NBA Scrimmages Roundup: Day 3 from Orlando

All 22 teams participating in the NBA Restart will play three scrimmages before game action officially tips off on July 30. The NBA will be using 10-minute quarters instead of the usual 12 minutes for each team’s first game. The second and third games for each team will feature regulation quarters of 12 minutes.

Previous Roundups: July 23 | July 22

Below are game recaps from all games played on July 24:

• Philadelphia 76ers 90, Memphis Grizzlies 83
• Oklahoma City Thunder 98, Boston Celtics 84
• Toronto Raptors 94, Houston Rockets 83

* * *

76ers 90, Grizzlies 83

The Philadelphia 76ers leveraged a dominant first half and a double-double from Tobias Harris for a 90-83 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in an NBA restart scrimmage in Orlando on Friday afternoon.

The 76ers (39-26 current regular-season record) jumped out to a 25-12 advantage through the first 10 minutes and had added another 14 points to their edge by intermission. The Grizzlies (32-33 current regular-season record) trailed by as many as 29 points at one juncture, but they managed to chip 16 points off their 27-point halftime deficit during the third quarter before the comeback fell short in the final period. The biggest disparity on the stat sheet came in free-throw shooting, where Philadelphia’s 83.3% success rate dwarfed Memphis’ 56.2% figure.

Harris paced the Sixers with 15 points and 10 rebounds, adding two assists, one steal and one block. Joel Embiid followed with 10 points, six boards and one assist. Ben Simmons stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Josh Richardson and Shake Milton contributed matching six-point tallies. Al Horford posted five points, five assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 18 minutes off the bench.

Jonas Valanciunas led the Grizzlies with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included two assists, one steal and one block. Kyle Anderson contributed 14 points and eight boards, while Jaren Jackson Jr. supplied 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Ja Morant shot just 3-for-12 on his way to seven points, but he added eight assists and five boards. Brandon Clarke and De’Anthony Melton registered 11 and 10 points off the bench, respectively.

Both teams return to the floor Sunday, with the Sixers facing the Oklahoma City Thunder to kick off the day’s ledger and the Grizzlies tangling with the Houston Rockets in the final contest of the night.

By Juan Blanco, RotoWire

* * *

Thunder 98, Celtics 84

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Boston Celtics, 98-84, in an NBA Season Restart Scrimmage in Orlando on Friday.

Oklahoma City won all four individual quarters in this game. The Thunder shot 52% from the field and 33% from 3-point range while holding the Celtics to 44% from the field and 21% from long range. Oklahoma City also won the defensive rebounding battle, 34-24, while out-blocking Boston, 5-1.

The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who tallied 17 points, three rebounds and two assists. Steven Adams matched those 17 points, adding seven rebounds to his line on 8-of-11 shooting. Abdel Nader was the only other player in double figures, leading the bench with 11 points.

The Celtics had just one player reach double figures in scoring, with Enes Kanter providing 11 points and 10 boards off the bench. Jaylen Brown led the starters with nine points and three rebounds. Daniel Theis totaled eight points, three rebounds and three assists. No player played more than 18 minutes for Boston.

Both teams will return to action on Sunday, with Boston playing the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City facing off with the Philadelphia 76ers

By Joel Bartilotta, RotoWire

* * *

Raptors 94, Rockets 83

Serge Ibaka scored 18 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 94-83 victory against the Houston Rockets in a NBA Season Restart Scrimmage in Orlando.

The Rockets led, 75-72, with 9:18 to play in the fourth quarter, but the Raptors went on a 22-4 run over the next six and half minutes to take control.

Ibaka took advantage of his extended action with Marc Gasol (rest) not playing. He shot 8-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and had three rebounds. Ibaka and Pascal Siakam (13 points, five rebounds) controlled the paint against Houston’s small-ball scheme, as Toronto out-rebounded Houston, 43-38. Terence Davis also contributed 15 points off the bench.

James Harden led the Rockets with 24 points and 10 assists while going 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Russell Westbrook played only 18 minutes but finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Danuel House Jr. also tallied 18 points and six rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench.

Both teams will hit the court again on Sunday. The Raptors will square off against the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Rockets will face the Memphis Grizzlies.

By Jeff Edgerton, RotoWire