Three Up, Three Down
UP — Cody Zeller, Bobcats: Sunday, the Bobcats exactly the Cody Zeller they drafted. Zeller scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Charlotte to the win Sunday. Zeller shot 6 for 12 from the floor and got to the line to make all nine of his free throw attempts. Charlotte had a pretty good idea Zeller could be a versatile workhorse around the basket. He appears to be exactly as advertised for the moment.
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DOWN — Reggie Bullock, Clippers: Bullock had a solid showing in his first game, but came back to earth some in his second game of the week. Bullock did score 18 points, but made only 4 of his 12 shots and 3 of his 10 3-pointers. The Clippers are hoping this rookie from North Carolina turns into a floor-spacing shooter. That will mean he has to be efficient with his shots and his shot selection. Sunday was not his day for either.
UP — Jeremy Tyler, Knicks: Thirteen points and eight rebounds is hardly going to turn that many heads. But Tyler is still very, very young and has a lot of potential that teams might want to tap in. For this summer at least, teams are going to be very interested to see how he performs. So a second straight solid game where he showed a lot of activity around the basket and filled up a stat sheet, is a good sign for this youngster catching on a roster somewhere.
DOWN — Thomas Robinson, Blazers: It has been a rough year for Robinson. Entering his second year in the NBA, he is playing for his third team and trying to find a way to catch on. He is under contract, so there seems to be no danger of him not making the final roster in Portland, but playing is another matter. Robinson scored seven points on 3-for-12 shooting, continuing to struggle in what he supposedly did best in college — score and be a solid post presence. At this point, you have to wonder if his confidence is just shot.
UP — Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors: One good game deserves another and Valanciunas provided that in his second game with the Raptors. After delivering 20 points in the first half against Miami, Valanciunas scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Raptors to a win Sunday. Valanciunas showed he can score, but still has some warts to work out. He made only 4 of his 12 shots in Sunday's game and made a living at the free throw line. Also, he had six fouls.
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DOWN — Otto Porter, Wizards: The Wizards' do-everything draft pick is still finding his way in the NBA Summer League. Porter made just four of his 13 shot attempts in Sunday's game, including missing on a trio of 3-point attempts. He had five rebounds, which is nice, but the Wizards are working him slowly and he is taking his time adapting to the increased level of competition. Luckily, Washington has its foundations in place and will not need a whole lot from Porter in the end.
Summer League Power Rankings
1. Bulls (1-0, 6 points) 2. Bucks (2-0, 12 points)
3. Suns (1-0, 5.5 points) 4. D-League Select (2-0, 10 points)
5. Cavaliers (2-0, 11.5 points) 6. Clippers (1-1, 7 points)
7. Hawks (1-1, 8 points) 8. Bobcats (1-1, 7 points)
9. Pelicans (1-1, 6 points) 10. Heat (1-1, 6 points)
11. Raptors (1-1, 8 points) 12. Knicks (1-1, 8 points)
13. Warriors (1-0, 5.5 points) 14. Spurs (1-1, 6 points)
15. Mavericks (1-1, 7 points) 16. Lakers (1-1, 7 points)
17. Timberwolves (0-1, 2 points) 18. Trail Blazers (0-2, 2.5 points)
19. Nuggets (0-1, 1 point) 20. Kings (0-1, 2 points)
21. Grizzlies (0-2, 2.5 points) 22. Wizards (0-2, 2.5 points)
Toronto Raptors 82, San Antonio Spurs 76
Jonas Valanciunas had to go out and prove that Saturday's stellar first half was no fluke. Valanciunas, in the process, put his hat into the ring for best player at the Vegas Summer League in the process. Valanciunas scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Toronto's win over the Spurs, showing no ill effects or let down from the previous day's performance. DeShaun Thomas had 16 points for the Spurs.
Atlanta Hawks 75, Miami Heat 71
Tired legs appear to have caught up to the Heat finally. Despite shooting 45.5 percent from the floor, only two starters reached double figures, and they only scored 10 each. The bare bones Heat squad continued to play with energy and keep things close, but the effort from John Jenkins (19 points) and the Hawks was simply too much. Jenkins had a second straight strong performance for Atlanta.
Milwaukee Bucks 69, New Orleans Pelicans 61
Milwaukee held New Orleans to 34.3 percent shootingo n the day and just 2-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc, limiting fouls and thus limiting scoring opportunities. When the Bucks at last broke free in the second half, the Pelicans could not keep up. Dominique Jones scored 16 points, getting 10 from the free throw line, to lead Milwaukee to the win. Austin Rivers followed his stellar game up with a 15-point effort on 7-for-16 shooting. Brian Roberts scored 20 to lead New Orleans.
Cleveland Cavaliers 69, Memphis Grizzlies 58
Dion Waiters shook off a poor performance Friday to show why he has become a staple of the Cavaliers' rotation. Waiters scored 23 points and dished out four assists (against four turnovers, mind you). He made 7 of 17 shots, but the bounce back performance after a horrid opening game is the most encouraging thing for this young player. For the Grizzlies, Jack Cooley continued a strong Summer League showing that started in Orlando, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Los Angeles Lakers 81, Portland Trail Blazers 63
C.J. McCollum found the NBA will not be as easy, although he still seems to be on track. McCollum scored 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting in his second day as a professional player, adding five assists to his name. In the end, though, it was another loss for Portland. The Lakers got 15 points from Lester Hudson and 14 points from Marcus Landry as their skeleton crew held on for the win.
Charlotte Bobcats 86, Dallas Mavericks 80
The Bobcats took a 22-point lead into the locker room at halftime and held on for this relatively easy victory. More importantly for Charlotte, the team saw exactly what Cody Zeller can do. The fourth overall pick scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Charlotte, showing the versatility and skills he has around the basket in the process. Bismack Biyombo and him paired up nicely as Biyombo grabbed seven rebounds on his own. Jae Crowder and Josh Akognon both had strong performances for Dallas after a solid first day with 16 points each.
D-League Select 83, Los Angeles Clippers 77
Reggie Bullock had a second straight solid game for Los Angeles, only this time his team could not come through with the win. The Clippers' first round pick scored 18 points, but made only 4 of 12 shots. Samardo Samuels had another strong performance too with 15 points and six rebounds. DaJuan Summer added 13 points for the Clippers trifecta of Summer League talent. The D-League Select though took control of the game early and held on thanks to Elijah Millsap's 21 points.
New York Knicks 82, Washington Wizards 69
The Wizards offense continues to sputter along, shooting 35.1 percent this time and just 17.4 percent from beyond the arc. Otto Porter is slowly adjusting to the NBA game and that is not equating well for Washington so far. Jeremy Tyler had another solid game for the Knicks with 13 points and eight rebounds. Maybe this reclamation project will work. Terrence Jennings scored 16 points to lead the Knicks. The Wizards got eight points on 4-for-13 shooting from their third overall pick, Porter.
