2012 NBA Summer League: Day 2 Recap

For the second day in a row, eight NBA summer league teams battled in Orlando. A few players had great games, while some struggled mightily. Let's recap each game:

Game 1: Utah Jazz 84 (1-1), Philadelphia 76ers 80 (0-2)

Second-year player Alec Burks led the Jazz to victory in this one with a game-high 31 points. Jacob Pullen of the 76ers had 23 points and 4 assists in the losing effort. He was 8-14 from the field, was 4-7 from three-point range, and was 3-3 from the free throw line. Pullen is playing well in the summer league so far and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up playing back-up point guard to Jrue Holiday in Philadelphia this upcoming season.

Player of the Game: Alec Burks (31 points, 3 rebounds, 10-14 field goals, 1-2 three-pointers, 10-11 free throws - in only 29 minutes of play!)

Game 2: Indiana Pacers 78 (2-0), Oklahoma City Thunder 74 (0-2)

Lance Stephenson had a fantastic game and led the Pacers over the Thunder. Orlando Johnson went 0-10 from the field, like MarShon Brooks had done the day before. In 8 minutes of play, Jeff Pendergraph had 6 points and 7 rebounds.

I was originally upset that Reggie Hamilton of the Pacers didn't see a minute of playing time and sat on the bench the whole game, but after reading the box score, I found out that he didn't play because of a sprained left ankle. I'm not sure when that happened, but that's a tough break for the undrafted rookie who led the NCAA in points per game last season. Hopefully his injury will heal sooner rather than later and he can get a chance to showcase his talent.

Player of the Game: Lance Stephenson (28 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 10-14 field goals, 2-4 three-pointers)

Game 3: Detroit Pistons 79 (2-0), Orlando Magic 74 (1-1)

Austin Daye had a great game and led the Pistons over the Magic. Kyle Singler chipped in with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Brandon Knight also helped out with 11 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals.

For the Magic, Andrew Nicholson had 13 points and 6 rebounds and Kyle O'Quinn had 11 points and 6 rebounds in the losing effort. In only 10 minutes of play, Kevin Anderson scored 11 points.

Player of the Game: Austin Daye (24 points, 6 rebounds, 8-10 field goals, 3-3 three-pointers, 5-5 free throws)

Game 4: Boston Celtics 82 (2-0), Brooklyn Nets 73 (0-2)

The Nets still haven't won yet in the summer league, while the Celtics remain undefeated. For the Celtics, Jonathon Gibson scored a game-high 17 points off the bench in only 14 minutes of play. He shot 5-7 from the field and was 3-5 from three-point range. Jared Sullinger had 8 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the win.

For Brooklyn, 2-time NBA Champion Adam Morrison had a double-double in the loss. Al Thornton scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.

Player of the Game: Adam Morrison (10 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 4-4 free throws)


Have any thoughts on anything that's going on in the summer league so far? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

2012 NBA Summer League: Day 1 Recap

The 2012 NBA Summer League in Orlando officially began yesterday. In this article, I will share my thoughts, opinions, and observations on aspects of each game.

Game 1: Orlando Magic 92, Brooklyn Nets 88

I watched most of this game. By the time I got up and finished breakfast and turned on NBATV, the game had already started. I was hyped up because Adam Morrison is one of my favorite players. At first, I just watched Adam Morrison. He seemed sluggish and his teammates weren't passing to him. But then at the end of the third quarter, he went into beast mode and scored 6 straight points in a span of about 55 seconds.



The Nets came back from a double-digit lead and tied the game late in the fourth after a 3 by Tyshawn Taylor, but the Magic pulled it out.

For the Magic, Andrew Nicholson led the game with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Kyle O'Quinn, who played with the 15th-seeded Norfolk State team earlier this year, went 8-10 from the field and finished with 16 points.

For the Nets, Morrison finished with 10 points off of 4-7 shooting from the field, had 3 rebounds, and went 2-2 from the free throw line. He utilized himself well. Al Thornton was active and finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds. MarShon Brooks had an awful shooting day and finished the game 0-10 from the field. He also had 4 turnovers, but had 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and shot 3-3 from the free throw line.

Game 2: Boston Celtics 73, Oklahoma City Thunder 65

I only watched some of this game. For the Celtics, Jared Sullinger had a great game off the bench and finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds. He shot 6-12 from the field and went 7-7 from the free throw line. Sean Williams, who I like because I think he's a great energy player, had 6 points and 4 rebounds. Craig Brackins, who's played the first 2 seasons of his career with the 76ers, was given only 2 and a half minutes of playing time and didn't get a good chance to showcase his skills. Dionte Christmas was active and had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He also had a +/- rating of +15, the highest of anybody in the game.

For the Thunder, Reggie Jackson led the team in points and assists (19 points, 2 assists) and shot 7-15 from the field. He also had 3 rebounds, and shot 5-6 from the free throw line. No one else on the Thunder particularly impressed me.

Game 3: Detroit Pistons 76, Utah Jazz 73

I'll be honest. I didn't watch a second of this game. But looking at the stats, I was interested by the performance of Deron Washington, who I'd never heard of. In less than 9 minutes of play, he scored 13 points. He shot 4-5 from the field and was 3-3 from three-poimt range. He did have 5 fouls and 2 turnovers though.

Game 4: Indiana Pacers 69, Philadelphia 76ers 63

I was disapointed by this game because of how Reggie Hamilton never got a chance to show his talent. Out of everyone on the Pacers who saw playing time, Hamilton got the least amount of minutes. In less than 5 minutes of play, he was set up to fail. Though he brought the ball up most of the time, once he passed it in an effort to spread the ball around, he never got it back. His teammates never passed it to him. Orlando Johnson, who had a seemingly good statistical performance with 19 points and 9 rebounds, hogged the ball while Hamilton was on the floor. Hamilton finished with 1 rebound and was 0-1 from the field (he missed a floater), but he had the highest +/- ratio in the game. The Pacers were +9 when Hamilton was on the floor.

For the 76ers, Jacob Pullen led the team with 15 points off the bench in the losing effort. He also had 2 assists and 3 rebounds. I like Pullen's game and was disapointed when he went undrafted in last year's draft.

Have any thoughts on day 1 of the 2012 NBA Summer League? Disapointed that I didn't show Lance Stephenson any love? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.