NBA Summer League roundup: Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody turn heads in Monday’s evening slate

The 2021 NBA Summer League continues in Las Vegas with nine games on the second day of action. On Sunday night, we had a few of the top draft picks from 2021 make their NBA SL debuts, including Houston Rockets G Jalen Green and Detroit Pistons G Cade Cunningham.

The Rockets took on the Cleveland Cavaliers, so Green faced fellow top 5 pick Evan Mobley. Green had an impressive debut, scoring a game-high 23 points, while Mobley finished with 12 points and 5 boards. The Pistons took an L to the OKC Thunder and Cunningham had a bit of a rough night shooting the ball. He scored 12 points with 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, doing a bit of everything. Thunder lottery pick Josh Giddey injured his ankle early in the contest and was forced to leave.

Here we’ll be recapping all the games for Monday, August 9th.

NBA Summer League recaps

Knicks 94, Pacers 86

Immanuel Quickley was the story in this game, dropping 32 points in New York’s win. The guard is emerging as a valuable rotation player for the Knicks after averaging 11.4 points per game in 64 contests last year. Obi Toppin, one of the players we spotlighted for Summer League, had 22 points.

For the Pacers, Oshae Brissett and Duane Washington Jr. impressed with 22 and 23 points, respectively. Rookie Chris Duarte, who Indiana took at No. 13, put up 14 points while going 3-7 from behind the arc.

Pelicans 94, Bulls 77

Trey Murphy, the Pelicans’ first-round pick after a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, dazzled in this one with 26 points. He went 6-9 from behind the arc, one of his strengths and the reason for his rise in the pre-draft process.

For the Bulls, Patrick Williams was the big star with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Chicago is counting on big things from the forward in his second season, especially with the team expecting to be competitive with the additions of Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan in free agency.

76ers 95, Mavericks 73

After a breakout performance during the NBA playoffs, Tyrese Maxey was a force for the 76ers in their 22-point victory over Dallas in their Summer League opener on Monday. The Kentucky product put up 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists and was backed up by Isaiah Joe, who had 15 and four.

Second-year guard Tyrell Terry led the Mavs in the losing effort by dropping 22 points on 50% shooting. Undrafted rookie Eugene Omoruyi out of Oregon was also impressive with 16 points and six boards.

Grizzlies 91, Nets 84

Second-year wing Desmond Bane exploded for 32 points in Memphis’ seven-point victory over Brooklyn in Las Vegas. The 2020-21 Second Team All-Rookie shooter buried six threes on Monday, somehow being matched by Killian Tillie who also buried six treys.

For Brooklyn, starters Quinndary Weatherspoon and Alize Johnson combined for 28 points while 2021 first-round pick Cam Thomas delivered 17 points off the bench in his Summer League debut.

Kings 80, Hornets 70

This was a disaster for both teams offensively for much of the first half before the squads picked things up late. Jahmi’us Ramsey had a big game for the Kings with 22 points and Chimezie Metu added 16 points, four assists and four rebounds. Davion Mitchell had 10 points and nine rebounds.

For Charlotte, Arnoldas Kulboka and D.J. Carton had 13 points each. James Bouknight struggled, going 4-11 from the floor and 1-5 from behind the arc. The Hornets had 22 turnovers, something the coaching staff will not be happy about.

Timberwolves 91, Spurs 89

This was a great game down the stretch, with the Spurs rallying before ultimately falling short. The Timberwolves got a big contribution from Jaylen Nowell, who finished with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jaden McDaniels finished with 18 points and Nathan Knight tallied 19 points for Minnesota.

Devin Vassell was the big contributor for the Spurs, finishing with 23 points and going 3-6 from behind the arc. Josh Primo, who many say the Spurs reached on in the 2021 NBA draft, had a poor outing. He shot 3-11 from the floor and ended the game with eight points.

Magic 91, Warriors 89 (OT)

This was the best game of Monday’s slate (so far) for many reasons. Magic PG Jalen Suggs showed why he was considered one of the best players in the class, scoring 24 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

The Warriors were criticized for keeping their draft picks, but it looks like that plan may have paid off. Jonathan Kuminga had a strong showing with 16 points and six rebounds, while Moses Moody put up 15 points and went 2-5 from behind the arc. This was only Summer League, but it’s a great first step for all three players.

Bucks 81, Clippers 78

Jordan Nwora was the story here, recording 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Bucks in the win. Although his three-point shooting wasn’t quite as clinical as the team would’ve hoped (4-13), there’s signs of him being a competent role player next season for a team looking to defend its title.

Jay Scrubb led the Clippers with 24 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds. BJ Boston, a notable second-round pick out of Kentucky, tallied 10 points and four rebounds. His development will be key for the Clippers this season, especially with Kawhi Leonard likely to miss significant time.

Jazz 63, Suns 57

This was another brutal game offensively, similar to Sacramento’s win over Charlotte. The teams combined to shoot from 29.33 percent from the floor and 25 percent from deep. Utah got 10 points each from Trent Forrest and Paul White to eventually get the win.

The Suns got from 11 points and 15 rebounds from Jalen Smith, last year’s No. 10 overall pick. With Dario Saric likely out for most of the season, Smith will have a bigger role in Phoenix’s rotation.