Clippers, Nuggets win in NBA restart scrimmage opener; Bol Bol shines
A basketball court is shown at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Kissimmee, Fla., Tuesday, July 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Tim Reynolds)
The NBA restart officially reached active competition with eight teams taking the floor for scrimmages ahead of the seeding games at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Los Angeles captured the first win of the exhibition games, defeating Orlando 99-90 in the first competition between NBA teams after four months.
Lou Williams tallied 22 points to lead the Clippers while Paul George added 18 points and five boards as they built off a 32-16 lead in the second quarter to take control of the game.
Paul George (13 PTS, 3 3PM) fires from way downtown to beat the halftime buzzer! #WholeNewGame
📺: @NBATV
📱💻: https://t.co/mZ74IapAp7 pic.twitter.com/2Sb2qbVDzy— NBA (@NBA) July 22, 2020
Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Magic.
Denver held off Washington, 89-82, in rookie center Bol Bol’s on-court debut.
What a start for Bol Bol ‼️
In his first action for the @nuggets, @BolBol puts up 16 PTS, 10 REB, 6 BLK to guide Denver past Washington in their NBA Restart Scrimmage opener! #WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/lQBeS7wOef
— NBA (@NBA) July 22, 2020
Bol, the son of late NBA player Manute who hasn’t played a single NBA minute due to a foot injury, put up 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks as a starter for the Nuggets.
Troy Daniels’ led Denver’s offense with 22 points to go along six rebounds and three assists while All-Star center Nikola Jokic had 16 points, seven boards, and seven dimes playing as the team’s starting point guard.
Rui Hachimura led the Wizards with 18 points and nine rebounds.
New Orleans easily dealt with Brooklyn en route to a 99-68 win.
The Pelicans held a 56-35 lead at halftime and outscored the Nets 28-14 in the fourth to cruise to the victory.
Rookie guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and veteran E’Twaun Moore had 14 points apiece for the Pelicans who played without Zion Williamson.
Dzanan Musa led the Nets with 11 points while Jarrett Allen had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Miami then closed out the scrimmages with a 104-98 win over Sacramento.
18 PTS (5 3PM) from @D_Bo20 and 15 PTS from @raf_tyler helps the @MiamiHEAT come away victorious in their first Scrimmage! #WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/YcXmy7jaXZ
— NBA (@NBA) July 23, 2020
Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep while Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic had 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Buddy Hield led the Kings’ offense with 19 points off the bench while Nemanja Bjelica added 13 points.
