With Day One of the NBA Summer League in the book, let’s look forward to Day 2. Let’s hope that Day 2 is better than Day 1, in terms of competitiveness, for the California Classic. Two of the three contests at the Golden 1 Center were a blowout though the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors put on quite a show to close the night. The Kings defeated the Warriors 100-94 as they outscored the Dubs by five over the final eight minutes. 2022 NBA Summer League MVP Keegan Murray turned in another fantastic performance as he poured in 29 points on 8 of 17 shooting.
"I'm just trying to get into uncomfortable situations on the floor."
Keegan Murray shares his goals for California Classic and the rest of Summer League 💪 @Ticketmaster | #CaliforniaClassic pic.twitter.com/Cd6HKGBHpw
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 4, 2023
California Classic (July 5): Golden State Warriors vs. Charlotte Hornets Preview, Odds, and Prediction
While Wednesday is Day 2 of the NBA Summer League action, it is the final Day of the California Classic. Once again, three games will be on tap in Sacramento on July 5. Golden State (0-1) will kick things off against the Charlotte Hornets (0-1) at 6 p.m. (ET). The San Antonio Spurs (1-0) and the Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) are the middle game, while the lone matchup of undefeated teams, Miami Heat (1-0) and Sacramento Kings (0-1), ends the evening.
Golden State Warriors (0-1) vs. Charlotte Hornets
Game Time: 6 p.m. ET
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
TV: ESPN2
Odds: Charlotte Hornets -4.5;
Over/ Under: 174.5 points
Moneyline: Hornets -190; Warriors +160
The odds are from DraftKings.
Golden State Warriors
Golden State is coming off a disappointing loss to Sacramento, as they couldn’t get the necessary defensive stops down the stretch. Trailing 70-63, the Warriors scored eight of the first 10 points in the fourth quarter to get within 72-71 with eight minutes left. But the Kings responded with a 6-0 run, and the Dubs could not get closer than four the rest of the way.
Golden State and Sacramento each shot 47% from the field. While the Warriors made 14 threes, compared to nine for the Kings, the difference in the game was the foul line. The Dubs were outscored by nine at the charity stripe as they attempted 13 fewer free throws than the Kings. Golden State also committed four turnovers than Sacramento (18-14).
Lester Quinones made quite an impression against Sacramento as he is trying to earn a regular NBA contract. Quinones, who has a qualifying offer from the Warriors, spent most of this past season with the Santa Clara Warriors though he did appear in four games with the big league club. The 2022 G-League Most Improved Player led the way for the Warriors, on Monday, with 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting from the field, including 5 of 8 from the 3-point line. However, the most important stat for Quinones, known as a scorer, was that he only turned the ball over once in 27 minutes.
Golden State 2023 first-round draft pick Brandin Podziemski had a solid overall debut with 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists. However, Podziemski, who shot 4 of 9 from the field, including 1 of 3 from deep, committed a game-high four turnovers.
Brandin's debut 📼 pic.twitter.com/mvjPXCQYTo
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 4, 2023
2022 second-round selection Gui Santos, who spent all last season with Santa Clara, had a strong performance, with 19 points and five boards against Sacramento.
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte looked awful in its 98-77 setback to San Antonio on Monday night. The Hornets got down big in the early going and were never able to recover. The Hornets trailed by 21 after the first quarter and were down 28 points at halftime.
Charlotte was outshot 45.4% to 39.4%. The Spurs also made more 3-pointers (9-8) and free throws (21-17). The Hornets were dominated on the glass 51-26, including 16-6 on the offensive end.
While there wasn’t much to get excited about for the Hornets, No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller did come on late. Miller, who struggled on both ends of the floor, scored 12 of his 18 points in the final stanza. Miller finished with five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. He was 5 of 11 from the field, 3 of 7 from the 3-point line, and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line.
.@brandmillerr with some tricks up his sleeve 🤫 #HornetsSummer | @NovantHealth pic.twitter.com/F3zeLDjZkI
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) July 4, 2023
The Hornets other two draft picks, Nick Smith Jr. and Amari Bailey, also struggled mightily. Smith Jr., who was not a good shooter at Arkansas, finished with 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting against the Hornets. He also had four turnovers and three assists.
Bailey attacked the basket hard. Bailey finished with six points on 2 of 5 shooting but just 2 of 7 free throws.
Prediction
I expect the Hornets youngsters to play much better than on Day 1. However, defense is an issue for the Hornets, and the Warriors are more experienced overall. Take the points and the Warriors.
Best Bet: Warriors +4.5.
