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Mayo still money
by Preetom Bhattacharya / July 13, 2008

Game 1: Sacramento 93 - Toronto 86

Finishing with 23 points and 9 rebounds, Spencer Hawes inflicted plenty of damage on the inside for the Kings. Hawes is expected to play a ton of minutes at the beginning of next season due to Brad Miller's suspension and all indications are that he seems ready and willing to step up to the plate for his opportunity. He did so last season, filling in amicably for Miller when he went down with injury. Hawes’ improved mid-range shooting has significantly improved, as he went 9-17 from the field on Saturday.

Studs: Quincy Douby played a nice all-around offensive game for the Kings, finishing with 20 points on 5-12 shooting. His jumpshot didn’t fall as often as he’d like, but Douby did a good job of penetrating and getting to the hole when he could, making 9 of his 11 free-throws. Douby played some point as well for the Kings, although not much, so he might be a candidate for Beno Udrih's backup. Joey Graham was fantastic for the Raptors, scoring 24 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. He, too, focused on getting to the basket and got many opportunities at the free-throw line, making 12 of his 15 chances from there. Shelden Williams finished the game with a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Williams still has to grow offensively, but he had a good showing on defense.

Duds: The Kings shocked the world by taking Jason Thompson of Rider with the No. 12 pick and he didn’t play all that well in his first game out there this summer, so he’ll likely get better. He led the Kings in fouls (8) as he seems to struggle defensively against guys in the block. Although he finished the game with 12 points and 7 rebounds, there’s still a lot of work left to do.

Game 2: Charlotte 81 - LA Clippers 66

Watching DJ Augustin play is like seeing lightning get caught in a bottle. He was absolutely flying all over the court, finishing his debut with a solid 22 points on 4-9 shooting. Augustin showed that he can absolutely carry a team as their general, calling out plays and then using his quickness to get by his man and set up another after defenses collapse in on him.

Studs: Jermareo Davidson showed some nice progress during this game, as he aggressively grabbed 8 eight rebounds in addition to efficiently scoring 15 points on 6-10 shooting. Al Thornton was great again for the Clippers in the losing effort, finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds. Before getting hurt, Eric Gordon had another nice game before straining his right hamstring and being forced to sit down. He scored 15 points to compliment Thornton’s contributions.

Duds: The entire Clippers squad looked a little bit sluggish on offense, failing to score more than 16 points in any one quarter. Marcus Williams couldn’t hit a shot for himself, missing all six of his shots. Kyle Weaver played some nice defense for the Bobcats, but he couldn’t find his shot, scoring only 4 points on 1-5 shooting. Mike Taylor of the Clippers, hoping to make the team as a backup point guard, didn't play poorly, either, but his 5 turnovers and 4-11 shooting performance will need to be improved upon.

Game 3: Denver 99 - Philadelphia 85

In one of the more entertaining games of the night, featuring a fast pace and uptempo style for Detroit, Sonny Weems really had a nice game for the Nuggets. Weems, whom the Nuggets selected in the second round of this year’s draft because they feel he has world class athleticism, showed that he can do a lot of nice things on the court. He was pulling up and knocking down jumpers (8-15 from the field), exclusively using his shot and penetration to score points.

Studs: The Sixers clearly have one of the best trios in the summer league this year as Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights, and Jason Smith are playing very well as a group. Young once again led the team in scoring (22 points) and did his part defensively, grabbing four rebounds and getting two steals. Jason Smith looked better today, scoring 15 points on 6-10 shooting, and Speights once again played efficiently, finishing with 14 points on 7-9 shooting. The Nuggets' Dahntay Jones also had a great game, scoring 21 points on 8-15 shooting.

Duds: Taurean Green of the Nuggets did not play well, missing eight of his nine shots. He has a legitimate chance to play in the NBA and considering how badly the Nuggets need a point guard, Green needs to improve upon his play to secure a spot.

Game 4: Memphis 88 - Milwaukee 79

The final game of the evening featured an outburst of scoring from OJ Mayo, who finished the game with 26 points on 9-19 shooting from the field. Mayo was also active on the boards, grabbing five rebounds, but he was more notably calm today than Friday. He cut down on his turnovers (down to 4 from 8 in Game 1) and was absolute money from beyond the arc, making 4 of his 6 attempts.

Studs: PJ Tucker of the Grizzlies once again played very impressive ball, leading the team in rebounding (nice feat for a guard) with 8 boards to go with this 11 points. Ramon Sessions played stellar basketball for the Bucks, dishing out nine assists for the team and really showing that he can be an extension for Scott Skiles on the court. Sessions scored 12 points to go with his assists, but he got 10 of those points from the free-throw line, as he used his quickness to get to the basket and got fouled. Javaris Crittenton didn't have many opportunities to score on Saturday, but his 6 assists and 6 rebounds show that he was able to contribute in different ways, something all coaches like to see.

Duds: Rookie Joe Alexander looked overwhelmed out there for the Bucks. He finished with 7 points and shot 2-13 from the field - he's certainly going to have to show an efficient side to his game if he hopes to get any real minutes behind Richard Jefferson.

Preetom Bhattacharya is the Senior Newslines editor and has covered the NBA for HoopsWorld for three years

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