NBA Summer League roundup: James Wiseman returns to the floor for Warriors, Lakers young guns showing promise

It’s another full slate of Summer League games in Las Vegas Sunday. The day starts with two teams who made headlines at the trade deadline last year with the Pacers taking on the Kings and concludes with the Hornets battling the Lakers. Those two have been linked in a potential Russell Westbrook trade, but it seems like LA is not going to pursue a deal with Charlotte at the moment. For now, the focus is on Summer League ball.

Here we’ll be recapping all the games for Sunday, July 10.

NBA Summer League recaps

Sacramento Kings 103, Indiana Pacers 96

Keegan Murray and Bennedict Mathurin might not draw as many headlines as the three “stars” of the draft class, but these two are showing they can be legitimate threats in the league. Both have been solid in Summer League play and Murray has an immediate spot in Sacramento’s rotation. He finished with 23 points. Mathurin will create more minutes for himself if he keeps playing like this. He had 16 points and seven rebounds.

Brooklyn Nets 91, Philadelphia 76ers 84

Cam Thomas and David Duke Jr. once again led the Nets, who put out a questionable season ticket email today. They combined for 47 points. Look for both guys to be in the conversation when it comes to the Nets filling out the roster. The 76ers didn’t play Paul Reed, which is interesting given his production so far in Summer League. Jaden Springer was underwhelming but Cassius Winston showed out with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

New York Knicks 101, Chicago Buls 69

The Knicks shot the ball extremely well, while the Bulls shot poorly. That usually leads to a blowout and in Summer League, there’s rarely a sense of regression to the mean when it comes to percentages. Teams just throw the towel in. The Knicks will be pleased with Quentin Grimes, who had 24 points and went 4-9 from behind the arc. Bulls rookie Dalen Terry finished with 13 points but also had seven turnovers in the game.

Washington Wizards 97, Phoenix Suns 72

Vernon Carey Jr. and Johnny Davis helped lead the Wizards to a victory over the Suns in Summer League on Sunday evening. Carey had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Davis added 11 points.

Denver Nuggets 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 76

The Nuggets got big games from rookies Peyton Watson and Collin Gillespie in the win, so now there’s a question of how the roster is going to look. Do both deserve a spot on the main team? Will there be a two-way deal here? Gillespie has proven he’s the more stable player, but Watson has the upside and positional versatility. It’s going to be an interesting call for the Nuggets, who have championship aspirations. On the Cleveland side, RJ Nembhard had another great game and is looking like he could be in position for a two-way deal or even a roster spot.

San Antonio Spurs 85, Golden State Warriors 84

James Wiseman is back on the floor for the defending NBA champions. The big man finished with 11 points, two rebounds and seven personal fouls. Mac McClung could find himself on a two-way deal after going for 22 points, six assists and six rebounds while Jonathan Kuminga had a solid day with 26 points. For the Spurs, Blake Wesley was great with 22 points and five rebounds. Malaki Branham struggled, but Darius Days had another solid day with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Memphis Grizzlies 70, Minnesota Timberwolves 63

In a game that can only be described as an embarrassment to the concept of Summer League basketball, Kevon Harris and Santi Aldama were the two standouts. The latter likely gets some minutes for the Grizzlies in the regular season. We’ll see if both teams can fare better offensively in the next game.

Charlotte Hornets 89, Los Angeles Lakers 86

The Lakers might not get significant contributions from their Summer League players in the regular season, but there’s some promising talent here. Cole Swider in particular is very interesting given his size and ability to shoot the triple. Scotty Pippen Jr. continues to impress, and Max Christie appears to slowly be figuring things out. On the Hornets side, Nick Richards is putting up consistent numbers and might get run for a team hurting on interior depth.