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What we learned when the Dubs’ stellar Summer League ended with a semifinal loss Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
The Warriors won the inaugural Mitch Richmond Trophy for achieving a perfect 3-0 record in The California Classic but was seconds away from competing for a chance at a NBA Summer League championship, losing to the Miami Heat 102-99 on Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Golden State already had a 7-0 record between the Cali Classic and Las Vegas before its loss to Miami. Additionally, the Warriors had previously beaten the Heat by 39 points two weeks ago.
Former first-round pick turned veteran Kevin Knox Knox did everything he could to help Golden State win the championship in Sin City. Knox scored a game-high 31 points in 30 minutes off the bench, shooting 12-of-17 and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Knox also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
The fourth quarter was pure chaos and frustration as the Warriors were outscored 37-29 after leading by five entering the final frame.
A combination of turnovers twice as high as the Heat (16 to 8) and 23.5 percent shooting on 8-of-34 three-pointers led the Warriors to a tough loss. Pat Spencer scored 14 points for Golden State, but was a team-worst minus-11. Quinten Post in his second Summer League game scored 10 points in 15 minutes.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ summer league finals:
Knox gets hot
Summer league is all about seeing rookies in action in an NBA game for the first time, but the exhibition circuit is even more important for players like Knox. It’s a chance for veterans to prove they still belong in the league. Even former players 9th overall draft picks who will turn 25 in August.
Knox’s biggest setback has always been his lack of shooting. But in the first half on Sunday, Knox was by far the most heated player on the court. With the Warriors up by two, Knox scored 15 points off the bench in 15 minutes, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
The Warriors started the second quarter on a 10-0 run and Knox scored the first five.
And the second half continued to be Know’s spectacle. Know shot 6-of-9 overall and 2-of-5 on three-pointers. The end result was hard to swallow. Knox’s performance was revealing.
Publication 2.0
Quinten’s Mail Long awaited debut Finally, on Friday night, the idea materialized and the second-round pick impressed, scoring 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench. That earned Post a spot in the starting lineup on Sunday and the big man got off to a quiet start. Post played just seven minutes in the first half and didn’t take a single shot.
The 7-foot-10 then made his first three shots of the second half, including this big dunk.
His first missed shot was a missed three-pointer in the fourth quarter when the Warriors were down by two. He made all four of his free throws and his total score in the loss was minus-6.
Bad time for Plowden
This summer couldn’t have gone much better for Plowden, who earned a two-way contract Of the warriors for his demonstration Between Las Vegas and the California Classic. But the worst game came at the worst time.
Plowden was as cool as can be when shooting the ball. The standout player of the summer took seven shots, but missed all seven.
None of his five 3-pointers missed, nor did Plowden’s two 2-pointers. Plowden had a chance to be the hero at the end, when he fouled a 3-point attempt and the Warriors trailed by four. Plowden made his first free throw, but missed the second. He deliberately missed the third, but the Warriors couldn’t get a rebound and the result was clear.
When Plowden returns home from Las Vegas, he should hold his head high and feel proud. Now, he has more motivation after a tough last match.
