Carter Bryant shined defensively, Caleb Love continued scoring at a high rate, and Christian Koloko had an impressive all-around game in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday. Bryant and Love have been key players for their teams through the first two games.
Bryant continued to struggle from the field on Saturday but impacted the game defensively. In a 76-69 win by the San Antonio Spurs, Bryant missed all seven of his shots from the field and all five three-point attempts but made both free throws.
Bryant added two rebounds, an assist, a chasedown block and played lockdown defense but also had four fouls and four turnovers. Bryant has struggled offensively playing in the California Classic Summer League earlier this month and in Las Vegas, but his defense shows he's ready to be a part of the San Antonio rotation.
Bryant has scored seven points on 1-13 from the field and 1-9 on three-point attempts in two games in Las Vegas. San Antonio needs Bryant to develop more offensively to avoid being a liability on a team expected to compete for a playoff spot in 2026.
Love scored 18 points for the Portland Trail Blazers in a 96-86 loss on Saturday to the Memphis Grizzlies. Love was not as efficient in his second game in the Las Vegas Summer League, shooting 7-21 from the field. 3-9 on three-point attempts and 1-2 from the free throw line.
Portland also received one rebound, one assist, one block, two turnovers and two fouls from Love in a team-leading 29:23 on Saturday. After playing on consecutive days, Portland is off until Tuesday, when they play the New Orleans Pelicans.
Koloko scored 13 points on 5-7 from the field, made his only three-point attempt and was 2-3 from the free throw line with seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, three blocks, one turnover and seven fouls (players have up to 10 before being disqualified) as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 94-83.
Trey Townsend was a did not play-coach's decision for New Orleans. Oumar Ballo, Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson, who are on the Miami Heat, play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday at 4:30 Mountain Standard Time. Ballo has not played in a Summer League game yet.