Dylan Ennis went undrafted last month, but the Oregon product was the recipient of ”MVP” chants from the crowd in Las Vegas on Friday. Ennis was nearly unstoppable as he scored 35 points during the Golden State Warriors’ 109-100 NBA Summer League victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
”Being undrafted, you take it personal,” Ennis told NBA TV.
Teammates waved towels at the end of the game to cool down Ennis, whose career high at Oregon was 22 points.
Ennis, who played for the Thunder in the Orlando Summer League before joining the Warriors in Las Vegas, poured in 23 points in 12 first-half minutes, including six of his eight 3-pointers. He previously had 21 points over five games in Las Vegas.
”Just don’t think about it,” Ennis said. ”It touches your hand, you put it up and the rim looks like the ocean. … I’ll probably never hear (the `MVP’ chants) again in my career.”
Ennis’ 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining gave the Warriors a 105-97 lead that put the game away. Bryce Alford, undrafted out of UCLA, finished with 16 points.
Jaron Johnson scored 18 for the Clippers while 2016 first-round pick Brice Johnson and Jawun Evans had 17 apiece.
Teams still alive in tournament play had Friday off. The quarterfinal round begins Saturday with Portland playing San Antonio, Miami facing Memphis, Dallas against Boston and the Lakers meeting Brooklyn.
In other action:
HAWKS 92, ROCKETS 86
Trent Lockett scored 17 points on 50 percent shooting, and Atlanta outscored Houston 34-22 in the fourth quarter to rally. Maryland product Diamond Stone and Bryce Cotton added 12 points apiece off the bench.
The Rockets’ rookie from Georgetown, L.J. Peak, scored 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench. Chris Johnson chipped in 17 points, including five 3-pointers, as he tries to get back in the league after playing 147 NBA games from 2012-2016. He spent last season in what was then known as the NBA Development League.
TIMBERWOLVES 80, WIZARDS 73
Matt Costello blocked a would-be dunk by Michael Young with 59.9 seconds remaining to seal the Timberwolves’ comeback win over the Wizards.
Costello, who was undrafted out of Michigan State in 2016 and played in the D-League, had a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds.
”Just trying to make winning plays,” Costello said on NBA TV. ”That’s all it was. I know I’m not the best scorer in the world, so I have to make it up in other different areas.”
Charles Cooke scored 13, Perry Ellis added 12 and Marcus Paige finished with 11 for Minnesota, which outscored Washington 41-22 in the second half.
Danuel House led the Wizards with 13 points. Marcus Keene, a 5-foot-9 guard from Central Michigan, added 12 off the bench.
JAZZ 97, BUCKS 76
Tony Bradley scored 19 points and the Jazz easily won the first game of the Las Vegas session after four straight losses.
Bradley, Utah’s No. 28 overall pick from North Carolina, added eight rebounds and two blocks in his best game of the summer. James Southerland scored 16 for the Jazz. Donovan Mitchell, the No. 13 pick who has dazzled this summer, did not play.
Stephen Zimmerman, Gary Payton II and Travis Trice II led the Bucks with 12 points each. The No. 17 overall pick from Michigan, D.J. Wilson, managed just eight points on 3-for-10 shooting. Thon Maker, last year’s No. 10 pick, sat out.
NUGGETS 96, PELICANS 91
The Pelicans (1-5) were held to just four points over the final 3:30 of a game that featured 15 lead changes. The Nuggets improved to 2-4.
Denver second-round pick Monte Morris scored a team-high 17 points and six assists while last year’s first-rounder Malik Beasley and 2017 first-rounder Tyler Lydon did not play. North Florida undrafted guard Dallas Moore added 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench.
Peter Jok (22 points) and Jalen Jones (21) carried the load for New Orleans as a pair of undrafted signees the last two years. James Young, the No. 17 overall pick in 2014, added 16. Last month’s No. 31 overall pick, Frank Jackson, did not play.
BULLS 99, 76ERS 82
Brady Heslip drained eight 3-pointers en route to 28 points and a Bulls (2-3) victory. Chicago never trailed after the first quarter.
Denzel Valentine, the 2016 No. 14 pick, had 21 points, six assists and five rebounds in the victory, and Ryan Arcidiacono totaled 16 points.
Philadelphia (1-4) was without No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, who was shut down with an ankle injury last week, but 2016 first-round pick Furkan Korkmaz shined with 22 points and eight rebounds. Korkmaz was 9 for 16 from the floor, including 4 for 9 from behind the arc. Melo Trimble scored 16 on 7 for 9 shooting for the Sixers.
KINGS 93, SUNS 87
Naz Mitrou-Long hit a 3-pointer with 28.4 seconds left to give the Kings (2-3) a four-point lead, capping a fourth-quarter rally that brought Sacramento back after trailing since the first.
Suns (2-4) guard Mike James missed multiple 3-pointers down the stretch.
The No. 15 overall pick Justin Jackson led the Kings with 29 points and Mitrou-Long finished with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists.
James had 25 points, six rebounds and four assists in the loss while Davon Reed chipped in 17.
The Suns held out their most marquee players – 2017 No. 4 pick Josh Jackson, 2016 No. 4 pick Dragan Bender and 2016 No. 8 pick Marquese Chriss. An ankle injury forced Chriss from their last game.
The Kings No. 5 pick De’Aaron Fox did not play due to an ankle injury. The No. 20 pick Harry Giles, 2016 No. 6 pick Buddy Hield, 2016 No. 22 pick Malachi Richardson and former Kansas Jayhawk Frank Mason did not play.
CAVALIERS 78, RAPTORS 75, OT
The Cavaliers (4-1) survived a Raptors fourth-quarter comeback and won in overtime thanks to Sir’Dominic Pointer’s layup in traffic with 35.6 seconds left to take a 77-75 lead. The Raptors (3-2) air-balled two 3-pointers in the final seconds of overtime.
Andrew White knocked down a 3-pointer from atop the arc off an out-of-bounds play to tie the game at 73-73 and force the extra period.
T.J. Williams led the Cavs with 21 points, and White added 18 points and six rebounds.
”Our bond was really good today,” Williams said. ”We made the right plays. I was looking for them and they were looking for me. And shots were falling.”
Former North Carolina Tar Heel Kennedy Meeks put up Raptors highs with 18 points and nine rebounds.
The 2016 No. 9 pick Jacob Poeltl and Fred VanVleet did not play for Toronto. The Cavaliers held out Kay Felder.
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