2018 NBA Summer League - Milwaukee Bucks vs. San Antonio Spurs Recap

It finally happened. The magical Summer League two win plateau has been met courtesy of a 83-75 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs. In the first time Milwaukee Bucks fans were able to see Donte DiVincenzo don the Summer threads, it was a relatively underwhelming performance by the Big Ragu with 0 points on 0-3 shooting, two assists, two steals and a turnover. Unfortunately, he was shut down after one half of play as a precautionary measure following his 11 minutes of playing time. Christian Wood showed out with 26 points and 15 rebounds while D.J. Wilson had a solid outing at 19 points and 10 rebounds. Sterling Brown managed 13 points on just 5/18 shooting.

While Donte’s presence on the court didn’t lead to any scoring prowess, Milwaukee still managed to claim a 18-13 lead following the first quarter. Heading into halftime, the Bucks managed to pull ahead 46-38 after a spurt as the half ended, with two corner threes knocked down in quick succession. A relatively staid third quarter finished after 15 whopping points by the Bucks, as they entered the fourth up 63-58. Milwaukee gave up the lead for the first time in the game’s waning moments, but D.J. Wilson was able to bank in a close shot from the block to tie the game at 75 with 11 seconds to go. In overtime, Milwaukee managed an 8-0 period and won out to advance on and face the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Bonus Bucks Bits

Mark it in the books, Donte’s first shot as a Buck was a scoop layup that was just a bit too hard off the rim.

Mark this in the books too, D.J. Wilson officially feels confident enough to swagger in front of the Spurs bench after nailing a three. Please note his prior shot was a horrifically errant 3-pointer. At least he came back after the commercial break for a rare slam.

I doubt he’ll be able to really trot this type of play out against the superior athletes in the NBA, but Wood’s single rip-through move where he then tears his way to the basket for a slam has been by far my favorite Summer League play.

One of the things I did like from the brief Donte highlights I watched was his willingness and savvy when making quick passes in transition. He did so tonight after a steal where he flipped the ball up between a few defenders for what led to an eventual Wilson slam. His passing acumen was certainly the part of his game that popped the most tonight, particularly when his out of control drive still turned into something positive.

Christian Wood remained the persistent force he’s been all Summer League in the first half, tormenting San Antonio with eight rebounds and punishing their less athletic frontline.

Sterling Brown just couldn’t find his rhythm in tonight’s tilt. He looked a step slow trying to guard Lonnie Walker occasionally off the dribble, and his 5/18 performance from the field speaks for itself. He’d been nailing plenty of tough midrange pull-ups, so I wasn’t too surprised he was eventually due for a clunker.

I’m pretty sure Summer League OT is what they put on the screen at the end of The Clockwork Orange, but at least it came off a clutch moment from the decisively not clutch D.J. Wilson.