Jimmer Fredette

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The Las Vegas Summer League ended yesterday with plenty of buzzer beaters, highlight reel-worthy plays, and a first look at the NBA’s newest crop of players. After a pair of big time shots from former Michigan State star Denzel Valentine, the Chicago Bulls took home the tournament title, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For the Denver Nuggets, their tournament run ended against the Phoenix Suns when former Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis hit a three-pointer from the right wing as time expired. Denver finished the Las Vegas Summer League with an overall record of 3-2.

Despite the heartbreaker against Phoenix, both the Nuggets’ rookies and returning players turned in solid performances throughout Summer League play.

Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris played in just the first game, but both showed their experience. Mudiay put up 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while Harris added 22 points, four rebounds, and two steals. With the pair leading the way, the Nuggets finished with a nice 88-82 comeback win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They sat out the rest of the games in anticipation of their duties with the USA Basketball Select Team.

The Nuggets also saw excellent play out of Jimmer Fredette. In his first start in Summer League, Fredette dropped in 26 points and powered Denver to a 106-62 win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Fredette finished Summer League averaging 15.2 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.

After starting out 2-0, the Nuggets sustained their first loss, 92-81, to the Miami Heat. Despite the loss, rookie Juan Hernangomez opened eyes with his mobility and all-around play. Hernangomez notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while also tallying five assists and two steals. He played in all five games in Summer League and averaged 10.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and shot 54.5% from the field.

Jamal Murray also impressed. One of his best games was against the Heat, scoring 29 points. Murray followed that up with another 20 point game in a victory against the Utah Jazz, with the Nuggets winning by exactly that many points. In his third straight game of scoring 20+ points, Murray added another 29 points against the Suns, grabbing a critical offensive rebound and putting in a layup to tie the game with 1.8 seconds left. While his shotmaking ability was evident early, Murray also showcased his passing by playing the point guard slot alongside Fredette.

Petr Cornelie started every game and was solid manning the middle for the Nuggets. In 24.6 minutes, Cornelie averaged 8.0 points, 6.8 rebounds (3.6 offensive), and a team-leading 1.2 blocks per game.

Overall, Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly is pleased with how the team is looking for the future.

“Our young core coupled with the return of [Wilson] Chandler and [Danilo] Gallinari... I like where we are.”

2016-summer-league-recap

2016 Summer League Recap

LAS VEGAS – The Denver Nuggets lost an 82-81 heartbreaker to the Phoenix Suns as Tyler Ulis hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer Saturday afternoon.

The game was tight with both teams unable to pull away by much in the second half. A jumper from Jamal Murray would tie the game with about half a minute left in regulation. Dragan Bender drew a foul on Mateusz Ponitka with less than two seconds left in the game but would miss both to send the game into overtime. Bender would finish the game with nine points.

In overtime, Murray hit a layup with 1.8 seconds to tie the game and finished the game with 29 points.

Jimmer Fredette continued to score the ball well adding 16 points, while Axel Toupane played with energy and nabbed five steals to go with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Juan Hernangomez had two follow dunks in the first quarter, taking advantage of the absence of Marquese Chriss and the lack of a body on him. He then showed off his passing chops with a nifty dish to Petr Cornelie for a big one-handed dunk.

The Nuggets started out slow, falling behind by seven about halfway through the quarter, but picked it up off the energy of their lengthy frontcourt. This was the start of a 16-0 Denver run that would carry into the end of the first period. The Nuggets took care of the basketball as well and did not turn it over at all in the quarter.

Denver was challenged in the second period, turning the ball over eight times. Phoenix used these opportunities and came right back behind the play of forward Troy Williams who scored 22 points in the game, including a couple three-pointers. Center Alan Williams scored 11 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, with 10 of those in the first half.

The Nuggets will finish the 2016 Las Vegas Summer League with a 3-2 record.

The Denver Nuggets fall by one point to the Phoenix Suns during their fifth and final 2016 Summer League game held at the Thomas And Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV.

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Game 5: Nuggets Fall One Point Shy in OT

LAS VEGAS – The Denver Nuggets used a strong third quarter blitz to defeat the Utah Jazz, 80 – 60, Thursday night in the Las Vegas Summer League tournament.

Jamal Murray and Jimmer Fredette got off to a hot start, scoring 15 of the first 37 points for the Nuggets. Murray finished with 20 points while Fredette added 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

“I’m just getting better as the days go on,” Murray said. “I’m just trying to help the team win.”

Denver also used a balanced attack, with 11 players scoring at least a bucket.

Both the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz came into the game with plenty of energy. But there were still some typical Summer League miscues, such as sloppy passing and unforced turnovers.

At the end of it all, the Nuggets stepped up when it mattered most.

Denver outscored the Jazz by 15 points in the third period and carried that momentum into the final period.

Aaron Craft, Shaquielle McKissic, and Dionte Christmas scored 10 points apiece for the Jazz. Joel Bolomboy had six points and eight rebounds.

The Nuggets will play the Phoenix Suns in a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday at 4 p.m. MST at Thomas and Mack Center.

The Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 80-60 during their fourth 2016 Summer League game held at the Thomas And Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV.

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Game 4: Nuggets In-Tune Against the Jazz

The Denver Nuggets will face off against the Utah Jazz in their first Las Vegas Summer League tournament game at Cox Pavilion on Monday night. Tournament play started on Wednesday, but the Nuggets finished with a top five record in preliminary play and received a first round bye.

Denver is coming off a loss to the Miami Heat where rookie Jamal Murray played his best game of Summer League, scoring 29 points. Murray is averaging 16.3 points per game, leading the Nuggets in scoring amongst players who have played at least two games.

Seven Nuggets have played every game in Summer League so far – Ondrej Balvin, Petr Cornelie, Jimmer Fredette, Juan Hernangomez, Jamal Murray, JaKarr Sampson, and Axel Toupane. Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris played in the first game but have been resting due to their upcoming participation with the USA Basketball Select team.

The Utah Jazz won their opening round matchup against the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday.

Trey Lyles, the leading scorer of the Las Vegas Summer League at 29.0 points per game, rested against Portland but may see action tonight. The Nuggets’ backcourt have their hands full with Lyles, Aaron Craft, and Spencer Butterfield all capable of scoring in bunches.

Up front, Hernangomez and Cornelie will be dealing with Tibor Pleiss and Joel Bolomboy. Both Pleiss and Bolomboy had solid games against Portland, combining for 34 points and 17 rebounds. The Nuggets will also have to defend the three-point line against a Jazz team that has shot 38.9% from deep in the Las Vegas Summer League.

The game starts at 6 p.m. MST and will be televised on NBA TV.

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Summer League: Nuggets vs Jazz Preview

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Summer League: Nuggets vs Heat Gallery

The Denver Nuggets (2-0) will look to continue their win streak in the Las Vegas Summer League against the Miami Heat (1-0) tonight at Cox Pavilion. This comes after a nice victory Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies where former BYU star Jimmer Fredette went off for 26 points.

Miami has only played one game so far in Las Vegas but took part in the Orlando Summer League previously. Rodney McGruder scored 18 points but Miami was defeated by the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. Returning players Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow both did not play.

Summer League head coach Micah Nori rested Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris against the Grizzlies and is expected to do so again with the pair’s USA Select Team obligations on the horizon. Nori has tried a couple different starting lineup combinations, opening with Fredette, Jamal Murray, Axel Toupane, Juan Hernangomez, and Petr Cornelie against Memphis. JaKarr Sampson was also very effective against Memphis, scoring 16 points in just 16 minutes. Though all of these players have played well, Nori indicated during mini-camp that he will experiment with different combinations.

Matchups to watch will once again be in the backcourt, with Miami’s Briante Weber likely matching up against Jamal Murray. Murray will have to protect the ball against Weber’s extremely active hands. Weber nabbed four steals in the game against Dallas and led the nation in steals during his junior season at VCU with a 3.46 average. Additionally, Sampson, Toupane, and Hernangomez will have watch Victor Rudd and Rodney McGruder closely; the pair went 9-12 shooting from three-point range against the Mavericks.

The game will start at 6 p.m. MST and will be televised on ESPN2.

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Summer League: Nuggets vs Heat Preview

LAS VEGAS – Twice in two games the Denver Nuggets have used one monster quarter to pull away. This time, the Nuggets outscored the Memphis Grizzlies by 27 in the second quarter and used that to finish the game, 106 - 62, at Cox Pavilion on Saturday night. 

With Emmanuel Mudiay taking the night off, Jamal Murray got his first crack at being a starting NBA point guard, finishing with six points and four assists.

Two players in particular, came out trying to assert themselves early – Jimmer Fredette and Petr Cornelie.

“[I want to prove] I can still play,” Fredette said after the game. “I feel really confident in how I’m playing right now. I’m just trying to do anything I can to help the team win.” 

Fredette displayed his shot-making ability, dropping in 19 of his game-high 26 points in the first half. He shot 50% from the field and also added three assists, two rebounds, and four threes. Cornelie added 19 points and seven rebounds, continuing a solid Summer League showing.

Juan Hernangomez also continued his aggressive play, crashing the offensive boards and getting a nice steal early in the first quarter. With Fredette, Cornelie, and Hernangomez all playing well, it was a solid start for the Nuggets. However, the Grizzlies fought back with some good shooting and solid rebounding to the tie the game after one, but that was the closest they would get.

The Nuggets kept their foot on the gas pedal through the rest of the game and continued to pour in the buckets, finishing with eight threes and racking up 24 fast break points. Denver’s bench also contributed 39 points to the effort.

On the defensive end, the Nuggets were able to limit the Grizzlies’ Wade Baldwin IV and Andrew Harrison to 22.2% shooting and the Grizzlies to 31.5% overall.

Multiple players also got their first Summer League minutes this year, including local players Josh Scott, Antwan Scott, and Josh Adams, Antonio Barton, Darius Carter, and Ondrej Balvin.

Denver’s third Summer League game is on Monday night at 6:00p.m. MST against the Miami Heat.

Summer League: Nuggets vs Grizzlies Gallery

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 106-62 during their second 2016 Summer League game held at the Thomas And Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV.

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Game 2: Nuggets Tame Grizzlies

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