2016 NBA Summer League

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What’s important? What’s not important?

If, say, the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, that doesn’t really mean a whole lot. More than half of the Summer League team isn’t the actual team.

But what if the top draft pick for the Wolves looked like he belonged from the beginning and put up 27 points and looked like THE alpha dog on the court? Yeah, that’s probably a little more important.

The Wolves’ No. 5 pick Kris Dunn finished with a game-high 27 points to go with five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. He shot an efficient 10-for-18 from the field and 1-for-2 from the 3-point line.

Yes, Minnesota lost 88-82. But the emergence of Dunn should be the main focus if you’re a Timberwolves’ fan. And it was especially impressive considering he put on a show against legit NBA guards like Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris.

“It just felt good to be out there playing,” Dunn, who hasn’t played in a real game in nearly four months. “… Just playing with the guys, trying to get that chemistry on the court.”

Dunn had the swag of a five-year veteran and if you had just turned the game on, not knowing exactly what sport you were watching, you would have thought the game had everything on the line. That’s how Dunn (and Mudiay for that matter) were playing, which was refreshing to see. Not all Summer League games are taken that serious.

“My background,” Dunn said on what gives him that mentality. “I’m not going to back down from anybody. I know Emmanuel. He’s a good player and I just wanted to compete. I’m just trying to learn every day and improve.”

Ultimately, Mudiay’s 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists led the Nuggets to the win. Gary Harris added 22 points, while No. 7 pick Jamal Murray added 14 points after a 1-for-7 start from the field.

Third-year forward Adreian Payne finished with 17 points for the Wolves, but shot just 6-for-20. The second biggest revelation for the Wolves was that Dunn and second-year guard Tyus Jones played pretty well together. Jones finished with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Offensively, the two meshed. And while it’s way too early, it’s something to keep an eye on heading into the regular season. 

The Wolves fall to 0-1 and Summer League and will play the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at 5 p.m. CST.

To open the game, Jones hooked up with Dunn for an alley-oop on a back-door cut. Not a bad way to say ‘hello’ to the NBA world.

This belongs to Dunn. With his 27 points, he leads all scorers on day one of action. In second is second-year guard Andrew Harrison.&lt;/p

We have a feeling we’ll be seeing plenty more of this from Dunn. 

dunn-puts-on-a-show-in-loss-to-nuggets

Dunn Puts On A Show In Loss To Nuggets

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team's three-game preliminary round schedule for the NBA Summer League 2016 in Las Vegas. The Wolves, who own the No. 5 selection in Thursday’s 2016 NBA Draft, begin their schedule with a contest against the Denver Nuggets, who own the No. 7 pick, on July 8 at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center.

From July 8-18, 23 NBA teams and a team of NBA Development League select players will participate in a tournament-style format to crown the Samsung NBA Summer League Champion. Teams will compete in three preliminary games beginning on July 8 before being seeded in a tournament that leads to the Championship Game on July 18. Each team will play at least five games in Las Vegas.

This summer will mark the 10th NBA Summer League in Las Vegas appearance for the Wolves (2006-10, 2012-16). A year ago the Wolves went 1-4 in Summer League play. Minnesota is 21-26 all-time in Las Vegas.

ESPN will present all 67 games from Las Vegas across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU and WatchESPN. Coverage of Samsung NBA Summer League will tip off on ESPN on July 8 with opening-day clashes between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets at 8:30 p.m. ET and the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans at 10:30 p.m. ET. In total, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will broadcast 25 games, including all four quarterfinal games, both semifinal games and the Championship Game on Monday, July 18 at 9 p.m. ET at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center. Fans can also log on to ESPN3, where all 67 games will be live-streamed.

NBA TV will also present a full slate of Samsung NBA Summer League action, televising a total of 30 games. The network’s coverage will begin on July 8 with an opening-day tripleheader featuring the Cavaliers and Bucks at 6 p.m. ET followed by the Hawks against the Rockets at 8 p.m. ET and the Sacramento Kings vs. the Raptors at 10 p.m. ET.

The 24-team field at Samsung NBA Summer League 2016 is composed of 11 playoff teams from the 2015-16 NBA season, 12 teams with lottery picks in NBA Draft 2016 presented by State Farm and an NBA Development League Select Team. Teams will compete in three preliminary round games from July 8-12 before being seeded in a tournament that starts on July 13 and concludes with the Championship Game on July 18. Each team is guaranteed to play at least five games.

Samsung NBA Summer League has long served as the launch pad for future NBA stars. Two-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry of Golden State played in Las Vegas before his first season, as did the last two Kia NBA Rookies of the Year: Karl-Anthony Towns (2015-16 winner) and Andrew Wiggins (2014-15) of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Top prospects for the June 23 draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., include Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Dragan Bender, California forward Jaylen Brown, Washington forward Marquese Chriss, Providence guard Kris Dunn, Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield, Duke forward Brandon Ingram, Kentucky guard Jamal Murray and LSU forward Ben Simmons.

Samsung, the official mobile device, tablet and television partner of the NBA, WNBA and NBA D-League, is the title partner of NBA Summer League for the third consecutive year. Through this partnership, Samsung provides technology solutions which power the Summer League.

Tickets for Samsung NBA Summer League are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting NBATickets.com. For more information about Samsung NBA Summer League 2015, visit nba.com/summerleague, log on to facebook.com/NBASummerLeague or follow @NBASummerLeague on Twitter.

The entire Timberwolves preliminary round schedule is as follows:

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Timberwolves Announce Samsung NBA Summer League 2016 Preliminary Round Schedule

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