Latest news with #VegasSummerLeague
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
3 things OKC Thunder must do to beat Hornets in 2025 Summer League playoffs
After four straight wins, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to bring home even more rings. They will face the Charlotte Hornets in the 2025 Summer League playoffs. The semifinal matchup will determine who advances to the championship contest. The Summer League playoffs are a four-team knockout tournament. This year, all four teams went a perfect 4-0 with strong point differentials. The Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings are in the other semifinal game. Even with Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell likely done for the Summer League, the Thunder have seen their two-way players and the rest of the roster step up. Here are three things they must do to beat the Hornets and move on to/ the championship round: Rely on defense and turnovers While Mitchell and Topic being out hurts the offense, the defense continues to shut down the opposition. They've played a similar style to the NBA champions with turnovers. It also helps playing against opponents that have sat out their best prospects in recent days. All eyes will be on Kon Knueppel. He's remained on the floor despite other top rookies sitting out. The 2025 No. 4 pick has averaged 13.3 points on 41.9% shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in three Vegas Summer League games. Let's see if the Thunder can slow him down. Creating turnovers will be key. If the Thunder can disrupt passing lanes and win the possession battle, that gives them more margin for error with their halfcourt offense. That formula is a proven success, considering how OKC relied on its elite defense to win a championship. Continue good ball movement The Thunder will likely be without a traditional playmaker. Topic and Mitchell have carried the offense, but with both out, they must get creative. That's how they blew out the Pelicans and scored nearly 100 points in 40 minutes. The offense got going with good ball movement. If the Thunder win, they will need an evenly distributed scoring performance. Several players will need to score double-digit points. Nobody left is really capable of being a 20-plus point scorer. Without a true go-to scorer, off-ball movement and outside shooting will have to carry the load. Malevy Leons and Chris Youngblood are some solid candidates. Leons could be a fastbreak threat with his length. Youngblood is a quick outside shooter who needs little space to let it fly. Jazian Gortman can also create a little bit off the dribble. Barnhizer and Carlson step up In all likelihood, Brooks Barnhizer and Branden Carlson will be the Thunder's best players. The two two-way players led them to a blowout win over the Magic and Pelicans. Barnhizer has played better the deeper they got into the Summer League. Carlson finally debuted after dealing with an ankle injury. Barnhizer will need to be impactful. He can provide a boost with steal-and-score sequences. He can also help the halfcourt offense with second-chance layups. Because of a lack of top scorers, he will be given plenty of chances to get buckets. Meanwhile, Carlson needs to continue to do what he does against G League competition. He's dominated at that level as a seven-foot stretch center who can rack up blocks. He might not be able to do it against NBA players, but he's the perfect G League player who stuffs the statsheet.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
How many points did Bronny James score tonight? Lakers vs. Celtics box score
Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers continued NBA Summer League play against the Boston Celtics on Thursday in Las Vegas. James is coming off a 17-point performance against the L.A. Clippers in a 67-58 loss on Monday. He shot 6-of-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. He also had five rebounds and five assists, but did turn the ball over three times. The Lakers have won just one of their three Vegas Summer League games, earning a 94-81 victory over the Pelicans on Saturday. James has shown some level of growth throughout the summer, now in his second year with the Lakers. In the Lakers' first game in Vegas, he managed to hold his own against 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks in an 87-85 loss on July 10. James was matched up against Flagg throughout the evening and at times got the best of the Mavericks' rookie. Here's how he did in his fourth game of Vegas Summer League: All things Lakers: Latest Los Angeles Lakers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more. Bronny James stats tonight vs. Celtics Stats through first quarter:
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Edgecombe: Thumb is ‘getting better', hopeful to play in Vegas Summer League
VJ Edgecombe spoke to ESPN about his injured thumb ahead of the Sixers' game against the Spurs on Thursday night. Edgecombe: Thumb is 'getting better', hopeful to play in Vegas Summer League originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
USA Today
16-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
What have we learned from the Boston Celtics first week of Summer League?
The Boston Celtics are 2-1 over the opening week of Las Vegas Summer League. Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman headline the Sin City Celtics roster, with recently acquired rookies Max Shulga, Amari Williams and Hugo Gonzalez also part of the roster. However, it's been the late addition of Charles Bassey who has stolen the show with some high-level performances. Given the Celtics' position as a re-tooling roster, there are some additional incentives to impress while in Las Vegas. Joe Mazzulla has gaps that need to be filled in his rotation. As such, we're seeing some highly competitive performances from multiple members of Matt Reynolds' roster. Unfortunately for Walsh, that competitive spirit led him to being ejected against the Miami Heat on Monday, July 14. In a July 15 episode of the "Taylor Talks Celtics" podcast, hosts Adam Taylor and Billy Calabrese discussed the Celtics Summer League performances so far, dissecting which players have stood out, who has underwhelmed and what they're hoping to see over the final few contests. You can watch the full podcast episode by clicking on the embedded video above. Watch the "Taylor Talks Celtics" podcast on: YouTube: Website:
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NBA reporter reveals which team ‘all signs pointing to' Bradley Beal signing with
The Phoenix Suns are negotiating a buyout with All-Star guard Bradley Beal, allowing the veteran to enter NBA free agency once an agreement is reached. While he'll be on the open market, there is already a favorite to sign him. Appearing on Sactown Sports 1140, senior NBA writer Sam Amick of The Athletic said he expects a resolution on a buyout within the next week, with 'all signs pointing' to Beal signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. Read More: Bradley Beal stats (): 17 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 49.7% FG, 38.6% 3PT Phoenix had been hoping to trade Beal, at one point discussing a deal with the Miami Heat. It quickly became evident, as it was during the club's attempts at the NBA trade deadline, that an agreement could not be reached. With a trade off the table, negotiating a buyout became the Suns' only avenue to remove Beal from the roster. While the 32-year-old guard is happy in Phoenix, a buyout will still provide him with a significant portion of the remainder of his contract, and he will get to play for a team of his choosing next season. Also Read: Bradley Beal contract (): $53.67 million (2025-26), $52.1 million player option in '26 Amid reports of the two sides negotiating a buyout, the Heat, Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Milwaukee Bucks emerged as top suitors for Beal. However, Miami acquired guard Norman Powell from the Clippers, taking out one top suitor. Beal would immediately slide into the Clippers' starting backcourt alongside James Harden. While Los Angeles can only offer Beal a $5.3 million salary for the 2025-26 season, the majority of what he makes will be paid by Phoenix. Related Headlines NBA expert reveals 4 teams with LeBron James trade interest NBA speculation points to internal friction among Indiana Pacers Dallas Mavericks shut Cooper Flagg down after 31-point performance in Vegas Summer League Jayson Tatum reportedly recruiting 7x All-NBA player to Boston Celtics
