2017 NBA Summer League

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The Golden State Warriors finished their Las Vegas Summer League slate on a high note, defeating the Clippers 109-100 on Friday.

Playing without Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell who were inactive, Dylan Ennis came off the bench to put on a show by scoring a game-high 35 points, including eight three-pointers. He accounted for 20 points and five treys in the second quarter alone.

Kevon Looney notched a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and two steals, while Damian Jones nearly matched him with 11 points, 10 boards and three blocks.

GSW
            PTS: Ennis (35)
            REB: Looney (11)
            AST: Allen (5)

LAC
            PTS: Johnson (18)
            REB: Hicks (6)
            AST: Marshall (11)

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Warriors Conclude Summer League With Victory Over Clippers

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NBA Summer League: Warriors vs. Clippers - 7.14.17

1. McCaw aggressive – Steve Kerr has said he would like to see Patrick McCaw take on more playmaking responsibilities in his upcoming second season, and while it is just Summer League and the Warriors did lose big to Boston, McCaw continued to show that he has the tools to be more than just a stand-in-the-corner guy offensively for Golden State going forward. McCaw got to the rack at will Thursday afternoon, going for 20 points in just 24 minutes and attempting eight free throws. He even hit a half-court buzzer-beater to end the first half.

2. Damian Jones featured – Summer League is an opportunity to get game reps, and Damian Jones was able to get in a lot of offensive work against Boston. For a stretch in the third quarter, the Warriors went almost exclusively to the Vanderbilt product in the post, catching on either side of the lane. He finished the game just 3-for-11 from the floor but did have a couple of nice buckets in that one segment in the third, taking a defender baseline for a second-side finish and then converting a layup inside on another occasion.

3. We'll do it again tomorrow afternoon – The Summer Dubs wrap up their Las Vegas stint on consolation day Friday afternoon for a 3:30 tip. With a second Summer League championship out of the picture, expect playing time to be distributed differently. Friday’s game will likely be a chance for guys who have not gotten a lot of burn to see the court for more minutes.

Santa Cruz Warriors broadcaster Kevin Danna is providing the play-by-play for the Warriors’ Summer League audio broadcasts. Catch the next call on 95.7 The Game or the Warriors Mobile App when the Dubs play their final Summer League game on Friday.

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Summer League Game 5 Takeaways

The Warriors struggled offensively and ultimately lost 93-69 to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the Las Vegas Summer League tournament on Thursday.

Bryce Alford converted a three-pointer to pull the Warriors within 6-5 less than three minutes into the opening quarter, but Boston closed the frame on a 14-0 run from that point on, and Golden State never recovered. Patrick McCaw notched his third-straight 20-point game and led all scorers with 20 points, including Golden State’s final 10 points of the first half.

With the defeat, the Warriors drop to the consolation bracket of the tournament and will finish off their Summer League slate on Friday at 3:30 p.m. against the loser of Thursday’s matchup between the Clippers and Heat.

GSW
            PTS: McCaw (20)
            REB: Bell (6)
            AST: McCaw (2)

BOS
            PTS: R. Allen (18)
            REB: Zizic (10)
            AST: Jackson (4)

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Boston Bests Golden State In Summer League

1. McCaw on a mission – Apparently the 3-for-15 performance Monday night didn’t sit too well with Patrick McCaw, who has gone for 20-plus points in each of his last two games, including a 26-point performance Wednesday to lift the Summer Dubs to their first victory in Vegas this year. He took over when it mattered most, hitting a runner and a corner three to give Golden State the lead back for good late in the game.

2. Bryce Alford getting it going – After going scoreless in his first two games, Alford has put up 16 and 13 points in his last two games, respectively. Alford made a name for himself as a sharpshooter at UCLA, hitting 43 percent from beyond the arc as a senior playing alongside first-round draft picks Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf. He hasn’t been as efficient from downtown in Summer League, but he has been plenty effective since being inserted into the starting lineup by Summer League head coach Chris DeMarco. How about that nifty between-the-legs bounce pass he gave to Damian Jones for a layup? That was something else.

3. On to the Sweet 16 – Like Shaquille O'Neal says he makes free throws when they count, Golden State got its first win of Summer League when it mattered most, getting even with Minnesota in the first round of the Summer League tournament. The 22nd-seeded Warriors will now face the sixth-seeded Boston Celtics Thursday. If the Dubs win that game, they get a breather Friday and advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday. If the Celtics are victorious, the Dubs will have to play their fifth game in five days to close out their Sin City stint. A 6-22 matchup might seem like a huge gap, but remember, these seedings are based off a sample size of only three games, and low seeds have had plenty of success in the Summer League tournament. Just last year, the lowest-seeded team (Minnesota) made it all the way to the finals.

Santa Cruz Warriors broadcaster Kevin Danna is providing the play-by-play for the Warriors’ Summer League audio broadcasts. Catch his next call on 95.7 The Game or the Warriors Mobile App when the Dubs take on the Celtics in the next round of the Summer League tournament on Thursday.

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Summer League Game 4 Takeaways

Facing the Timberwolves for the second time in less than 24 hours, the Warriors bounced back and earned their first win of the Las Vegas Summer League with a 77-69 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday.

Patrick McCaw led all scorers with a personal Summer League high of 26 points to go along with four rebounds and five assists. Jordan Bell set a Golden State Summer League franchise record with 16 rebounds in addition to his six points and three blocks, while Bryce Alford and Elgin Cook added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

With the win, Golden State advances to the next round of the Summer League tournament, where they will face the Boston Celtics on Thursday at 3:00 p.m.

GSW
            PTS: McCaw (26)
            REB: Bell (16)
            AST: McCaw (5)

MIN
            PTS: Williams (19)
            REB: Ellis (8)
            AST: Paige (6)

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Warriors Beat Timberwolves For First Win Of Summer League

Andy Fahey

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NBA Summer League: Warriors vs. Timberwolves - 7.12.17

1. Block party – Damian Jones and Jordan Bell gave plenty of reasons for Warriors fans to salivate over their potential Tuesday night, nine of them being the combined number of rejections between the two against the Timberwolves. Bell’s six blocks and Jones’ three helped protect the paint and limit the Timberwolves to 34 percent shooting in a losing effort. The Summer Dubs totaled 12 blocks in all, a very hefty number.

2. More on Bell – The Duck did a little bit (or a lotta bit) of everything Tuesday night, also going for five points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals in addition to his six blocks, giving him a five-by-five. Yes, it’s Summer League, and stats in Las Vegas don’t necessarily mean a guy is going to dominate or struggle in the NBA regular season, but Jordan Bell was the Draymond Green of Summer League Tuesday night. I was impressed by his ability to finish through contact Tuesday night, converting a tough and-one in the third quarter.

3. Summer League is for experimentation – While the main point of Summer League is for rookies to get pre-training camp reps and for undrafted, G League and overseas guys to compete for roster spots, Summer League also fulfills other roles. One such purpose is rules experimentation, and the Warriors found themselves involved in arguably the most exciting rule change special to Summer League – sudden death overtime (for the pre-tournament games). After the Dubs and T-Wolves each scored three points in the first two-minute overtime period, the teams entered a next-basket-wins format. Sudden death doesn’t make sense for the NBA regular season and postseason for obvious reasons, but for Summer League? It’s perfect, making for exciting endings and helping to keep a four-games-a-day-per-venue schedule somewhat on track. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they came out on the wrong side of it this time around, but it creates a sense of urgency you wouldn’t otherwise see in July basketball.

Santa Cruz Warriors broadcaster Kevin Danna is providing the play-by-play for the Warriors’ Summer League audio broadcasts. Catch his next call on 95.7 The Game or the Warriors Mobile App when the Dubs begin the tournament portion of Summer League play on Wednesday.