Summer League at a Glance
A look at Sunday’s action at the NBA Summer League:
RESULTS
At Cox Pavilion
Denver 100, New York 90
Portland 84, Houston 67
Washington 84, Golden State 79
Miami 77, New Orleans 72
HIGHLIGHTS
Nuggets 100, Knicks 90 — In a battle of ex-Atlantic Coast Conference guards, Ty Lawson (North Carolina) bested Toney Douglas (Florida State), scoring 28 points to Douglas’ 27 as the Nuggets remained undefeated at 3-0.
Trail Blazers 84, Rockets 67 — Former UNR stars Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson enjoyed successful NBA debuts for the Blazers as Babbitt had 13 points and Johnson finished with eight.
Wizards 84, Warriors 79 — No. 1 overall pick John Wall overcame a slow start in his pro debut to finish with 24 points and lead the Wizards to the win. Former UNR forward JaVale McGee added 21 points along with 13 rebounds for Washington.
Heat 77, Hornets 72 — Jon Scheyer’s 3-point field goal with 21 seconds remaining gave Miami the lead as the Heat won their inaugural game in Las Vegas, which had 14 lead changes and was tied six times. New Orleans (0-2) scored just 12 points in the fourth quarter.
STARS
Portland’s Paddy Mills, who had a broken bone in his right foot that limited him to 10 games last season, had 12 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the Blazers’ win over Houston.
Golden State’s Reggie Williams, a two-time national collegiate scoring champ at Virginia Military Institute, showed he can still fill it up. Williams had 34 points in 34 minutes for Golden State in the Warriors’ loss to Washington.
Kenny Hasbrouck scored 24 points as the guard from Siena helped Miami win its first Summer League game in Las Vegas. Hasbrouck went 10 of 15 from the field.
NO SWITCH
With Cox Pavilion sold out for John Wall’s debut and the Thomas & Mack Center available Sunday, why didn’t the NBA move the Wizards-Warriors game into the Mack?
Blame television. Because NBA TV is showing all the games from Cox Pavilion, its cameras and crew were set to broadcast from the smaller venue.
That’s why ticket sales were cut off and only 2,500 made it inside.
D-LEAGUERS DEBUT TODAY
Last year’s D-League select team went 3-2, setting the bar high for this year’s team, which plays its opening game of the Summer League at 5:30 p.m. today vs. Phoenix at the Thomas & Mack Center. “I think 3-2 is a benchmark to shoot for,” said Nick Nurse, the head coach of the Iowa Energy back coaching the D-Leaguers. Former West Virginia star Mike Gansey, Kansas’ Russell Robinson and Georgetown’s Jonathan Wallace top this year’s roster.
“I like the pieces we have this year; there’s not as much spectacular play, like last year,” Nurse said. “We’ve got guys who are more role players, and they just have to fulfill their roles, and we should be all right.”
BOTTOMS UP
There’s a bar on the Cox Pavilion concourse that serves beer in a less-than-traditional method. Instead of dispensing suds from the top into the cup, the system fills the cup from the bottom.
A magnet is placed inside the bottom of the cup, and the cup is placed on a device that releases the magnet and allows beer to flow into the cup. When the cup reaches capacity, the magnet sinks back to the bottom of the cup and seals it.
The system has been in use at the Thomas & Mack for a year, but it’s the first time it’s being used at the Summer League.
BAYNO DOING WELL
Former UNLV coach Bill Bayno said life is good in his second stint as a Portland Trail Blazers assistant. “I feel great. I’m very happy. It’s all good,” Bayno said prior to the Blazers facing Houston.
BUTCH UPDATE
Denver Nuggets center Brian Butch of WIsconsin believes he has a dislocated left kneecap, not a torn patella tendon, as originally diagnosed.
Butch was injured in the third quarter of Saturday’s 82-74 win over the Lakers.
“We’ve got to know a little bit more,” said Butch, who was on the Nuggets bench Sunday but did not play in their 100-90 win over the Knicks. “I have to go back to Denver and see exactly what it is.”
OWNERS MEET TODAY
The league’s board of governors meets today at the Palms, where free agency will be brought up. Dallas owner Mark Cuban has said the league might need to revisit its policy in the wake of LeBron James’ decision to join the Miami Heat.
The league’s collective bargaining agreement with its players expires at the end of the 2010-11 season, and that also will be a hot topic.
LOOKING AHEAD
O.J. Mayo and the Memphis Grizzlies take on the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center. Switching from shooting guard to the point, Mayo is making a limited engagement at the Summer League and is expected only to play in Memphis’ first two games.
QUOTABLE
“I knew they were going to be here. Kentucky fans go everywhere.” — Washington Wizards rookie guard John Wall, commenting on Kentucky fans in the crowd of 2,500 watching his pro debut Sunday
Today’s games
At Cox Pavilion
1 p.m. — LA Lakers vs. New York
3 p.m. — Sacramento vs. Detroit
5 p.m. — Dallas vs. Milwaukee
7 p.m. — Washington vs. LA Clippers
At Thomas & Mack Center
3:30 p.m. — San Antonio vs. Minnesota
5:30 p.m. — Phoenix vs. D-League Select
7:30 p.m. — Memphis vs. Atlanta
STEVE CARP AND TRISTAN AIRD
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
