The 2K24 NBA Summer League will continue on today as the Las Vegas portion of the schedule officially tips off across multiple locations in Sin City.
This will be one of the most anticipated nights in Summer League history as No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama will make his debut for the San Antonio Spurs when battling the Charlotte Hornets at 9 p.m. ET. That will come right after No. 2 overall pick Scoot Henderson debuting for the Portland Trail Blazers when taking on the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. ET.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are favored to win the Summer League at +700 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Spurs enter at +1100 to win the championship behind Wemby, Julian Champagnie and Malaki Branham. Among some of the other favored teams is the Trail Blazers, Rockets, Pistons and Hornets.
Here we’ll be recapping all the games for Friday, July 7.
NBA Summer League recaps
Lakers 103, Warriors 96
Former Michigan State Spartan Max Christie had 22 points and seven rebounds for the Dubs, who get the win behind 14-32 from three-point range as a team. Gui Santos of the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G League showed why he’s considered a rising prospect, as the No. 55 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft finished with 25 points on 9-15 shooting and seven rebounds. Santa Clara’s Brandin Podziemski chipped in nine points and 11 rebounds in his Vegas debut.
Kings 80, Hawks 76
Neemias Queta, the third-year man from Utah State, finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds as his Kings hung on for victory. Queta’s Stockton Kings teammate in the G League Jordan Ford led all scorers with 20 points UNC’s Brady Manek led all scorers for the Hawks with 17 points, including going 5-10 from three-point range. But 21 turnovers in a 40 minute game doomed the ATL.
Spurs 76, Hornets 68
It’s hard to remember with all the hype surrounding Victor Wembanyama that he’s just 19 years old, and it showed in this one. The youngster struggled early, missing nine of his first 10 shots from the floor. But his presence defensively was truly elite (despite getting dunked on by Kai Jones once and crossed over by Brandon Miller). He finished with 9 points (2-13 from field, 1-6 from three-point range), 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers.
And on the whole, Miller was the better player in the game with 16 points on 5-15 from the feild and 11 rebounds. But the athleticism and ease with which Wembanyama plays the game shows why he’s the most-touted prospect since LeBron James. He’s just going to need some time to show it.
Timberwolves 102, Pelicans 88
Minnesota held firm control of this matchup for the entirety of this matchup and forced 31 turnovers in the process. Leonard Miller stepped up for the Wolves with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Meanwhile, No. 14 pick Jordan Hawkins put up 16 points and five assists for the Pelicans.
Bucks 92, Nuggets 85
Milwaukee was able to establish some separation in the third quarter and that’s all it needed to pick up the win against the reigning champs (well, the Summer League team of the reigning champs). MarJon Beauchamp stepped up for the Bucks with 23 points and eight rebounds. Paul Watson provided 23 points and five rebounds for the Nuggets.
Bulls 83, Raptors 74
Chicago was able to open up the Summer League with a win over the Raptors in what was a pretty ugly contest. Neither team shot the ball particularly well and the Bulls dominated on the glass, which was the difference in the game. Bulls lone 2023 pick, Julian Phillips, didn’t play in the game. Former UConn center Adama Sanogo had just five points and four rebounds in just under 18:00 on the court. Markquis Nowell led the Raptors with 17 points and five assists. Toronto first-round pick Gradey Dick had 10 points on some rough shooting, 3-of-12 from the floor and 2-for-9 from 3-point range.
Rockets 100, Trail Blazers 99
In the best game so far on Friday, we got a huge shot from Jabari Smith Jr. The Rockets were trailing 99-97 and Smith nailed a game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Houston the comeback win. Smith had a game-high 33 points in the win for the Rockets, who lost rookie guard Amen Thompson do to an ankle injury, forcing him to leave early. Thompson finished with 16 points in just under 30 minutes. Scoot Henderson scored 15 points with six assists in his SL debut for the Blazers. Shaedon Sharpe led Portland in scoring with 21 points.
Cavaliers 101, Nets 97
Sharife Cooper helped lead the Cavaliers to a close 101-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night in their opener in the SL. He finished with a game-high 27 points in the win and had a solid shooting night, going 8-of-11 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the stripe. Armoni Brooks and Jalen Wilson each had 17 points for the Nets.