NBA Summer League roundup: Corey Kispert shines for Wizards, Nets rookie Cam Thomas drops 36 in Sunday’s action

The 2021 NBA Summer League slate continues in Las Vegas on Sunday with eight games tipping off. The Vegas showcase is nearing a conclusion, with just two more days left. A lot of players have emerged as challengers for a roster spot this year, while others have floundered. Teams are starting to make decisions on two-way contracts and G-League squads, which many of the players at Summer League will be involved with if they don’t make an NBA roster.

Here we’ll be recapping all the games for Sunday, August 15th.

NBA Summer League recaps

Kings 86, Mavericks 70

Louis King had a good shooting performance, going 4-6 from deep en route to 18 points. Davion Mitchell only had four points, but added five assists in the victory. Jahmi’us Ramsey, a breakout star in Summer League, tallied 11 poitns.

The Mavericks remain winless in Vegas. They had a brutal day shooting the ball, going 4-22 from three-point land. Carlik Jones had 18 points, but there wasn’t much else to write home about for this team.

Wizards 93, Bucks 83

Corey Kispert was the talking point from this game. The Gonzaga rookie had 18 points and went 4-7 from three-point range. The Wizards have high hopes for him this season as they look to contend in the East.

The Bucks got 18 points each from Jordan Nwora and Mamadi Diakite, but the former struggled from the floor. He shot 1-8 from behind the arc and will need to improve that area of his game if he wants more minutes next season.

Clippers 94, Jazz 90

Amir Coffey made up for his lackluster performance Friday with 20 points on 5-7 shooting from deep. The guard could be in contention for a training camp invite. Keon Johnson also impressed with 17 points and six rebounds.

Udoka Azibuike had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three steals to pace the Jazz. Trent Forrest was also notable with 18 points and five assists. He’ll be in the mix for a roster spot this season.

Nets 104, Spurs 100

It wasn’t the most efficient performance and he did have five turnovers, but Cam Thomas exploded for 36 points in a close win for the Nets. The rookie is determined to prove something all the teams that passed on him and Brooklyn should be excited by his development. That team will need some scoring off the bench, something Thomas can do.

For the Spurs, Josh Primo and Tre Jones had 21 and 18 points respectively. Primo struggled from the floor, but ultimately did fill up the stat sheet. Jones is looking to insert himself in the conversation for a roster spot, but San Antonio has a crowded backcourt.

Timberwolves 99, 76ers 96 (OT)

Jaylen Nowell led the Wolves with 26 points and seven rebounds, but Minnesota had a balanced effort with four players in double figures. Jaden McDaniels had a game-tying three-pointer late to force overtime.

Paul Reed was the breakout star for the 76ers with 27 points, 20 rebounds, four assists and four steals. He’s likely to see a camp invite after this performance. Jaden Springer, Philadelphia’s prized rookie, tallied 11 points and six assists.

Warriors 79, Pelicans 80 (OT)

A wild finish for sure. It looked to be over after a late layup following some terrific defense from Jonathan Kuminga, but a Naji Marshall tip of a Herbert Jones sent it to OT.

Naji Marshall’s driving layup with one second left in OT was goaltended by Kuminga, but on review the call was waived off as no goaltending. However the officials said that Troy Murphy would have made the follow-up had the goaltending not been waived off, so the game is over?? Indeed, the game is over.

If you had Pelicans -2.5, I have no idea what you should think here. The trials and tribulations with betting on Summer League.

Kuminga finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He also had seven personal fouls because this is Summer League and it takes 10 to actually foul out.

Troy Murphy was the high man for the Pels with 22 points, and added six rebounds and three steals. New Orleans was just 7-26 from three-point range, but 19 turnovers from Golden State was the difference.

Grizzlies 96, Bulls 91

The Grizzlies had a lot of balance in this game, with six players in double figures. Olivier Sarr and Sam Merrill were the standout performers for Memphis but Ziaire Williams is the one worth monitoring. The rookie struggled from the floor, going 5-18. He missed all six of his three-point attempts. If Williams is going to become a productive player, he’s going to have to do better offensively.

For the Bulls, the big story was Ayo Dosunmu. The point guard tallied 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Chicago has a lot of backcourt players, but Dosunmu could find playing time off the bench due to his defensive ability. Patrick Williams, Chicago’s promising small forward, did not play in this game.