ORLANDO -- Daniel Hamilton hadn’t played well all night. But he and his Thunder teammates were facing a four-point deficit with just 10 seconds to go and Hamilton hates losing. As a part of one monstrous possession, Hamilton scored five points, willing the Thunder to a 92-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons in the first game of the 2017 Orlando Summer League.
After hitting a three-pointer and a driving transition three-point play earlier in the period to give the Thunder an 84-83 lead, with two-and-a-half minutes to go, Hamilton came up with heroics again. This time, with just 10 seconds to go, he drew a foul before the inbounds pass came in and was awarded two free throws plus the ball. (Per NBA rules, Hamilton should have been awarded just one free throw).
Hamilton made both, and on the ensuing play when Josh Huestis missed a mid-range jumper, Hamilton was there to make a two-handed put-back layup, plus the foul. He sank the free throw, and proved to his coach, Mark Daigneault, that his tutelage this past season with the Oklahoma City Blue has paid dividends.
“I definitely didn’t want to lose. I hate losing,” Hamilton said. “I tried to come out and do what I could to help the team win.”
“He won the game in the last 10 seconds with his effort and concentration,” Daigneault added. “I’m not sure at the beginning of the season he would have been ready to hang in there long enough to have that happen.”
Summer League Highlights: Thunder 92, Pistons 91
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Vince Hunter Gets the Start, Shows Out
Thunder fans likely know a bunch of players on the Summer League squad who competed tonight, but one they may not have been familiar with was Vince Hunter. The 22-year-old forward hails from Detroit, Mich. but has wound an unlikely path to Oklahoma City. He attended UTEP for college, declaring for the NBA after his sophomore season.
After being undrafted, Hunter bounced around a few NBA teams trying to catch a break, and ended up playing for the Reno Bighorns of the now G-League. Since then he’s played professionally in Greece and Russia, but he’s back in the United States to try to win an NBA contract. At 6-foot-8, 208 pounds, Hunter is a bruising combo forward that is trying to add dimensions to his game. He showed it tonight with a pair of clutch three-pointers and an and-one fast break layup. He finished with a game-high-tying 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting, plus seven rebounds.
“I’m just trying to go out there and bring the type of energy I’ve been bringing since I’ve been out of college and trying to add a couple things I’ve been working on since I’ve been out of college and that I’ve developed over the years,” Hunter said.
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Next Up:
The Thunder is 1-0 in Summer League with 6.5 total points due to winning (4 points) and two quarters won (2 points) and one quarter tied (0.5 points). It currently sits 2nd in the standings. The team is off on Sunday but will be back in action on Monday at 12 p.m. CT against the New York Knicks. Be sure to tune in to watch the game on NBATV and stay here at okcthunder.com for full coverage.