LAS VEGAS — A look at top performers from Day 6 of the Las Vegas Summer League:
Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers
When you’re trending on Twitter and it’s the late game out of the Las Vegas Summer League, you must be doing something special. And Ball was: 36 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists to spark the Lakers’ rally for a 103-102 victory over Philadelphia at the Thomas & Mack Center. Records suggested it was the first summer game of at least 30 points and 10 assists since 2004 at least. Ball, who had hung an 11-11-11 triple-double on Boston in his previous game, also had five steals, two blocks and six turnovers.
Quinn Cook, New Orleans Pelicans
Cook, who already was shooting a brisk 57.8 percent when the day began, boosted his accuracy from there, hitting 11 of 16 shots on his way to 26 points in the Pelicans’ 105-95 cruise over Atlanta. Teammates Cheick Diallo and Jalen Jones added 21 each — Diallo also deadeye on 7-of-9 shooting, Jones sinking all 11 of his free throws. Meanwhile, Hawks big man John Collins continued as a standout among standouts with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting and nine rebounds in the loss.
Torrey Craig, Denver Nuggets
Two games into Denver’s Summer League schedule, its coaches were raving about Craig in spite of his offense (nine points in 42 total minutes), that’s how much they valued his defense and his overall efficiency. But they could rave about his offense after the 26-year-old product of University of South Carolina Upstate scored 27 points off the bench, with 11 rebounds and 10-of-11 foul shooting in the Nuggets’ 87-81 victory over Houston. Guard Monte Morris added 15 off the bench as Denver’s reserves outscored the Rockets’ 50-21.
Skal Labissiere, Sacramento Kings
Labissiere, whose scoring average (8.3 ppg) through three Summer League games mirrored his production in 33 rookie appearances last season (8.8), pounced upon tipoff in Sacramento’s 69-65 victory over Milwaukee. The No. 28 pick in the 2016 Draft scored 11 of his 19 points in the first quarter, making eight of his 13 shots. He grabbed nine rebounds and teamed with Kings center Georgios Papagiannis (13 boards) for more rebounds than any six Bucks players combined.
Patrick McCaw, Golden State Warriors
Doesn’t seem quite fair that McCaw could be a rotation player for the Warriors last season and earn a championship ring, yet go out in a summer game to wreak havoc on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ entry. McCaw, who averaged 9.5 points per 36 minutes in 71 appearances for Golden State in 2016-17, scored 26 points in 32 in this one, with 10-of-16 accuracy (8-of-9 on 2-pointers), five assists and four rebounds to help the Warriors pull away late.
Josh Jackson & Mike James, Phoenix Suns
Jackson scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the first half, then had nine points and eight rebounds as the Suns dominated the second half 57-39 in their 97-81 victory over Utah. James scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, hitting all five of his shots as Phoenix sank 10 of 14 in that period and 21 of 33 attempts in the second half overall.
Jarnell Stokes, Portland Trail Blazers
A familiar face to fans of summer league, Stokes — the MVP of the G League in 2016 for his work with Sioux Falls, after getting to the NBA’s as Utah’s pick at No. 35 in 2014 — was the MVP of Portland’s 88-87 victory over Chicago at COX Pavilion. The burly Stokes (6-foot-9, 263) scored eight points in the final quarter — he averaged just eight in his first two games here — and finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds, helping the Trail Blazers dominate the Bulls on the boards, 46-31.
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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