The Denver Nuggets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Summer League 94-83 Saturday night. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham led the way for the Wolves, as they should as second-year NBA-level players. Dillingham had 24 points and 7 rebounds, while Shannon scored 15 and had 9 assists. Joan Beringer didn’t score much with 7 points to go with 7 boards but did show off his size and athleticism and looks like a good project for the Wolves to keep their size advantage against most of the league.
Denver had a good game from two-way player Spencer Jones who had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, but the ball did not find DaRon Holmes as much as in the first Summer League game and he finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Hunter Tyson added 13 points on 14 shots and Tamar Bates and Curtis Jones combined for 23, but the Nuggets just didn’t have enough scoring punch to stay with the Wolves and Minnesota took it to Denver in transition and on the glass.
Game Recap
Holmes won the tip for Denver, and Minnesota started immediately defending like this was a real game and not the Summer League. Spencer Jones missed a runner but hit the follow, and Joan Beringer finished an oop for Minnesota the other way. Minnesota hit a 3, Spencer Jones finished in the paint the other way. Dillingham made a jumper for the Wolves, Beekman missed a paint finish for Denver and then Hunter Tyson missed his own paint attempt the next time down but the center Harrison cleaned it up for the Nuggets. Holmes grabbed a rebound and played some nice perimeter defense, and Spencer Jones hit a corner three. Holmes tried to back down Dillingham but did not get the look he wanted, while the kickout to Beekman resulted in an airball and it was 9-9 four minutes in.
Shannon his a jumper for Minny, Hunter Tyson rimmed out a 3, but the Nuggets hustled hard on defense for a full shot clock and got a rebound. Tamar Bates came in and hit a nice 18-footer off the screen, then ran out at the 3-point shooter on the other end to help force a miss. EJ Liddell buried a nice corner three, then grabbed a rebound the other way and Holmes missed another 3 for Denver. Curtis Jones came in and hit a three as the point guard, Williams got to the line for Denver and the Nuggets refused to be intimidated by the size of Minnesota inside when attacking the rack. Liddell had two transition turnovers in a row, and Harrison could not come up with a rebound. Liddell shut down Dillingham defensively but Miller made another Wolves bucket and Bates couldn’t get a bank shot to fall. Curtis Jones made a good play to try for a charge but it was changed to a block on review. Curtis Jones then got a putback for Denver in the final seconds of the quarter but the Wolves went on an 8-2 run after Holmes left the game and Denver trailed 23-20 after one.
Tamar Bates scored Denver’s first bucket of the second quarter after losing it on the way up but getting it back. Williams had a nice block after playing some good defense for Denver. Williams had another block after Harrison lost the ball again, but the Wolves made a three over Tyson and then Denver had an in-bounds turnover from Bates that turned into another Wolves 3 to make it 33-22. Bates hit a bank shot for the Nuggets but then missed a 3 after Denver forced a 24-second violation. Newton hit a Minny three before Holmes finally checked in to help Denver. Tyson dribbled the ball into the paint for an oblivious 24-second violation of his own, Newton hit another 3 over Tyson, and Holmes set a screen for Beekman to get him free for a drive to the hoop and get to the line. Shannon hit another 3 for the Timberwolves though to stretch the lead to 16 at 42-26.
Tyson blew two setups and screens from Holmes but Holmes hit a corner 3 the next time down. The Wolves ran hard on Denver though and finished at the rim then forced a turnover. Beekman almost turned it over again but found Holmes for a dunk. Denver trapped Dillingham but Shannon hit another 3 anyway as Denver could not defend Minny’s scorers. Spencer Jones had a baseline dunk in response and then Liddell had a nice defensive play to force an out-of-bounds. Holmes took defenders with him to free up Tyson for an open 3 that he made, but the next time Tyson had his shot blocked and the Wolves kept cutting up Denver to balloon the lead back to 16. Spencer Jones missed a corner 3, Liddell got a turnover but overthrew Tyson in transition, and the effort from Minnesota paid more dividends than the hustle from Denver as the Nuggets trailed 52-38 at half.
Miller opened the second-half scoring for Minnesota off a Dillingham assist, the Denver center Harrison scored around Beringer then forced Beringer to foul him the next time down. Tyson blew a finish and then Denver couldn’t capitalize on an out of bounds, but Spencer Jones did get a dunk finish after Holmes rebounded a missed Minnesota free throw. Tyson missed a three then got blocked by Beringer, and Minnesota finished the other way. Tyson hit a 3, but the Nuggets couldn’t get anything going and having just one point guard in Beekman who could set anyone up was not helping. Edwards was hugging Holmes and Holmes was whistled for the offensive foul, but after review it was changed to Edwards. Tyson hit a free throw and Bates made a runner but it was still a 14-point deficit at 65-51. Liddell fought past Shannon for a rebound, forcing a foul. After a mess of a possession, Bates finished through contact for Denver and finished a traditional 3-point play. Williams had a nice finish through some grabbing from the Wolves, and Bates passed to Harrison to cut the deficit to 10. Incredible effort from Dillingham on a save thrown down court and saved again, but it went to waste as Liddell missed a 3. Curtis Jones buried a last-minute 3 and Williams barely missed a hustle buzzer finish to leave it at 70-61 going into the 4th.
Harrison had a basket at the bucket to open the 4th, answered by Dillingham in back-to-back pullups. Liddell missed a shot then had a transition turnover, and the Wolves had a 7-0 run to take a double-digit lead again. Tyson hit a pull-up, while Spencer Jones came back in and immediately hit another 3 after a Holmes rebound. Clark hit a 3 for Minnesota over Holmes, while Holmes had his corner 3 rim out. Tyson had a charge where he missed an open Holmes near the bucket. Holmes had a rebound and then buried a 3, Tamar Bates missed one and Denver still trailed by 12. Spencer Jones got beat by Shannon for a monster dunk that made it 15, and then Denver turned the ball over again. Newton hit a 3 for Minnesota to make the lead 16 and that was all she wrote despite a couple of garbage time buckets from Tyson. Final score 94-83.
Final Thoughts
– It’s not great that Hunter Tyson looks like just another guy in his third Summer League. It’s not a forum that determines your NBA worth, but the Wolves had second year guys in Shannon and Dillingham who looked clearly better than the rest of the guys out there. Tyson by comparison just blended in with the guys on E-10 contracts. He had a nice 3 and hustled again but Shannon was scoring over and around him unfortunately. Spencer Jones looked cleaner on both ends as a wing player, honestly, with the explosiveness that Hunter simply doesn’t possess. Jones can guard, rebound in traffic, finish with dunks and even hit an open 3. There’s a role for Jones that I can see being filled during the season, but I don’t know what Tyson is going to be able to do against any team with size if he can’t conquer the Summer League Wolves.
– Holmes got to face some real size in his second Summer League game. This is what I wanted to see from him, since he is not the biggest paint player, and after adjusting early he got into his game. He set screens, cleared out defenders for a Tyson 3, and defended well on the perimeter. Denver was down 12 at halftime but they lost the Holmes minutes by 5 when he was not exactly featured in the offense. These are all learning experiences for him, and by passing up some opportunities to dive on the floor despite playing hard he showed he knew the point: learn things and get out of Vegas healthy. I applaud that kind of acumen.
– The last pieces of the roster likely aren’t on this particular Summer League squad. Dillingham had some nice defense and showed a great motor with hustle, while Liddell had a couple of opportunities, but nobody is seizing that last two-way role yet. The Nuggets may be looking outside their Summer League squad for that. Curtis Jones showed his range, but the Wolves proved the kind of size problem he could have in the NBA early on. He may be someone who has to get a two-way after getting some shine in the G League, and I hope Denver can keep him for that. But to help this year in an emergency? That last two-way spot is probably not being filled internally. Still great to see how many of the roster players showed up in Vegas to support the Summer League guys though!
