LAS VEGAS — A look at top performers from Day 3 in Las Vegas:
DeAndre’ Bembry & John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
The pair of Hawks forwards stuffed the score sheet against New Orleans in one of the fiercest games so far (four lead changes, five ties in the final quarter). Collins, Atlanta’s first-round pick last month, had 22 points, 10 boards and hit 9-of-11 shots. Bembry, the Hawks’ 2016 first-rounder added 16 points, seven rebounds, six assist and six steals. Forward Cheick Diallo (23 points) and guard Quinn Cook (25) combined to shoot 21-for-36 for the Pelicans, while Atlanta’s Taurean Prince was the only player to hit at least half of his 3-pointers; he was 3-for-6, the other 21 guys who played were 5-for-31.
Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas Mavericks
Smith Jr. spent much of the game guarded by Phoenix’s Josh Jackson and got the better of the duel between lottery picks. The Mavericks rookie, drafted ninth last month, looked like an experienced floor leader with 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals (and five turnovers), and got to the rim almost at will. Jackson, the No. 4 pick, had several impressive throwdowns but shot 6-for-18 overall and 1-for 7 from the arc, grabbing nine boards but committing seven fouls.
Rashad Vaughn, Milwaukee Bucks
Vaughn, heading into his third NBA season after averaging just 3.2 points in 111 mostly cameo appearances, moved the decimal point, scoring 31 points in Milwaukee’s 88-83 victory over Brooklyn at the COX Pavilion. The No. 17 pick in 2015, considered a 3-point threat out of college, hit 13 of his 18 shots but only three from the arc; he did most of his damage attacking the Nets defense off the dribble. Vaughn grabbed eight rebounds but was a plus-four, though, compared to Bucks rookie forwards Sterling Brown (plus-14) and D.J. Wilson (plus-12), each of whom scored 16 points each.
Matt Costello, Minnesota Timberwolves
Costello, a member last season of the Iowa G League team now affiliated with Minnesota, scored 12 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, keying the Wolves’ 42-27 advantage on the boards in beating Denver. The Wolves led wire to wire by as much as 22 points, enabling Perry Ellis (19 points) and Charles Cooke (15) to score off the bench more than all but two Nuggets players.
Jamil Wilson, Los Angeles Clippers
In the 15:23 Wilson played in the second and third quarters, the Clippers outscored Utah by 30 points. Wilson, 26, a 6-foot-7 product of Marquette participating in his fourth consecutive summer league, outscored the Jazz (who led 18-9 after one quarter) by himself 15-10 in the second quarter. He finished with 18 points off the bench on 7-for-8 shooting, hitting four of his five 3-pointers.
Wayne Selden & Jarell Martin, Memphis Grizzlies
Selden and Martin each scored 21 points in the Grizzlies’ 81-75 victory over Sacramento. For Selden, the shooting guard who went undrafted in 2016 before splitting last season between New Orleans, Memphis and Iowa (G League), it was a strong follow-up to his 28 points vs. Washington Saturday. Martin, the No. 25 pick out of LSU in 2015, cleaned up nicely from his 4-of-12, eight-foul outing in the opener. He also had two dunks in the final 1:37 to fend off the Kings when they twice had pulled within five points.
Bryn Forbes, San Antonio Spurs
Forbes, who in 2016-17 became first rookie in Spurs history to play in 30 games or more after going undrafted as a college senior, continued to lead the way in summer. He scored 35 points in San Antonio’s 101-95 victory over Philadelphia (playing without hobbled No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz). That gives Forbes 53 points on 15-for-33 shooting in the Spurs’ two games so far. Forbes had eight turnovers but atoned with perfect foul shooting (17-for-17).
Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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