2023 NBA Las Vegas Summer League - Day 1 Recap

Timberwolves: 102 - Pelicans: 88 The Pelicans have a pair of young, talented guards in Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins. Daniels led the way with 18 points, while Hawkins had 16, but it still was not enough to stop the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves were carried on both ends of the floor by Brandon Williams (24 points, 3 steals) and Josh Minott (20 points, 2 blocks).

Bucks: 92 - Nuggets: 85 The Bucks won this game behind Nico Mannion (16 points) and MarJon Beauchamp (23 points, 8 rebounds) on the offensive end of the floor. The difference in this game was the third-quarter run that the Bucks went on, outscoring the Nuggets 26-18. Peyton Watson led the Nuggets in scoring with 23 points, getting to the free-throw line and going 10-13.

Bulls: 83 - Raptors: 74 This game was close the entire way through. The Bulls outscored the Raptors by 8 in the second quarter, which was ultimately the key factor in winning, as their other quarter scores were identical. Undrafted guard Markquis Nowell had the most impressive performance on the court, scoring 17 points and dishing out 5 assists while also stealing the ball 3 times from his opponents.

Rockets: 100 - Trail Blazers: 99 This was the game of the day in Las Vegas. Scoot Henderson made his Summer League debut and filled the stat sheet (15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) before leaving the game early due to a shoulder injury. Shaedon Sharpe also showed out by scoring 21 points and grabbing 7 rebounds, but it was not enough to stop a late-game comeback from the Rockets. The Rockets are loaded with young talent, but Jabari Smith Jr. really stepped up for them, especially in the fourth quarter. Smith Jr. had a game-high 33 points and got to the free-throw line 17 times, making 82% of them. The Blazers made some costly mistakes within the last minute of the game and allowed the Rockets to claw back, which led to Jabari Smith Jr. hitting a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.

Cavaliers: 101 - Nets: 97 The Cavaliers have an interesting group of young players on their Summer League roster, but the one that stood out was Sharife Cooper. After not getting many opportunities to play NBA minutes over the last two years, he showed out in his first game by putting up a game-high 27 points on an efficient 8-12 shooting and getting to the free-throw line at will, making 9 out of 11 attempts. Cooper and his teammate Isaiah Mobley (15 points, 9 rebounds) helped their team close out the game by outscoring the Nets 34 to 26 in the final quarter.

Spurs: 76 - Hornets: 68 There was a lot of hype surrounding this game because the top two picks of the 2023 Draft would be facing each other. Brandon Miller had a solid performance, scoring 16 and grabbing 11 rebounds, but it seemed like the Hornets never had control of this game. Even though Victor Wembanyama was struggling on the offensive end of the floor, he still managed to score 9 points and come up with 8 rebounds while also blocking 5 shots. The Spurs were carried offensively by Malaki Branham and Julian Champagnie, each scoring 17 and 20 points, respectively.

Kings: 80 - Hawks: 76 The Kings ended up winning their third consecutive game in the past week. This time, they did it without their best young player, Keegan Murray. The Hawks were expected to win since Murray was not going to play and because they had two young players with high upside in A.J. Griffin and Kobe Bufkin. However, both had a rough day from the field, shooting 4-14 each. The Kings were led by Jordan Ford, who scored 20 points for the team.

Lakers: 103 - Warriors: 96 After dropping their two games in Sacramento Summer League play, the Lakers had an impressive performance to start the Las Vegas circuit. Max Christie led them with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Christie has been the leading scorer for the Lakers in all of their games this summer, so expect him to continue scoring at a high rate throughout the tournament.