5 takeaways from the final day of scrimmages in Orlando

Benyam Kidane

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5 takeaways from the final day of scrimmages in Orlando image

The final day of scrimmages is in the books as 12 teams hit the court for their final hit-outs ahead of the season restart

Headlined by big performances from James Harden, Luka Doncic and Ja Morant, here are the biggest storylines from today's scrimmage games:

James Harden showing no signs of rust

Although the Celtics mostly rolled out their reserves for this final scrimmage, Rocket star James Harden showed no mercy, piling up 35 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in their 137-112 win. 


The Rockets will be monitoring the health of guard Eric Gordon, who was helped off the court in the second quarter after rolling his left ankle. Gordon underwent an X-ray shortly after, which came back negative, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.  

Carsen Edwards led Boston with 19 points — including this highlight-reel jam!

Porzingis and Doncic put on a show!

The Dallas Mavericks edged the Philadelphia 76ers 118-115 in an overtime thriller, with their two stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis impressing. 

Doncic led the way with 23 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Porzingis added 17 points and 12 rebounds.

"I wanted to come out aggressive and play with energy and give the team the energy, and that was it," Porzingis said post-game. Just keep it simple and play my game and that’s it. And those things are going to happen."

Tobias Harris led the 76ers with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Ben Simmons struggled offensively, going 2-of-10 from the field for his four points, nine rebounds, and two assists. 

Thunder make it rain from deep

After shooting just 29% from deep in their previous scrimmage, the Oklahoma City Thunder found their touch against the Blazers, going 20-of-40 (50%) from three-point range.

11 Thunder players recorded at least one 3-pointer, with Darius Bazley, Luguentz Dort, and Abdel Nader burying three apiece. 

Meanwhile, big man Steven Adams came up with the play of the day, showing off his dribbling skills from the floor for this bucket! 

Spurs keep the ball moving

The San Antonio Spurs picked up their first win of the scrimmages in their final hit out, edging the Indiana Pacers 118-111.

The Spurs looked a lot more like themselves, moving the ball with ease as they racked up 29 assists on 46 made field goals — led by six from Derrick White, including this bullet pass to Jakob Poeltl.

Rudy Gay led all scorers with 23 points in 21 minutes off the bench, while Keldon Johnson and DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points apiece.

Grizzlies unleash on offence!

The Memphis Grizzlies closed out their final scrimmage with a convincing 128-110 win over the Miami Heat — their first victory in the scrimmage games. 

The energetic group clamped down on the defensive end, out-hustling and out-working the Heat. Meanwhile, they found their touch from beyond the arc, going 19-of-42 from deep, with seven different players making at least two three-pointers.

Dillon Brooks led them in scoring with 23 points, while Ja Morant added 22 points and 12 assists, and Jonas Valancuinas 15 points and 15 rebounds. 

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Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.