players in double-digit scoring for the Spurs. Surprisingly, promising Spurs' rookies Samanic and Keldon Johnson combined for just 6 points. In what was a disappointing night for the San Antonio young core, Luka Samanic scored just 4 points of 1-8 shooting from the floor.
Due to the aforementioned earthquake, the match came to a close at the end of three quarters of play.
Guess the Lakers players!
