NBA Summer League roundup: Paolo Banchero, Keegan Murray shine; Jaden Ivey, Dyson Daniels suffers injury scares Saturday

We’ve got another packed day of Summer League Saturday, with No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren’s Thunder taking on No. 3 pick Jabari Smith’s Rockets as the marquee game. We’ll also be getting our first look at several teams, including the Celtics and Hawks.

Here we’ll be recapping all the games for Saturday, July 9.

NBA Summer League recaps

Toronto Raptors 97, Philadelphia 76ers 77

Dalano Banton and Armoni Brooks were the stars today for the Raptors. Both could be in the back end of the team’s rotation, especially Banton. He played in a lot of games last year and could be an important piece, especially if the Raptors make a move for Kevin Durant. The 76ers will be impressed by Isaiah Joe’s continued brilliance. His three-point shooting was phenomenal today and it offers him a potential path to more playing time if he keeps it up.

Orlando Magic 94, Sacramento Kings 92 (2OT)

This was a battle of top-5 picks with Paolo Banchero and Keegan Murray going head to head. It turned out to be an all-time classic. Banchero ended up with 23 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals. He did most of his work at the free-throw line. Murray had a solid game himself with 20 points and nine rebounds, hitting a big triple to force overtime. These two have been as advertised so far, which means good things for this rookie class going forward. Expect both to see big minutes this season. Neemias Queta had a big game for the Kings with 23 points and eight rebounds, but it’s hard to see him getting playing time for the main team this year given the roster.

Miami Heat 88, Boston Celtics 78

The big story here is Nikola Jovic going scoreless in just under 14 minutes of play. The rookie is going to have a tough time cracking Miami’s rotation, and this type of performance won’t help. Mychal Mulder had a solid game for the Heat. The Celtics are unlikely to bring anyone from their Summer League team into the rotation, although they’ll likely get some people on the roster since they’ve parted ways with a lot of guys in the Malcolm Brogdon trade.

Detroit Pistons 105, Washington Wizards 99

The game ended up becoming close late, but was a blowout for much of the contest. Jalen Duren made his Summer League debut after the trade on draft day become official but the real concern for Detroit here is Jaden Ivey’s ankle. The guard returned to the bench without any sort of walking boot, so it appears he avoided a major problem. The Pistons might sit him for large stretches of the rest of Summer League. Detroit had seven players in double figures scoring. On the Washington side, Jordan Schakel led the way with 24 points. Johnny Davis was underwhelming with six points, five rebounds and two assists on 1-9 shooting from the floor.

Utah Jazz 72, Atlanta Hawks 66

This one was a real barn-burner. Neither team shot higher than 30 percent from 3-point range and there was some poor free throw shooting as well. Jared Butler had a strong game for the Jazz, scoring 15 points with seven assists. Kofi Cockburn had six points and 13 boards for Utah. 2021 second-round pick Sharife Cooper had an awful game finishing with three points on 1-of-6 shooting.

Houston Rockets 90, Oklahoma City Thunder 88

Josh Christopher had another solid outing for the Rockets, who got better contributions from Jabari Smith after a dud in his Summer League debut. He had 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Houston had four players in double figures scoring. Oklahoma City was equally balanced with five players in double figures scoring, with Chet Holmgren contributing 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Los Angeles Clippers 94, Memphis Grizzlies 76

Reggie Perry and Brandon Boston Jr. led the Clippers in a big win. Los Angeles had five players touch double figures scoring, although we’ll see how many actually make the cut on what is expected to be a loaded roster. Kenneth Lofton Jr. is creating some buzz for Memphis. He tallied 18 points. We’ll see if Memphis takes him on with Jaren Jackson Jr. expected to miss the first month of the season at minimum.

Portland Trail Blazers 85, New Orleans Pelicans 68

Dyson Daniels suffered an ankle sprain in this game, which will be the dominant storyline here. X-rays came back negative, which is a good sign. Trey Murphy will be a bigger contributor this season for New Orleans, but he needs to be a consistent three-point threat because his other scoring opportunities will be limited. For Portland, we’ll see if two-way player Trendon Watford can deliver big minutes for the main club. Keon Johnson is another player who the Blazers hope can take a step forward this season.