The action on the court started with a tilt between the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards. Sacramento’s Francisco Garcia stole the show with 21 points. In an example of how you don’t have to be a superstar (or even have a good game) to get noticed in Summer League, the Kings’ first round draft pick Spencer Hawes drew courtside buzz for his performance. He shot only 4-for-16 but displayed graceful movement, the ability to get his shot off, and good passing ability for a 7-footer. No Washington player scored more than a dozen points and the Wizards collected nearly twice as many fouls as field goals. Sacramento won the game 75-64.
The Dallas Mavericks continued their domination of the event with an 87-83 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Point guard Jose Juan Barea again led the charge for Dallas with 18 points, but seemed to be frustrated slightly by the quicker guards Denver employed against him - his first hiccup in Summer League this year. The real eye-opener was Denver guard Von Wafer’s three-point barrage to bring the Nuggets close in the fourth quarter. Wafer shot 3-4 from the arc for the game and led the Nuggets with 19 points.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers played the most exciting game of the day, a 98-95 overtime thriller won by the Sixers. Familiar Summer League stars Rodney Carney and Louis Williams led Philadelphia. Carney score 30 points including the three-pointer to send the game into extra minutes. Williams scored 29 with an amazing 22 free-throw attempts and added 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Coby Karl was the leading scorer for L.A. with 23, but the real story was second-year guard Jordan Farmar’s 18 points and 11 assists.
The San Antonio Spurs summarily dispensed of the Golden State Warriors in the fourth game of the day. Rich Melzer hit from everywhere on the court for the Spurs en route to 23 points. Jackie Butler had his second straight strong showing with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Crowd favorite Marco Belinelli led five Warriors in double figures by scoring 15, but this was nowhere near the offensive tour de force he evidenced in his first two games. The final margin was 90-80.
The New York Knicks returned the National Team of China to their losing ways, winning 88-65 in a contest that was never close. Demetris Nichols led the Knicks with 14 points. Yi Jianlian had his second straight subpar game, managing only 3 points, all off of free throws. Without their mainstay, the Chinese team never had a chance.
University of Oregon standout and Houston Rockets first-round pick Aaron Brooks tore up the court in the Rockets' Summer League debut against the Los Angeles Clippers. Brooks scored 21 points and dished 8 assists as the Rockets handled the Clippers in workman-like fashion, 90-76. First-round draft pick Al Thornton looked plenty good for Los Angeles, scoring 17 and adding 7 rebounds.
