NBA Summer League 2014: Melvin Ejim rebounds in San Antonio blowout

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Once again, the San Antonio Spurs destroyed their competition and kept the Milwaukee Bucks winless in NBA Summer League action. This time, Melvin Ejim was able to contribute positively to the winning team.

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Ejim only had 11:22 of playing time, but it was efficient. He went 3-of-6 from the field, two of those baskets coming from beyond the perimeter, and finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds and a steal.

Similar to how the Spurs actually do it in the NBA, there wasn’t just one player that took off. No one scored over 14 points on the team, yet they were still able to reach the century mark. 11 players scored six or more points in a 100-71 beatdown against the Bucks.

Turnovers were the biggest problem for Milwaukee. They turned it over 22 times, leading to San Antonio having a total of 23 more shot attempts in the game. The Spurs also went 17-of-19 from the free throw line and recorded 13 more assists (19 to 6).

Another unwatchable game was the Los Angeles Lakers coming back down to reality, getting smoked by the Philadelphia 76ers, 85-63.

Mar 15, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard DeAndre Kane (50) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Baylor Bears in the championship game of the Big 12 Conference college basketball tournament at Sprint Center. Iowa State won 74 – 65. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

DeAndre Kane took a step back from his wild night against Golden State. He had nearly 15 minutes of PT, but he went just 1-3 from the field (both misses from downtown) and recorded 3 rebounds. He didn’t get to the foul line and didn’t record an assist.

The difference in the game came in the second quarter, when the 76ers outscored the Lakers 32-10. That performance by LA was some of the worst basketball you could ever witness in your life. After coming out with a surge in the third quarter and finally making it close, they completely faded away in the fourth by scoring just 7 points.

The saddest part about the game was that Philadelphia also didn’t play that great. Either both squads were dead tired or both these clubs will struggle to reach 50 wins combined next year.

A former Iowa State Cyclone that had an even bigger setback was Will Clyburn, who went 0-for-5 in nearly 15 minutes of action for the Los Angeles Clippers. He did have 2 rebounds and an assist, but it was largely an off night for Clyburn.

The Clippers lost to the Miami Heat, 96-87.

Kane and Clyburn will have one more game left in the summer league — they’ll both play on Friday. Ejim moves on to the second round of the tournament with the Spurs and will play on Thursday night. Craig Brackins will return to the court with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night as well.

NOTE: Since Tyrus McGee hasn’t played with Golden State since the first game, we’ll assume that he won’t be appearing in any more summer league games.

Here’s the full schedule (Central times listed):

  • Thursday: Spurs (Ejim) vs Jazz – 5:00 PM, TV: NBATV
  • Thursday: Hawks vs Blazers (Brackins) – 5:30 PM, Web: ESPN3
  • Friday: Clippers (Clyburn) vs Raptors – 5:00 PM, TV: NBATV
  • Friday: Nuggets vs Lakers (Kane) – 5:30 PM, Web: ESPN3