The Cleveland Cavaliers, despite not having Cedi Osman or Ante Zizic playing, defeat the Sacramento Kings 96-84; advance to the next round in the Summer League tournament.
The Cleveland Cavaliers rested Zizic again and also Osman, but it didn’t matter. Collin Sexton rose to the occasion and had a breakout game. He was easily the Cavs MVP.
Sexton finished with 25 points (9/15 from the field), seven assists. four rebounds and one steal.
This has been by far his best game of the summer league, and by far his best offensive game. It’s great to see improvement in each and every game from Sexton. His aggressive driving has freed up his inconsistent shot to normally be open, giving him a much cleaner look.
The Cavs seemed to have control the whole way. They took the lead in the first quarter, and they never looked back. The Sacramento Kings were, however, playing with the No. 2 overall pick, Marvin Bagley. Bagley’s low-post scoring would’ve been showcased without Ante Zizic.
Jamel Artis also had a strong game and finished with 14 points (5/9 from the field), seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and block.
Okaro White has been struggling in summer league play, but played well tonight, as he finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and one assist. Scoochie Smith finished with 10 points (4/4 from the field), two assists and one rebound.
Billy Preston finished with 10 points, six rebounds, one assist and block. Marcus Lee finished with six points, four rebounds and had a block party has he finished with four blocks.
John Holland, Dakota Mathias and Brayon Blake had five points each. Vladimir Brodziansky finished with three points. The Cavs displayed several talented players, all vying for a spot on the 2018-2019 roster which is certainly up for grabs.
Overall, the Cavs shot 47.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three.
The Cavs will take on the Houston Rockets who beat the Brooklyn Nets 109-102. They beat Brooklyn in an offensive firefight as the Rockets put seven players in double figures and one with nine.
Next: Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 surefire destinations for Kyle Korver
Hopefully, the Cavs-Rockets is the same high-energy, high-offensive game.