Saturday scrimmage wins for Bucks, Jazz, Clippers, Pelicans and Nets
Sunday 26 July 2020 08:24, UK
LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma excelled in the Los Angeles Lakers' scrimmage win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
The Los Angeles Lakers rode stellar performances from Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James to notch a 119-112 win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday afternoon.
The Lakers established a commanding 35-19 advantage through the first 10 minutes and the Magic were only able to shave three points from their deficit heading into halftime. Orlando made it interesting with a 40-point third quarter, but strong production from the second unit led by Kuzma's game-high 25 points helped Los Angeles hold on for the victory.
Kuzma complemented his aforementioned scoring total with seven rebounds and one assist. James followed with 20 points and added seven assists and two rebounds across 25 minutes. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went 7-for-8 from the field on his way to 17 points. He also posted three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dion Waiters poured in 12 points.
DJ Augustin paced the Magic with 21 points and also provided five assists and two rebounds. Michael Carter-Williams led the bench with 15 points, supplementing them with eight boards, three assists and one steal. Nikola Vucevic furnished 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The only negative for the Lakers was the early loss of Anthony Davis, who was inadvertently poked in the eye with 2:09 left in the first quarter and did not return to the game.
Davis was battling with the Magic's Khem Birch for a rebound when the Magic players swiped him in the face. The Lakers star was having an excellent game with nine points and 10 rebounds in nine minutes.
Although the injury did not appear to be serious as Davis re-appeared from the locker room, he was kept out of the remainder of the scrimmage as a precaution.
The Milwaukee Bucks' prolific first half, powered by the offense of Kyle Korver and Brook Lopez, helped them to a 131-123 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
The Bucks and Kings engaged in a spirited opening period that Milwaukee emerged from with a 38-33 advantage. The Eastern Conference pacesetters were then able to separate heading into half-time with a 42-point second period, but Sacramento made it interesting by outscoring their opponents, 63-51, in the second half. Milwaukee led by as much as 29 points at one stage of the contest and won the rebounding battle by a 54-42 margin.
Korver led the way for the Bucks with 22 points. Lopez followed with 21 points, adding four rebounds, five blocks and two steals. Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered 15 points, nine boards, six assists and one block. Khris Middleton posted an efficient 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists in just 15 minutes.
Buddy Hield paced the Kings with 19 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Kent Bazemore turned in 16 points, eight boards, three assists and one block. Bogdan Bogdanovic managed 13 points, three assists, one rebound and two steals.
The Utah Jazz defeated the Miami Heat, 101-99, in a restart scrimmage.
There were eight ties and 16 lead changes in this game, coming down to the final shot. Solomon Hill had a three-point opportunity to win the game for Miami at the buzzer but was unable to connect. There were 10 lead changes in the fourth quarter. alone and none of the four quarters were decided by more than three points. Utah shot 44 per cent from the field and 35 per cent from three-point range while holding Miami to 41 per cent from the field and 26 per cent from long range.
Rudy Gobert led the Jazz with 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Mike Conley tallied 17 points and six boards. Jordan Clarkson led the bench with 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Kelly Olynyk was Miami's leading scorer, providing 27 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Tyler Herro posted 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Derrick Jones Jr and Duncan Robinson had 10 points and two assists apiece.
The LA Clippers defeated the Washington Wizards, 105-100, in a restart scrimmage that was more tightly contested than expected.
Despite the fact the Clippers took control of the game quickly with a 30-24 first quarter, they couldn't hold on to that lead for an extended period. In fact, the Wizards came all the way to grab a three-point lead at the half following a 37-28 second quarter.
Washington increased that lead by eight following the third, but the Clippers completed a fourth-quarter comeback thanks to a 29-16 fourth quarter.
Seven Clippers scored in double digits in this game, but, perhaps surprisingly, the leading scorer was Patrick Patterson with 16 points off the bench, while Paul George finished with 11 points, and Kawhi Leonard registered a woeful 3-for-16 night from the field that resulted in just six points.
As for the Wizards, both Isaac Bonga (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (15 points, 10 rebounds) posted double-doubles, while Thomas Bryant and Jerome Robinson each had 13 points.
The New Orleans Pelicans granned a decisive 119-104 win over the Denver Nuggets in a restart scrimmage.
The Pelicans had no problem controlling the pace of the game as soon as things started, and they quickly jumped to a comfortable 33-20 lead following the first quarter. The Nuggets, who were extremely depleted once again, were no match for New Orleans.
The Pelicans saw their lead reduce to a sizable 11-point edge by half-time. The Nuggets shortened the gap to 10 points by the time the third quarter ended, but the Pelicans got the job done in the final minutes. A 34-29 fourth-quarter score lifted New Orleans to a comfortable win.
Five Pelicans scored in double digits, and all of them were bench players. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the way with 21 points, while Sindarius Thornwell notched 12 points, seven assists, and three rebounds. Frank Jackson had 16 points, and Jaxson Hayes delivered 13 points with six boards.
For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic flirted with a triple-double (11 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) as a point guard, while Mason Plumlee chipped in with 18 points and 13 boards. Bol Bol posted 15 points despite shooting just 6-for-19 from the field and 2-for-7 from three-point range.
The Brooklyn Nets defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 124-119, in a restart scrimmage.
It took five ties and 16 lead changes to determine a winner in this game, with Brooklyn riding a 39-31 third quarter to their victory. That gave them a game-high 13-point lead, which was too much for San Antonio to overcome.
Derrick White led the Spurs with 22 points, three rebounds and four assists. Jakob Poeltl tallied 12 points and 11 boards. Bryn Forbes led the bench with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists. Drew Eubanks recorded a double-double off the bench, generating 12 points and 14 boards.
Caris LeVert led the Nets with 27 points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jarrett Allen totaled 10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Rodions Kurucs led the bench with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists. Tyler Johnson also had 17 points off the pine.
