2022 Summer League, Game 4: Five Takeaways
After a
tough defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Clippers were no longer eligible for the Summer League championship, which meant they weren’t going to get any rings out of this trip to The Strip. Instead, they did get a chance to play spoiler — and against a familiar punching bag, no less. The Utah Jazz still had a chance for a championship, but, like past experiences, it did not go their way as the Clippers silenced Utah’s championship hopes, 82-65.
1.) Massive Fourth Quarter Run
This game was one of the worst displays of competitive basketball in the known universe for the first three quarters. Like, actively awful. We’re talking about dumpster fire status. Through three quarters, the Utah Jazz led the Los Angeles Clippers, 56-50. Both teams were shooting 36% and had turned the ball over more times than a YMCA game.
Thankfully, at least for them, the Clippers found their game at the perfect time. Los Angeles used a 32-9 fourth quarter to eventually defeat the Jazz, 82-65. In that fourth quarter, Brandon Boston Jr. scored more points (13) than the entire Utah team. To make matters crazier, Jay Scrubb finished with the same amount of points as the Jazz in the fourth. This game went from a snoozer to a slaughter in record time.
2.) Boston Balls Beautifully
Speaking of Brandon Boston Jr., he finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. He did have 3 turnovers. However, the positives were clearly there for the second-year forward. Boston’s 3 assists might not seem like a healthy amount, but he routinely made the right play with the ball in his hands and was a willing passer.
This was Boston’s first 20-point outing this year in Summer League, but it was his third game with at least 15 points, and he’s now averaging 15.0 points and 6.8 rebounds through the first four games of Summer League. Considering the Clippers play tomorrow, there’s a decent chance that Boston might not suit up for that one and the team lets him take a nice little sabbatical to get ready for training camp.
3.) Xavier Moon’s Juice
It’s really fun to watch Xavier Moon play basketball because he looks like a Tasmanian Devil got unleashed on a basketball court and was given all the freedom in the world to go ballistic. Moon finished with 9 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds in his 30 minutes of action. But it’s more than the stat line — it’s the pace.
When Moon gets the ball, he’s a blur. He pushes tempo better than pretty much anyone else on the Clippers can, and that speed thrusts other players into prime scoring locations because of the attention and gravity he ends up generating by simply just looking to go as fast as he can up the floor. Moon finished last season on a two-way contract. Maybe he gets another one.
4.) No Preston, No Diabaté
The biggest news, at least as far as the Clippers were concerned, came before the game. That’s when it was learned that
Moussa Diabaté would have to miss his second straight contest due to a right ankle sprain that he suffered in the team’s second game of Summer League. Diabaté averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and shot 70% from the floor in the games he played, looking very promising along the way. But the Frenchman would not be alone on the injury report.
As a result of entering the league’s health and safety protocols,
Jason Preston also had to miss today’s game. Preston averaged 7.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds through the first three contests of Summer League. The guard having to miss time is not ideal, especially as he’s coming off of missing the entirety of last season. Preston needed the reps, and it seems like his Las Vegas stint is a wrap.
5.) Only One Game Left To Go
There’s now only one game left in the Las Vegas Summer League for the Clippers, and it comes on Saturday evening against the Miami Heat. As things stand, the Clippers will be without Diabaté and Preston, but they could also be without Boston if the team decides to give him the night off since four games in five days is pretty taxing at this point of the summer, or at any point really.
Tomorrow could be the last real chance that Jay Scrubb gets an opportunity to showcase that he’s deserving of a guaranteed deal, or even a two-way contract. Scrubb finished with 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting in Friday’s win, but has largely been frustrating as a decision maker and shot chucker. It’s also the last chance that Jarrell Brantley and Reggie Perry could have to make an imprint.
Five Tidbits
- Clippers made 11 of 19 fourth quarter field goal attempts
- Cam Reynolds finished with 12 points, 4 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals
- Utah turned the ball over 23 times, including 7 in the fourth
- Justin Bean had just 2 points but posted a +20 in 14 minutes
- Clippers had a 24-2 run in the fourth quarter
Next game: Saturday, July 16 vs Miami Heat (8:00 PM PT)
(Top photo courtesy of ESPN2)