D’Angelo Russell has ice water in his veins once again, draining a game-winner to steal the show from Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons before cursing on TV.
Saturday’s main event in Las Vegas at the NBA Summer League (what else would have a main event in Las Vegas on Saturday?) was supposed to feature a duel between top overall picks Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers dueled to a two-point game with the Lakers having the final possession.
That is where last year’s second overall pick made sure everyone remembered who he was and what kind of water runs through his veins, giving the packed house at the Thomas and Mack Center something to enjoy.
Russell came around a screen and drained a 3-pointer to deliver a 70-69 win for the Lakers in this battle between the two most anticipated rookies.
That has everything a Summer League came could want. A little trash talk to activate the players that will actually be playing in October, some drama.
Of course getting through this one was a bit of a chore. Both teams shot worse than 30 percent in the first half.
Ben Simmons had eight points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, shooting 3 for 8 from the floor. Ingram had seven points on 3-for-12 shooting. Russell had 22 points and five assists on 8-for-20 shooting.
He had a pretty clean assessment of his play for ESPN afterward:
Yes, it was not the best game as most Summer League games are not the best. Simmons and Ingram certainly were the headlining acts and both disappointed in some way, although Simmons filled up the stat sheet despite some generally sloppy play.
Russell too struggled until his big moment. The key is not to activate an actual NBA player when the result matters.
The ice water is still running through Russell’s veins indeed. Summer League is going to keep Summer League’ing.
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