Summer League at a glance
A look at Thursday’s action in the NBA Summer League:
RESULTS
At Cox Pavilion
San Antonio 80, L.A. Lakers 71
Golden State 86, Phoenix 76
Washington 88, Dallas 82
L.A. Clippers 72, Portland 71
At Thomas & Mack Center
Atlanta 83, Milwaukee 60
Memphis 101, D-League Select 85
HIGHLIGHTS
Spurs 80, Lakers 71 — San Antonio improved to 3-0, while the Lakers finished Summer League play 0-5. Tyler Wilkerson and Gary Neal had 20 points apiece for the Spurs.
Warriors 86, Suns 76 — Golden State outrebounded Phoenix 45 to 38 and finished the Summer League 3-2. Former Bishop Gorman star Kashif Watson scored six points in 17 minutes for the Warriors.
Wizards 88, Mavericks 82 — Cartier Martin had 23 points, John Wall added 21 and Ja’Vale McGee scored 18 for Washington, which held off a late Dallas surge to improve to 3-0.
Hawks 83, Bucks 60 — Atlanta had five players score in double figures, led by Richard Hendrix with 14 points, and dropped Milwaukee to 0-3.
Clippers 72, Trail Blazers 71 — Portland fell short in its bid for a fourth-quarter comeback, missing three shots in the final six seconds. Eric Bledsoe’s floater in the lane with 1:30 to play put Los Angeles in front to stay, 70-68.
Grizzlies 101, D-League 85 — Memphis’ Sam Young had 35 points, Hasheem Thabeet logged 21 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots and Darrell Arthur added 17 points.
STARS
■ Dallas’ Dominique Jones was 10-for-12 from the foul line and finished with 28 points in a loss to Washington.
■ Golden State’s Brian Chase had 20 points and five assists in a win over Phoenix.
■ Memphis’ Sam Young shot 12-for-17 from the field and 11-for-13 from the foul line against the D-League Select, finishing with 35 points.
WINLESS LAKERS
For the first time in four Las Vegas appearances, the Lakers failed to win a game in the Summer League.
But coach Chuck Person wasn’t fretting over the team’s 0-5 record this week.
“The Summer League isn’t about winning,” he said. “It’s about watching guys develop, picking up the triangle (offense) system and seeing who fits into what we’re trying to do.”
Person said the team’s two second-round draft picks — Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter — gave solid efforts.
“I thought they both started strong,” Person said. “But I played them both heavy minutes, and I think they wore down at the end. Devin Ebanks has a good skill set. He can defend, and we like his athleticism. He also showed that he can score, and that was nice to see.
“Caracter reminds me of “Big Baby” Davis in Boston. He’s got a good motor; he’s always making things happen. I like the way he competed.”
Caracter led the team in scoring (15.2) and rebounding (8.6), and Ebanks averaged 15 points in five games.
“I know what I need to work on,” Ebanks said. “I’ve got to get stronger, keep improving my shot and work on my dribbling and passing.”
WALL’S SHOOTING WOES
Washington Wizards rookie guard John Wall struggled from the floor Thursday, shooting 4-for-19, but still made a positive impact in an 88-82 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The No. 1 overall pick sank 13 of 15 free throws on his way to 21 points. He also had 10 assists, seven rebounds and committed only three turnovers in 32-plus minutes.
“My decision-making on shots was not good today,” Wall said. “I could have gotten to the basket, but I was forcing jump shots.”
CHANGE OF PLANS?
Kim Tillie came to the Golden State Warriors’ Summer League team as a practice fill-in for first-round draft pick Ekpe Udoh, who had hurt his wrist.
Not only did Golden State ask the former Utah forward to stick around, he wound up starting and played well. Now there’s talk Tillie might be invited to the Warriors’ fall camp.
One problem: Tillie has already agreed to play in France for Asvel. But a guaranteed offer from the Warriors could change his plans.
“I’ve already got a signed contract in France,” said Tillie, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday’s Summer League finale against Phoenix at Cox Pavilion. “If Golden State guarantees me a contract, I guess I’d have to look at it, because my dream has always been to play in the NBA.”
If the Warriors don’t sign Tillie, perhaps another NBA team will. In five games in Las Vegas, he averaged 9.2 points and 6.6 rebounds.
LOOKING AHEAD
For the second year in a row, the Minnesota Timberwolves don’t have their top draft pick playing in Las Vegas.
Last year it was Ricky Rubio. This year the Wolves are without Wesley Johnson, who has yet to sign his contract.
Why bother to watch the Timberwolves? UNLV legend Reggie Theus is the team’s head coach for the Summer League, and he’ll be prowling the sidelines tonight as Minnesota faces Memphis at Cox Pavilion.
TODAY’S GAMES
At Cox Pavilion
1 p.m. — Detroit vs. New York
3 p.m. — Toronto vs. Sacramento
5 p.m. — Washington vs. New Orleans
7 p.m. — Memphis vs. Minnesota
At Thomas & Mack Center
5:30 p.m. — Cleveland vs. Chicago
7:30 p.m. — Milwaukee vs. Miami
STEVE CARP AND TRISTAN AIRD
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
