The NBA Summer League started in the USA on Tuesday night. Several prominent draft picks attended, including No. 2 Brandon Miller from the Charlotte Hornets. But long-injured center Chet Holmgren from OKC was finally able to celebrate his comeback.
“We’ve got the stage fright behind us, that’ll be fine,” said forward Brandon Miller after his Summer League opener against the San Antonio Spurs. The 20-year-old showed a lot of nerves in the first three quarters (6 turnovers, 7 fouls), but then he was able to convince in the final quarter: he scored 12 of his 18 points. He also recorded 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a total of 34 minutes of play in the clear defeat against the Spurs.
The game took place in Sacramento. After another game in California, both teams will go to Las Vegas. Spurs top pick Victor Wembanyama will also make his much-anticipated debut there.
Center Chet Holmgren made his comeback for the Oklahoma City Thunder after eleven months out through injury. The 21-year-old, No. 2 in the 2022 draft, fractured his foot last August and missed the entire season. He also started nervously against the Jazz, but then found his touch in the second quarter (5/7 FG). “The foot feels great,” he explained. “As if the injury never happened. But as far as fitness is concerned, there are still a lot of hurdles that I have to overcome first.”
Holmgren flashed his playmaker skills in 29 minutes of play, but also his defensive skills (4 blocks). Once he cleared jazz rookie Keyonte George (18 points) spectacularly with a two-handed “volleyball block”.
Other first-round picks also made their debuts: Jaime Jaquez Jr. from the Miami Heat was the top scorer against the Lakers with 22 points (8/15 FG), while Jalen Hood-Schifino made his debut for Los Angeles with 15 points. The Golden State Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski had 12 points (4/9 FG) against the Kings.
NBA Summer League: The results at a glance
Team 1Team 2ErgebnisTopscorerMiami HeatLos Angeles Lakers107:90Jaime Jaquez Jr. (22) – Max Christie (17)Memphis GrizzliesPhiladelphia 76ers94:92Kenneth Lofton Jr. (21) – Terquavion Smith (18)San Antonio SpursCharlotte Hornets98:77Julian Champagnie (30) – Brandon Miller (18)Oklahoma City ThunderUtah Jazz95:85Jalen Williams (21) – Keyonte George (18)Golden State WarriorsSacramento Kings94:100Lester Quinones (26) – Keegan Murray (29)
2023-07-04 09:53:29
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