NBA Scrimmages Roundup: Day 2 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 22

Below are game recaps from all games played on July 23:

• Milwaukee Bucks 113, San Antonio Spurs 92
• Indiana Pacers 91, Portland Trail Blazers 88
• Dallas Mavericks 108, Los Angeles Lakers 104
• Phoenix Suns 101, Utah Jazz 88

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Bucks 113, Spurs 92

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points in 21 minutes to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 113-92 victory against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday in an NBA Season Restart Scrimmage at Orlando.

Antetokounmpo shot 9-of-13 from the field and also had four assists, three rebounds and three steals in the 40-minute scrimmage. He was one of three Bucks with multiple steals as a strong defensive effort forced the Spurs into 22 turnovers. The Bucks pulled away in the middle quarters, outscoring San Antonio 65-47.

Brook Lopez totaled 17 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while Khris Middleton posted 16 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Lonnie Walker paced the Spurs with 14 points. Dejounte Murray had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Derrick White totaled 11 points, five assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block.

Both teams will return to the floor on Saturday. The Spurs will face off against the Brooklyn Nets, while the Bucks will battle the Sacramento Kings.

By Juna Carlos Blanco — RotoWire

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Pacers 91, Trail Blazers 88

The Indiana Pacers held off the Portland Trail Blazers, 91-88, in an NBA Season Restart Scrimmage at Orlando on Thursday.

The Pacers looked in control, leading 89-77 with 3:32 remaining, but the Trail Blazers went on an 11-2 run to trim the deficit to three at 91-88 with 13 seconds remaining. The Trail Blazers then forced a turnover for one last shot, but Jaylen Hoard’s 3-point attempt in the final seconds narrowly missed to let the Pacers escape.

Indiana capitalized from long distance, shooting 13-of-33 (39.4%) from 3-point range, while the Trail Blazers made just 5 of 26 (19.2%) from downtown.

Justin Holiday scored 16 points off the bench to lead the Pacers. Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. Warren each scored 11 points. Brogdon added four rebounds and four assists. Victor Oladipo played 19 minutes, totaling eight points and six rebounds. T.J. Leaf had 11 rebounds off the bench.

The Trail Blazers were led by reserve Mario Hezonja’s 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Damian Lillard finished with four points and seven assists in 20 minutes. Jusuf Nurkic made his return to action, leading the starters with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Both teams return to the court Sunday, with Portland facing the Toronto Raptors and Indiana playing the Dallas Mavericks.

By Juna Carlos Blanco — RotoWire

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Mavericks 108, Lakers 104

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-104, Thursday in an NBA Season Restart Scrimmage in Orlando.

The contest got out to a competitive start, but the Lakers pulled ahead to take a seven-point lead into the second quarter. They held the advantage through the second and carried a 55-44 lead into halftime. The Mavericks turned it up in the third quarter, where they outscored the Lakers, 33-19, to take a three-point lead into the final frame. The Mavericks held the edge through the fourth and amassed a 12-point lead with just over three minutes to go. The Lakers closed the contest on a 15-7 run but came up short in the end.

Seth Curry was locked in as he shot 8-of-8 from the field on his way to 23 points in 16 minutes. Boban Marjanovic tallied 17 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal, while Luka Doncic added 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and a steal.

Meanwhile, LeBron James got out to a hot start with 12 points and five assists in the first half but did not play the rest of the contest. Anthony Davis tallied 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while JaVale McGee and Quinn Cook added 13 points each.

The Lakers’ next contest will take place on Saturday against the Magic, while the Mavericks go up against the Pacers on Sunday

By Dan Bruno — RotoWire

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Suns 101, Jazz 88

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Utah Jazz, 101-88, on Thursday in a scrimmage between the two teams at the Orlando restart.

Down two starters in Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre, the Suns quickly grabbed control of the game with a 28-point first quarter to lead by nine at the end of the period. They stretched that lead to 11 points at halftime, going into the break with a 50 to 39 advantage.

Phoenix had control on both ends of the court throughout the game, but the Jazz showed signs of fight in the third quarter, in which they outscored the Suns by a 27-23 margin. Still, Phoenix entered the final 10-minute period with a seven-point cushion.

Down the stretch, Phoenix would not only hold on to the lead — it would increase it. The Suns led by as much as 16 points late in the game before closing out the 101-88 victory. Four Suns’ starters scored in double digits, with Mikal Bridges paced the entire team with 14 points and five rebounds. Dario Saric had 12 points and six rebounds, while Devin Booker notched 13 points on 4-for-11 shooting. Deandre Ayton chipped in 13 points of his own to go with eight rebounds and two assists. Ayton even drilled a late-shot-clock three-pointer in the second half.

As for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell had 17 points and four assists while making five of his eight field-goal attempts. Mike Conley notched 12 points, and Jordan Clarkson scored 14 points in 21 minutes coming off the bench. Rudy Gobert was mostly quiet in 21 minutes, finishing with five points, six rebounds and two steals.

The Jazz will play their next scrimmage on Saturday against the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, the Suns will face the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

By Juan Aravena — RotoWire

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