The top two picks in the 2025 Draft – Dallas’ Cooper Flagg and San Antonio’s Dylan Harper – put on a marquee show in the Entertainment Capital of the World.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
July 13, 2025
No. 1 vs. No. 2: Top two picks shine in first head-to-head matchup since the draft
Seasoned Standouts: Sophomores lead the way for the Kings, Grizzlies, Wolves & Lakers
Rooks Rise Up: 2025 draftees show out for the Thunder, Pacers, Hornets & Cavs
Marquee Matchup: Top-10 picks in the 2025 Draft meet in tonight’s Wizards-Nets clash
Sunday Preview: Key players to watch in each of today’s games in Las Vegas
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Sunday in Vegas…
NBA 2K26 Summer League rolls on with eight more games on Sunday, Including a clash of top 10 picks when Washington’s Tre Johnson meets Brooklyn’s Egor Demin (8 ET, ESPN2).
Summer League Hub: Looking for the latest from Vegas? Standings? Stats leaders? It’s all here.
1. SATURDAY IN VEGAS: A HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
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Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. No. 1 vs. No. 2. Two of the best of what’s next.
Opposing each other in league threads for the first time ever, the top two picks from the 2025 NBA Draft met on the hardwood Saturday.
Spurs 76, Mavericks 69: Flagg dropped a game-high 31 points on 10-for-21 shooting, but it wasn’t enough to push Dallas past San Antonio, as Harper capped his Summer League debut with 16 points and six rebounds. | Recap
- Flying The Flagg: The Duke product accounted for over 47% of the Mavs’ offense, just two days removed from a performance he dubbed “one of the worst games of my life”
- Bigger Than Basketball: Both Flagg and Harper donned “Texas Strong” shooting shirts during pregame as part of a joint initiative between the Mavs, Spurs and Rockets supporting those impacted by the Central Texas floods
Early in the 2nd quarter, with San Antonio starting to create some breathing room, the pair of top talents exchanged buckets and showcased their scoring skills.
- Back And Forth: Harper waited on the wing for a lane to open, and once it did, cut to the paint for a smooth layup. Then Flagg promptly took control at the top of the arc on the next possession, stepping into and sinking a pull-up 3
- Style Points: Harper also rose up on the defensive end for an emphatic swat during the opening half. Flagg, meanwhile, let his offense do the talking with a one-handed jam
The No. 1 pick pitched in nine points during the 4th frame as the Mavs played from behind, but a 17-point hole with 6:58 to go proved too big to overcome.
- Fun In The Sun: David Jones-Garcia secured his fourth straight 20+ point game of the summer calendar with the Spurs. This time it was 21, complemented by five rebounds and five assists
2. SATURDAY IN VEGAS: SEASONED STANDOUTS
Kings 109, Bulls 92: Devin Carter and his 30-point outburst took over The Pavilion as Sacramento blew past Chicago in the opening quarter, 32-14, to fuel its fire for a second Summer League victory. | Recap
- He Can’t Miss: Carter started hot and stayed hot. The second-year guard drained his first four 3-point attempts and finished 10-for-13 overall with five triples
- School In Session: Dishing dimes left and right, Yuki Kawamura (5 ast) demonstrated his passing prowess for the Bulls. In a pair of highlight-reel assists, he completed a behind-the-back pass and split the wickets – both setting up easy buckets
- Double Trouble: Chicago’s No. 12 pick Noa Essengue (12 pts, 10 reb) and Sacramento’s No. 24 pick Nique Clifford (19 pts, 12 reb) were each responsible for double-doubles
Timberwolves 94, Nuggets 83: Buoyed by an early eruption from Terrence Shannon Jr., Minnesota got the W to improve to 2-0 in Vegas. | Recap
- Terrence Talk: The sophomore guard already had 17 points and four triples to his name with over three minutes remaining in the first half, punctuated by this corner look
- Lone Wolf: Joan Beringer, recently selected No. 17 overall, took the court as the affair’s only 2025 draftee. He pitched in seven points and rebounds apiece as a starting forward
- Ant In The House: The building started buzzing when Anthony Edwards entered the building to catch the second half. A 4th quarter dunk from Shannon got the Ant-Man out of his seat
Grizzlies 96, Trail Blazers 86: Sophomore efforts from Jaylen Wells and Sidy Cissoko on both ends underlined the nightcap as Memphis broke the tie with just over six minutes remaining and pulled away late. | Recap
- Vaunted Vets: Wells registered a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds for the Grizzlies, while Cissoko also topped the 20-point plateau along with a team-best three steals for the opposition
- UConn-ection: Both owning the distinction of Husky alums, Cam Spencer and James Bouknight went toe-to-toe Saturday night. The two totaled 32 points between them
- Back At Work: No. 16 pick Yang Hansen again flashed some moves despite the loss. In one moment, he put a defender in the spin cycle, and in another, punished the rim
Lakers 94, Pelicans 81: Taking a slim edge early and steadily building upon it, Los Angeles secured its first victory in Vegas with Cole Swider’s hot hand and Bronny James’ two-way effort (14 pts, 2 stl, 3 ast) helping to pace the win. | Recap
- Swider’s Strides: Swider led the way for the Lakers – again. The third-year forward drained six 3s last time out, and dropped 21 points on this occasion featuring a 4-for-9 clip from beyond the arc
- Pel Pals: Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears both appeared in the starting lineup as New Orleans’ pair of first-round picks combined for 27 points
- Even Effort: Queen made his presence felt on both ends with a double-double. The No. 13 overall selection submitted 12 points and 13 rebounds, including this spin and score
3. SATURDAY IN VEGAS: ROOKIES RISE UP
Thunder 104, Pacers 85: Nearly three weeks to the day since OKC ousted Indy in Game 7 to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the two clashed once more, with the new champs riding a 38-pt 2nd Q to take the win. | Recap
- All-Around Ace: OKC’s second-round pick Brooks Barnhizer took over with a standout performance on both ends. Not only did he beef up the defensive effort with six steals and five defensive boards, but he also went 8-for-10 from the field
- Dropping Dimes: Nikola Topić’s playmaking skills were on full display as he dished out a game-high 10 assists in the win
- Making It Rain: As one of five double-digit scorers for the victors – and responsible for the game-high 21 points – Chris Youngblood shot 5-for-8 from deep
- Pacers Picks: Kam Jones (No. 38) and Taelon Peter (No. 54) combined for 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists in defeat
Hornets 96, Sixers 94: In a battle that came down to the final possession, Ryan Kalkbrenner (7 pts, 6 reb, 4 blk) sealed the deal for Charlotte with a crucial rejection, surviving a late surge from Philadelphia and moving to 2-0 in Vegas. | Recap
- Blocked By ‘Brenner: After Liam McNeeley sank a pair of free throws to put the Hornets up two, the Creighton product rose up to meet Judah Mintz’s jumper attempt just beyond the paint for a game-winning block
- Stepping Up: Playing without No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel (ankle), Charlotte got strong production from starter KJ Simpson (19 pts) and reserve MJ Walker (18 pts)
- Man Of The Moment: Mintz – undrafted in the 2024 class – led all scorers with 24 points of his own. He willed his way to the charity stripe, ultimately going 13-for-15 at the line
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Cavaliers 93, Bucks 83: Cleveland weathered a pair of 20+ point scorers (Jamaree Bouyea, Chris Livingston) and did its damage in the middle frames – tightening up defensively in the heart of the contest – to crack the win column for the first time this summer. | Recap
- Shut-Down Sprint: The Cavs rattled off a 17-0 run before halftime that lasted over six minutes, erasing for good what had been a 29-26 deficit
- Steering The Ship: Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s double-double (22 pts, 13 reb) and Jaylon Tyson’s 18-point, eight-rebound showing constituted much of the winning effort
4. SUNDAY PREVIEW: TOP PICKS TAKE THE STAGE
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A full week of summer hoops – from California to Salt Lake City and now in Las Vegas – enters the rearview mirror with Week 2 getting underway this afternoon. In that time, a slew of top picks have already put their talents on display.
Eight matchups are on tap for Day 4 in Las Vegas on Sunday – eight further opportunities for players to impress, including a matchup of top-10 picks tonight.
Nets vs. Wizards (8 ET, ESPN2): Washington’s Tre Johnson (No. 6 overall) goes head-to-head with Brooklyn’s Egor Demin (No. 8 overall) as both squads hunt their first victories of the summer calendar in Sin City.
- Tre’s Time: The Texas product is fresh off Friday’s debut in which he racked up 18 pts while shooting over 50% from the field, and posted a 3-for-5 mark from deep
- Finding Footing: As one of five 2025 first-round picks in action for the Nets, Demin looks to build on the 8 pts and 4 reb in his first-ever outing
- Hot Hands: Drew Timme spearheaded the effort for Brooklyn last time out with a game-high 22 points despite the loss to OKC. For Washington, sophomore player Kyshawn George pitched in 24 to lead all scorers – also in defeat, against Phoenix
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Fellow faces of the future will hit the hardwood for their new teams. Tonight, that includes the only remaining top-10 pick we have yet to see take the court.
- Magic vs. Raptors (6 ET, ESPN2): Collin Murray-Boyles (adductor) missed Toronto’s Summer League opener Friday, but is expected to debut against Orlando. The No. 9 overall pick out of South Carolina is one of two Raptor draftees alongside Alijah Martin (No. 39)
- Jazz vs. Warriors (10 ET, ESPN2): After getting his feet wet in the Salt Lake City Summer League, Ace Bailey (hip) – the No. 5 selection – has yet to play in Vegas. He can change that Sunday with Utah (0-1 in Vegas) seeking to rediscover winning ways after a 3-0 run back home
5. SUNDAY PREVIEW: FIVE FURTHER FACE-OFFS
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The action doesn’t stop there. With the slate spanning early afternoon to late evening, check out a few of the top names in action today.
- Hawks vs. Suns (3:30 ET, NBA TV): Having flexed some of his coveted defensive ability Friday, No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach (14 pts, 5 reb, 2 blk) leads Phoenix against Atlanta in the wake of Kobe Bufkin’s 29-point showing
- Pistons vs. Rockets (4 ET, ESPN2): Detroit got off to a scorching start in Vegas, earning an 18-point win over New York on Friday as its entire starting five scored in double figures. The No. 5 pick from 2024 – Ron Holland II – set the pace with 28 of his own
- Heat vs. Cavs (7:30 ET, NBA TV): Kasparas Jakučionis found his stroke (24 pts, five 3s) in Miami’s Vegas opener, following a three-game stint at the California Classic where he didn’t sink a 3-pointer
- Celtics vs. Knicks (5:30 ET, NBA TV): It’s a Summer League-flavored rematch of the East Semis as Hugo Gonzalez – the No. 28 pick – seeks a fruitful follow-up to his debut (12 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast)
- Bucks vs. Clippers (9:30 ET, NBA TV): Double trouble came in the form of Cam Christie and Jordan Miller, combining for 44 of LA’s 95 points to begin its time in Sin City. Also watch for Milwaukee’s Chris Livingston, who has scored 18+ in both of the team’s two games
