Midsummer Madness: Upsets continue at NBA Summer League
LAS VEGAS (AP) Call it Midsummer Madness.
The NBA Summer League tournament is shaping up to be the most unpredictable bet in Las Vegas. The 30th and final seed advanced Thursday along with a No. 26 and a No. 27, after the Nos. 24, 25 and 29 seeds all won a day earlier.
The 30 teams in the Summer League all played three preliminary round games and then were seeded for the tournament. It didn't take long to determine those seedings were meaningless.
That was especially the case when the 30th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers won for the first time in Las Vegas by knocking off Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns, who had won their first three games to earn the No. 3 seed.
The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers were able to avoid the chaos. The defending Summer League champions defeated their Staples Center rivals, the 17th-seeded Clippers, in their opener.
Teams that lost Thursday play a consolation game Friday before the winning games return to action.
Thursday's results:
76ERS 88, SUNS 86
Isaiah Miles scored 20 points, making six 3-pointers, and Furkan Korkmaz added 18 for Philadelphia (1-3).
Shaquille Harrison had 17 points and Davon Reed added 16 for the Suns (3-1). Ayton, the No. 1 pick, finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes.
Jarrod Jones scored 31 points for the 26th-seeded Heat (2-2). Derrick Walton Jr. had 15 points and 11 assists, and Duncan Robinson and Daryl Macon each scored 11 points. Macon made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:33 to play.
Miami advanced to play No. 10 Boston.
Cheick Diallo finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds for the No. 7 Pelicans.
Semi Ojeleye scored 21 points and the No. 10 Celtics slowed down Knicks rookie Kevin Knox to advance.
Knox finished with 15 points but the No. 9 pick from Kentucky shot just 5 for 20 from the field.
Jabari Bird had 13 points and Guerschon Yabusele added 12 for the Celtics (3-1).
Second-round pick Mitchell Robinson had 17 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots for the No. 23-seeded Knicks (1-3).
Second-round pick Jevon Carter of West Virginia had 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the No. 27 Grizzlies.
Markel Crawford led Memphis (2-2) with 21 points and No. 4 overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Rookie Hamidou Diallo scored 14 points for the sixth-seeded Thunder (2-2).
Christian Wood had 26 points and 15 rebounds and the Bucks (2-2) outscored the Spurs 8-0 in overtime.
D.J. Wilson added 19 points and 10 rebounds, Sterling Brown scored 13 points and Travis Trice II added 10.
Jaron Blossomgame had 19 points and nine rebounds and Oliver Hanlan added 18 points for the Spurs (1-3).
The No. 14 Bucks will face the 76ers in the second round.
LAKERS 82, CLIPPERS 69
Josh Hart had 20 points to help the Lakers (4-0) beat the Clippers.
Svi Mykhailiuk added 15 points and Jeff Ayres scored 10 for Los Angeles, which led the entire way.
Desi Rodriguez and Sindarius Thornwell had 17 points each for the Clippers (2-3).
Top-seeded Los Angeles will face the Pistons-Bulls winner in the quarterfinals.
Diamond Stone had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Georges Niang added 12 points and 11 boards for the Jazz (2-2).
Niang hit a key 3-pointer that helped Utah hold off a late run from the Magic (2-2). Kendrick Ray added 10 points.
Troy Caupain had 14 points, Wes Iwundu scored 11 and Khem Birch 10 for Orlando.
The 22nd-seeded Jazz will play the No. 27 seed Grizzlies in the second round.
TRAIL BLAZERS 95, HAWKS 69
Jake Layman and Anfernee Simons scored 20 apiece to help the Trail Blazers (4-0) beat the Hawks.
Layman was 4 of 5 from 3-point range, Wade Baldwin IV added 15 points and eight rebounds and second-round pick Gary Trent Jr. scored 10.
Omari Spellman scored 20 for the Hawks (2-3).
No. 2 seed Portland advanced to the quarterfinals and will face the Heat-Celtics winner.