Valentine's Day in July

Valentine slipped to pick 14. 

Denzel Valentine was the most efficient player on a winning team during quarterfinal play of the 2016 NBA Las Vegas Summer League Tournament. Valentine, a rookie from Michigan State that was selected 14th in the 2016 NBA Draft, showed off his all around game as the Chicago Bulls advanced with an 88-85 victory over the Washington Wizards. Valentine scored 14 points (4-9 FG, 4-6 3-pt., 2-2 FT), grabbed ten rebounds, and dished three assists with zero turnovers in 26 minutes. ...Other individual standouts Saturday included...

Jarell Eddie - Wizards. 22 points (7-12 FG, 5-7 3-pt., 3-3 FT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists 25 minutes. 

Alan Williams - Suns. 11 points (5-12 FG, 1-2 FT), 16 rebounds, 2 steals in 25 minutes. ...The Suns beat the Nuggets 82-81 on a Tyler Ulis three point shot at the buzzer to close overtime. Williams assisted on the play. 

Beau Beech - Nets. 15 points (5-7 FG, 5-7 3-pt.), 7 rebounds in 26 minutes. ...The Nets lost to the Cavs 91-83 in overtime. 

Raphiael Putney - Cavs. 10 points (2-4 FG, 2-2 3-pt., 4-4 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 blocked shots in 22 minutes. 

Delon Wright - Raptors. 7 points (3-6 FG, 1-3 3-pt.), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, zero turnovers in 22 minutes. ...Wright suffered a dislocated shoulder in the second half. X-rays were negative. ...The Raptors lost to the Timberwolves 81-79. 

Nate Wolters - Wizards. 16 points (6-10 FG, 2-4 3-pt., 2-2 FT) 5 rebounds, 7 assists in 32 minutes. 

Troy Williams - Suns. 22 points (9-15 FG, 2-5 3-pt., 2-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 steals in 32 minutes. 

Jamal Murray - Nuggets. 29 points (13-26 FG, 2-6 3-pt., 1-2 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists in 35 minutes. 

Bobby Portis - Bulls. 17 points (6-14 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 2-2 FT), 9 rebounds in 29 minutes. 

Juan Hernangomez - Nuggets. 10 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3-pt.), 12 rebounds, 4 assists in 32 minutes. 

Adreian Payne - Timberwolves. 19 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3-pt., 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds in 32 minutes. 

Notes: Isaiah Whitehead posted a per-minute efficiency rating of "zero" in 29 minutes. What does a zero efficiency game look like? 5 points (2-12 FG, 0-2 3-pt., 1-3 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers. 

Last chance to shine for consolation bracket players

Long was great Friday.

The Friday action at the 2016 NBA Las Vegas Summer League was a slate full of games that served as the final games for those teams eliminated from championship contention. The final opportunity to make an impact was not lost on the twelve guys we will highlight who played well Friday. The most efficient player on a winning team was Shawn Long of Philadelphia. The 6'11", 250 lb. Center from Louisiana Lafayette impressed in each contest with his ability to score both inside and outside. Long scored 18 points (8-13 FG, 1-3 3-pt., 1-1 FT) and grabbed ten rebounds in just 18 minutes Friday as the Sixers cooled the Miami Heat 74-66. 

The others that stood out: 

Ra'Shad James - Bucks. 19 points (8-12 FG, 2-3 3-pt., 1-2 FT), 5 rebounds in 20 minutes. ...Milwaukee lost to the Houston Rockets 92-89. 

Jameel McKay - Pelicans. 16 points (7-10 FG, 2-4 FT), 13 rebounds, 4 blocked shots in 26 minutes. ...The Pelicans were defeated by the D-League Select Team 88-76. 

Vince Hunter - Grizzlies. 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-6 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocked shots in 26 minutes. ...Memphis lost to the Atlanta Hawks 89-79. 

Walter "Edy" Tavares - Hawks. 11 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds in 18 minutes. 

Ivica Zubac - Lakers. 16 points (8-14 FG), 11 rebounds, 6 blocked shots in 27 minutes. ...The Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz 92-88. 

Pierre Jackson - Blazers. 20 points (7-10 FG, 1-3 3-pt., 5-6 FT), 5 rebounds, 8 assists in 28 minutes. ...Portland was a winner over Boston 80-75. 

DeJounte Murray - Spurs. 20 points (9-20 FG, 2-5 3-pt.), 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals in 29 minutes. ...San Antonio kept the Sacramento Kings winless with a 90-86 overtime victory. 

Brandon Ingram - Lakers. 22 points (9-13 FG, 2-3 3-pt., 2-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists in 31 minutes. 

Dionte Christmas - Jazz. 14 points (4-6 FG, 4-5 3-pt., 2-3 FT), 4 assists in 18 minutes. 

Duje Dukan - Kings. 8 points (3-7 FG, 2-4 3-pt.), 3 rebounds, 4 assists in 16 minutes. 

Notes: Dallas beat Golden State 80-74. ...On most days an efficiency rating over .800 would be good enough to make our daily list. Montrezl Harrell, Brandon Ashley and Joel Bolomboy all were above .825 EFR Friday but they did not make the cutoff for BIGs which was Zubac's .925 EFR. ...Four players posted per-minute efficiency rating at or below "zero" (that is not good): Andrew Harrison, Byron Allen, Nic Moore, and Giovan Oniangue.