NBA Summer League 2019: Recap from Day 1 at the California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League

Benyam Kidane

NBA Summer League 2019: Recap from Day 1 at the California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League image

The NBA summer is officially underway, with both the Salt Lake City Summer League and the California Classic tipping off Tuesday.

In Utah, the San Antonio Spurs opened their summer with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Memphis Grizzlies took care of the Utah Jazz. In the California Classic, the Miami Heat opened the event with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by the Sacramento Kings narrow victory over the Golden State Warriors. 

For a full roundup of the opening day of Summer League, look no further!

Salt Lake City Summer League

San Antonio Spurs 97, Cleveland Cavaliers 89

Sophomore forward Lonnie Walker IV led the way for the Spurs, leading all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including eight in the fourth quarter. 

He added seven rebounds, two assists and one steal in 29 minutes of action as the Spurs opened their Summer League with an eight-point win. 


Spurs rookie Luka Samanic, who was selected with the #19 pick in this year's draft also impressed on the night with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, adding seven rebounds and two assists in his first taste of NBA action.

For the Cavs, #26 pick Dylan Windler showed off his shooting stroke, leading his team with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Check the range:


Memphis Grizzlies 85, Utah Jazz 68

With young stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. missing from the Grizzlies' Summer League roster, Julian Washburn and Yuta Watanabe led the charge as the Grizzlies cruised past the Jazz.

Watanabe finished with 20 points and nine rebounds on the night, while Washburn drained 5-of-6 from beyond the arc for his 20 points. 


The Jazz trailed by nine at the half, but struggled to chip away at the lead, with their poor shooting helping the Grizz pull away. Utah shot just 36.7 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from the three-point line, going  4-of-24 on the night.  

California Classic

Miami Heat 106, Los Angeles Lakers 79

Tyler Herro kicked off his Summer League campaign with a strong debut, scoring a team-high 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting, to lead the Miami Heat to a comfortable win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The #13 pick was brought to the Heat for his shooting and he did just that, connecting on 5-of-10 from the three-point line.


Sacramento Kings 81, Golden State Warriors 77

Wenyen Gabriel put in a strong performance against the Warriors, recording a game-high 22 points, 12 rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes of action for the Kings.

Gabriel, who was on a two-way deal with the Kings last season, shot 8-of-14 from the field including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Jimmer Fredette had 14 points and seven rebounds in his first taste of Summer League action for the Warriors as he looks to make his way back onto an NBA roster next season.

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.