First pick. First points. First Summer League win.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

July 11, 2025

Flagg’s First Act: The No. 1 pick comes up clutch in his Summer League debut

Bou-yea! Jamaree Bouyea’s game-winning 3 at the buzzer caps day of close games

Day 1 Roundup: TSJ shines, the Pacers do it again, Mitchell & Topić fuel OKC

On The Ground: Get an all-access look at opening day of Summer League in Vegas

Friday Preview: Six Lottery picks are slated to take the floor across 8+ hours of action

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A Friday hoops marathon…

Eight games tip off today in Vegas, including a matchup between a pair of top-five picks as Kon Knueppel (No. 4 overall) and the Hornets face Ace Bailey (No. 5) and the Jazz (7 ET, ESPN).

1. FLAGG’S FIRST ACT: CLUTCH PLAYS, MAVS WIN

David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

All 30 NBA teams have descended on Vegas for the NBA 2K26 Summer League.

But on Day 1, all eyes were on one man – Cooper Flagg.

And with the game on the line, the No. 1 pick delivered.

Mavericks 87, Lakers 85: Even on a night when he wasn’t shooting to his normal standard, Flagg flashed his versatility in his Summer League debut – making the kind of winning plays that matter.

None bigger than a late rejection on a Lakers’ drive, before leading the break and assisting Ryan Nembhard for the game-winning bucket to secure a Mavs win. | Recap

From the moment Flagg touched the ball, he commanded respect – drawing a double team before even crossing halfcourt off the opening tip.

Instead of shying away from the pressure, the 18-year-old rookie blitzed right back.

• Early Aggression: Flagg wasn’t shy in his first NBA action, attacking off the dribble on Dallas’ opening two possessions
• First Bucket: After missing both shots, he made sure to convert the third, swiping a steal and racing past defenders in transition for a thunderous jam – punctuating his first Summer League points
• Feeling It: On the very next possession, he splashed a tough midrange jumper before finishing an and-1 in transition for six straight Dallas points

David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Winning Both Ways: The aggressive start and clutch finish showcased what makes Flagg such a highly-touted prospect. Though he went 5-of-21 from the field, his debut wasn’t defined by shooting percentage.

Instead, it was everything else – finding different ways to impact the game – finishing with 10 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block and a Mavs’ win.

• “We got the win, that’s what really matters to me,” said Flagg postgame. “My teammates, Miles [Kelly], Ryan [Nembhard], Jordan [Hall], they held it down … so I’m just glad we got the win.”

Standouts: Nembhard (21 pts, 5 ast), Kelly (17 pts) and Hall (9 pts, 4 ast) combined for 57 points with Flagg, while Cole Swider (22 pts, 10 reb) and Dalton Knecht (15 pts) led Los Angeles. Bronny James added 8 points, including a smooth step-back jumper for the game’s first bucket.

2. BOUYEA’S BUZZER-BEATER LIFTS BUCKS OVER NUGGETS

Bucks 90, Nuggets 89: The last time Jamaree Bouyea suited up for the Bucks, the 3rd-year guard scored a career-best 15 in Milwaukee’s regular-season finale. Three months later, he hit the shot of the day in Las Vegas, splashing a game-winning 3 at the buzzer. | Recap

• “Bouyea with the Booyah”: Down two with 5.1 seconds left, Bouyea took the inbounds pass, drove right, stepped back, squared his feet and rose up for the triple, leading to an epic call on the broadcast
• “Coach said go for the win… dream come true.” Bouyea after hitting his biggest bucket as a Buck
• Bouyea finished with 13 points and 5 dimes, while Chris Livingston and Cormac Ryan each scored a game-high 18 for Milwaukee. DaRon Holmes II scored 15 with three 3s to lead Denver

Kings 84, Magic 81: Sacramento entered the NBA Draft without a first-round pick, but traded with OKC to select Nique Clifford at No. 24. In his Summer League debut, Clifford tied Mason Jones with a team-high 17 points to lead the Kings past the Magic. | Recap

• Icing The Win: With the game tied at 74, Clifford hit a driving layup and a baseline driving dunk on back-to-back possessions to put the Kings in control
• Magic Standouts: 2025 first-round pick Jace Richardson scored 14 points – including a pull-up 3 for his first Magic bucket – while 2024 first-round pick Tristan da Silva led Orlando with 19 points, 7 boards and 5 assists

Ian Maule/NBAE via Getty Images

Spurs 111, Sixers 70: After leading all players in scoring at the California Classic (22.7 ppg), David Jones-Garcia stayed red hot in Vegas, dropping 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting with four 3s in 18 minutes to lead the Spurs past the Sixers to cap off opening day. | Recap

• Sizzling Spurs: San Antonio shot 56.5% overall and 51.4% (19-of-37) from 3 as 11 different Spurs scored 5+ points in the win as seven of the Spurs vets sat courtside to support the summer squad
• Bryant On Both Ends: Spurs rookie Carter Bryant – the 14th pick in this year’s draft – banked in a 3 for his first bucket in the Spurs’ black and silver, while rejecting three Sixers’ shots on the night

3. DAY 1 ROUNDUP: TSJ SHINES, INDY RALLIES (AGAIN), OKC ROLLS

Garrett Ellwood /NBAE via Getty Images

Timberwolves 98, Pelicans 91: After flashing in the 2025 West Finals, Terrence Shannon Jr. opened his sophomore summer with a bang (20 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl), while Leonard Miller also scored 20 to lead the Wolves past the Pels. | Recap

• Block Party: Minnesota’s No. 17 overall pick Joan Beringer finished with 11 points, 8 boards and a whopping 6 blocks
• Dilli Delivers: 2024 first-rounder Rob Dillingham added 15 points and six dimes for the Wolves
• No Fears: New Orleans’ No. 7 pick Jeremiah Fears wasted no timegetting his first bucket – finishing with 14 points and 2 dimes, including this lob to Yves Missi (13 pts, 13 reb)
• Royal Start: Derik Queen – Nola’s No. 13 overall pick – also had a big debut, posting 13 points, 10 boards and 3 assists

Pacers 116, Cavaliers 115: In the 2025 Playoffs, the Pacers reeled off a play-by-play era record five 15+ point comebacks. In their first game this summer, they did it again – storming back from 16 points down to top the Cavs. | Recap

• Standouts: RayJ Dennis (26 pts, 9 ast) and Quenton Jackson (24 pts) combined for 50 in the win, while Nae’Qwan Tomlin dropped 30 for Cleveland

Thunder 90, Nets 81: After strong showings in the Salt Lake City Summer League, Ajay Mitchell (20 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl) and Nikola Topić (18 pts, 6 ast) picked up right where they left off to lead OKC past Brooklyn. | Recap

• New Net: Brooklyn’s No. 8 overall pick Egor Demin (8 pts, 2 3s, 4 reb) showed off his range for his first bucket as a Net, while Drew Timme scored a game-high 22 points
• Towel Tradition: OKC brought the postgame victory towels to Chris Youngblood’s (19 points) postgame interview

4. ALL-ACCESS: ON THE GROUND IN VEGAS

Brian Choi/NBAE via Getty Images

NBA 2K26 Summer League opened with seven action-packed games on Thursday, including six games decided by single digits, one game-winning buzzer-beater and the highly anticipated debut of No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, along with more 2025 lottery picks.

Flagg’s debut against the Lakers packed the Thomas & Mack Center with thousands of fans, including some of the top pick’s new teammates.

• Showing Up: Head coach Jason Kidd, Kyrie Irving, Naji Marshall, PJ Washington, Jaden Hardy were in the building and met up before Flagg took the court for the first time in Mavs blue and white
• Warming Up: Flagg worked on his handles and brought out a between-the-legs jam, while Bronny James showed off his bounceahead of the opening tip
• Rising Up: Flagg got the crowd on its feet with his first bucket of the summer. Check out the in-arena view of Cooper’s steal-and-slammidway through the opening quarter
• Summing It Up: “It’s just a number 1 pick thing” – 2011 No. 1 pick Kyrie on 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper’s summer debut with the Mavs

Before they took the court for the PlayStation Creator Cup on Wednesday, some of the top hoops creators in the game shared which Summer League players they were most excited to see in Las Vegas.

• From The Tunnel: Lethal Shooter showed off his range by splashing a Steph Curry-esque tunnel shot before seeing a few Summer League legends on his way to the locker room

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Plenty of NBA Summer League alums were in attendance on Thursday night, returning to Las Vegas to support their potential new teammates.

• Dejounte Murray (a Summer League player in 2016 and 2017) and Jose Alvarado (2021) were both on hand to see the Pelicans take on the Timberwolves
• Cason Wallace (2023) and Jalen Williams (2022, 2023) were both courtside to see the Thunder’s win over the Nets
• JDub – who reportedly signed a multi-year extension with OKC on Thursday – sat with his brother Cody, who will suit up tomorrow when the Jazz face the Hornets

5. VEGAS FRIDAY PREVIEW: 16 MORE TEAMS IN ACTION TODAY

Melissa Majchrzak + Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

What’s better than seven games on Thursday?

Eight games on Friday.

Six more Lottery picks are slated to take the floor today, highlighted by the Hornets’ No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel getting his first taste of NBA action against Ace Bailey (No. 5) and the Jazz – tipping off a marquee doubleheader on ESPN.

• Jazz vs. Hornets (7 ET, ESPN): Both knockdown shooters, Knueppel went 40.6% from deep at Duke last season, while Bailey showed off his scoring ability in his last outing in the Salt Lake City Summer League, dropping 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting
• Wizards vs. Suns (9 ET, ESPN): Phoenix’s No. 10 overall selection Khaman Maluach first picked up a basketball at age 13. At 18, he’ll make his Summer League debut — along with Washington’s No. 6 pick Tre Johnson, a smooth scorer out of Texas
• Bulls vs. Raptors (8 ET, NBA TV): Fans could get a first look at two more Lottery selections as the relentless forward Collin Murray-Boyles (No. 9 overall) logs his first Raptors minutes against the crafty Frenchman Noa Essengue (No. 12) and the Bulls

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Five more matchups take place throughout the day, beginning at 4 ET and running deep into the night – making for an 8+ hour hoops marathon.

• Grizzlies vs. Celtics (4 ET, NBA TV): Fresh off averaging 23.5 ppg in Salt Lake City, GG Jackson leads Memphis into a matchup with Boston – marking the C’s first game this summer
• Hawks vs. Heat (4:30 ET, ESPN2): Listed as one of the 15 players to watch in Vegas, Atlanta’s No. 23 pick Asa Newell could see his first action against the reigning NBA 2K25 Summer League champs
• Knicks vs. Pistons (6 ET, NBA TV): Next up, last year’s No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland II will lead the Pistons against the Knicks, who eliminated Detroit in this year’s Playoffs
• Clippers vs. Rockets (10 ET, NBA TV): Another top five-pick from the 2024 Draft hits the court as Reed Sheppard (No. 3) and the Rockets face the Clippers in both teams’ Summer League opener
• Blazers vs. Warriors (11 ET, ESPN2): In the nightcap, this year’s No. 16 pick Yang Hansen is slated to make his debut against Golden State. The 7-foot-1 center from China brings a soft touch and nimble feet to Portland’s frontcourt