Starting 5, July 17: Wolves, Kings & Thunder stay perfect

Jahmir Young hit the spin cycle – and scored his way into Summer League history.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

July 17, 2025

Unbeatens Eye Semis: The Wolves, Kings and Thunder improve to 4-0 in Vegas

Roundup: A rare 40-ball, big nights from Broome and Brooklyn rooks, Jazz sophs shine

Rookie Photo Shoots: Day 2 snapshots and a behind-the-scenes look at the 2025 Draft class

Playoff Push: Five 3-0 squads take the floor tonight, with all four Playoff spots still up for grabs

Thursday Finale: More marquee matchups to round out the qualifying round in Vegas

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BUT FIRST … ⏰

The regular season finale in Vegas…

Thursday’s eight-game slate wraps up the 2K26 Summer League “regular season,” with all four tickets to Saturday’s semifinals still unclaimed. Five 3-0 squads will be in action tonight, including the Spurs and Hornets facing off in primetime (7 ET, ESPN).

Summer League Hub: See who’s in Playoff position in Vegas, the format, stat leaders and more right here.

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1. UNBEATENS EYE SEMIFINALS: WOLVES, KINGS & THUNDER MOVE TO 4-0

With one qualifying game left for all 30 teams, eight squads entered Thursday with 3-0 records, likely needing a win to stay in the mix for Saturday’s semifinals.

Three of those unbeaten teams took the floor yesterday – and all three stayed perfect.

Wolves 89, Suns 85: Rob Dillingham dazzled with 23 points, 7 boards and 7 dimes, while Leonard Miller added a double-double (22 pts, 11 reb) to rally the Wolves from 16 points down, keeping Minnesota’s perfect record intact (4-0). | Recap

• Clutch Gene: Former UConn star Tristen Newton (9 pts), the 2024 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, hit a tiebreaking 3 in the final minute as the Wolves closed on a 13-4 run to cap the comeback

Kings 94, Cavaliers 86: Nique Clifford flirted with a triple-double (19 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast) and six other Kings scored in double figures to overcome Tyrese Proctor’s 35-point outburst, improving Sacramento to 4-0. | Recap

Thunder 95, Pelicans 81: New Orleans’ No. 7 pick Jeremiah Fears (22 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and Trey Alexander (25 pts, 5 3s) went off, but OKC held the Pels to just 36.6% shooting as a team and 22.6% from deep, while using 11 different scorers to move to 4-0. | Recap

• Rook Cooks: Brooks Barnhizer, this year’s No. 44 pick, led the way for OKC with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting along with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks
• Still Rolling: After setting the all-time record for regular-season point differential en route to the NBA title, OKC is once again dominating the margins with a +14.8 average differential – good for third-best in Vegas

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2. ROUNDUP: YOUNG ERUPTS, ROOKS COOK, JAZZ ROLL

An undrafted guard out of Maryland, Jahmir Young made a name for himself last year in the G League, earning All-Rookie Team honors.

On Wednesday – on a court filled with NBA talent – he showed why.

Bulls 102, Bucks 96: After totaling 23 points in his last three games combined, Young erupted for a 2K26 Summer League-best 40 – finishing 13-of-18 from the field and 7-of-8 from deep to rally the Bulls past Chris Livingston (23 pts) and the Bucks. | Recap

• 40 Club: It’s just the eighth ever 40-piece in a Vegas Summer League game – and the third in the last 15 years, joining Marcus Sasser (40 in 2023) and Furkan Korkmaz (40 in 2018)
• More Chicago Shine: Javon Freeman-Liberty added 23 points and 8 boards for the Bulls, while Yuki Kawamura chipped in 9 points and 6 assists – including a slew of slick dimes

76ers 90, Mavericks 82: With VJ Edgecombe out, Philly’s other 2025 Draft pick stepped up, as Johni Broome posted a monster double-double (22 pts, 14 reb) while Mark Armstrong also scored 22 to secure a Sixers win. | Recap

Nets 94, Magic 80: No team had more first-round picks in the 2025 Draft than the Nets (5). And on Wednesday, two of those selections showed out as Egor Dëmin (14 pts, 5 reb, 4 3s) and Danny Wolf (18 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) helped stave off Orlando for Brooklyn’s first win. | Recap

Jazz 86, Wizards 76: Utah’s two first-rounders from 2024 – Cody Williams (23 pts, 2 stl) and Isaiah Collier (17 pts, 3 ast, 2 stl) – combined for 40 points as the Jazz outpaced AJ Johnson (25 pts, 1 circus finish) and the Wizards for their first win in Vegas. | Recap

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3. ROOKIE PHOTO SHOOT DAY 2: ON CAMERA & ON THE GROUND

Day 2 of the Rookie Photo Shoot in Vegas captured more fresh faces in new threads – and a behind-the-scenes look at the newest personalities entering the league.

On The Ground: Beyond the photos, the rookies shared the stories behind their new threads – from jersey numbers to city pride.

• Flagg’s 32: Cooper Flagg shares the special meaning behind his jersey number – one his mother donned long before he ever picked up a basketball
• Scarlet Lights: From Rutgers teammates to top-five picks, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper linked up for a full circle snapshot
• Zero Fears: For Jeremiah Fears, No. 0 isn’t just a jersey number – it’s a mindset
• Homegrown Hawk: Atlanta native Asa Newell was all smilesputting on the Hawks jersey for the first time – proudly rocking his hometown on his chest
• “I Want The Smoke”: No. 16 pick Yang Hansen is ready for the spotlight – and the smoke
• VJ’s Perspective: Go behind-the-scenes with Philly’s No. 3 pick as he explains why he chose to rock No. 77 with his new team

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4. THURSDAY IN VEGAS: FINAL PLAYOFF PUSH

The semifinals in Vegas will be set by night’s end – but before the bracket solidifies, here’s a quick refresher on how it all works:

• Seeding: After Thursday’s games, all 30 teams will have played four times, with the top four teams advancing to Saturday’s single-elimination semifinals (4 & 6 ET, ESPN)
• Tiebreakers: If two or more teams have the same record after the first four games, head-to-head results, point differential and total points will serve as the first three tiebreakers
• Championship: The winners of Saturday’s semifinals will advance to a winner-take-all final on Sunday (10 ET, ESPN), when a new Summer League champ will be crowned
• Consolation Games: The 26 teams that do not advance to the four-team Playoff will play a fifth game on either Friday or Saturday. See the full standings here

Five 3-0 teams take the floor Thursday with Playoff spots on the line — including a marquee matchup between two unbeatens in primetime.

Spurs vs. Hornets (7 ET, ESPN): Both needing a win to keep their Playoff hopes alive – San Antonio and Charlotte could also produce a duel between top picks, with Dylan Harper (No. 2 overall) facing off against Kon Knueppel (No. 4).

• Knueppel Clicking: The former Duke sharpshooter caught fire in his second Summer League outing on Monday, going 3-of-5 from deep while stuffing the stat sheet (16 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl)
• Spurs Rooks: Harper has also looked sharp with back-to-back 16-point games, while San Antonio’s No. 14 pick Carter Bryant has flashed defensively

Hawks vs. Grizzlies (6 ET, NBA TV): Fueled by a high-octane offense, the Hawks are averaging a Vegas-best 104.7 ppg. Tonight, they’ll look to stay hot in hopes of improving to 4-0.

• Soaring Hawks: 2023 first-rounder Kobe Bufkin has led the charge, tallying 21.3 ppg, while this year’s No. 23 pick Asa Newell is finding his groove – averaging 16 points and 8.5 rebounds over his last two outings

Warriors vs. Raptors (10 ET, NBA TV): Toronto enters Thursday with a 3-0 record and the highest average point differential in Vegas (+17.0). But it still needs to get through Golden State to reach the semis.

Clippers vs. Nuggets (11 ET, ESPN2): On Sunday, Jordan Miller dropped 21 points on 57.1% shooting to beat the Bucks. On Monday, he dropped 19 on 63.6% shooting to beat the Lakers. Tonight, he’ll look to move the Clips to 4-0 with another efficient outing.

• Vet Stepping Up: Miller, a three-year vet who appeared in 37 games last season for LA, leads its summer squad with 21.0 ppg

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5. MORE MARQUEE MATCHUPS: STANDOUT SOPHS & TOP ROOKIES IN ACTION

Pistons vs. Heat (4 ET, ESPN+/NBA TV): Detroit needs a victory to stay in Playoff contention, and it’ll have to come against the defending Summer League champions in a battle laden with sophomore studs.

• Ron Roars: Ron Holland II – the No. 5 pick in 2024 – has accounted for nearly 25% of the Pistons’ production this summer, including 22 points and six steals Tuesday
• Triumphant Trio: Three second-years balled out in the Heat’s preceding win Monday. Kel’el Ware posted a double-double, Keshad Johnson shot 8-for-10 from the field and Pelle Larsson led the pack with 24 points

Pacers vs. Knicks (4:30 ET, ESPN2): These two franchises meet for the first time since the East Finals, and three days after Johnny Furphy’s slam-of-the-summer candidate turned heads across the wide world of basketball.

• Familiar Feel: Indiana’s latest outing was an exercise in the committee offensive approach that it relied upon this season. All five starters dropped at least 15 points
• Men In The Mirror: New York, meanwhile, has enjoyed strong contributions from Tyler Kolek and MarJon Beauchamp – both of whom are fresh off 25-point performances on 7-for-17 shooting

Rockets vs. Trail Blazers (8 ET, ESPN+/NBA TV): Houston was oh-so-close to its first Vegas victory in an overtime loss to Atlanta. Tonight, it’ll again have a chance to shake its winless spell against the two-time Summer League champs.

• Hansen Hype: No. 16 overall pick Yang Hansen (11.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 bpg) has showcased a crafty, well-rounded profile this summer for Portland. What does he have in store for tonight?

Celtics vs. Lakers (9 ET, ESPN): One of the most storied rivalries in sports hits the strip – Summer League style. Boston needs to ‘Beat LA’ and get help elsewhere to stay in the hunt for a semifinal spot.

• Bassey’s Boost: Charles Bassey tops the league with 11.0 rebounds per game, and is knocking down shots at a stellar rate of 70.4%
• Leading LA: Bronny James (17 pts) and Cole Swider (16 pts) combined for 33 on Monday, and have guided the Purple and Gold throughout its Vegas voyage