Former Duke stars finish strong in NBA Orlando, Utah summer leagues

Luke Kennard did everything he could to lead his Detroit Pistons team to the NBA Orlando Summer League championship. The former Duke star scored 24 points, highlighted by a long 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds remaining in overtime to tie Thursday’s title game against the Dallas Mavericks. But even that effort wasn’t enough, as undrafted free agent Johnathan Motley of Baylor answered back with the game-winner that gave the Mavericks an 83-81 victory. Even in defeat, Kennard’s best performance of week-long tournament capped a strong professional debut in which he averaged 17.2 points in five games while shooting 48 percent from 3-point range. Kennard’s Detroit teammate Lorenzo Brown of NC State added eight points in 14 minutes. Another former Wolfpack point guard, Cat Barber, was a member of the Mavericks’ unbeaten summer team. He was held scoreless with two assists, but missed the entire second half after suffering an injury while taking a charge late in the second period. Elsewhere on the final day of the Orlando event, Duke’s Marshall Plumlee contributed nine points and three rebounds to the New York Knicks’ 91-72 victory against the Miami Heat. Thursday was also the final day of the NBA’s Salt Lake City Summer League, with the Utah Jazz rallying from an eight-point deficit after three quarters to beat the Boston Celtics 68-65 and finish unbeaten. First round draft pick Tony Bradley of North Carolina finished with eight points and four rebounds for the winning Jazz. Campbell’s Eric Griffin also scored eight points while another former Tar Heel, veteran free agent J.P. Tokoto, scored three points in the victory. Duke’s Jayson Tatum, the third overall selection in last week’s NBA draft, posted his second double-double in three summer games for the Celtics with 12 points and 12 rebounds. NC State’s Scott Wood had two points in a losing effort. Wilmington native Kadeem Allen, who played his college ball at Arizona, added four points, three steals and two assists. The NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League begins play on Friday. Here are the final cumulative stats for all state players participating in Orlando:Luke Kennard, Duke (Detroit): 5 games, 17.2 ppg, 33-71 FG, 11-23 3PT, 9-9 FT, 4.2 rpg, 2.4 apgCat Barber, NCS (Dallas): 5 G, 10.3 ppg, 14-31 FG, 3-4 3PT, 10-18 FT, 2.4 rpg, 2.3 apgMarshall Plumlee, Duke (NYK): 5 G, 8.4 ppg, 16-30 FG, 10-12 FT, 6.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 bpgMarcus Paige, UNC (OKC): 3 G, 8.2 ppg, 7-20 FG, 5-10 3PT, 6-8 FT, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apgLorenzo Brown, NCS (Detroit): 5 G, 7.8 ppg, 16-32 FG, 1-5 3PT, 6-10 FT, 4.0 rpg, 2.4 apg Here are the final cumulative stats for all state players participating in Salt Lake City:Jayson Tatum, Duke (Boston): 3 G, 22.0 ppg, 18-35 FG, 2-8 3PT, 6-7 FT, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 3.0 spgEric Griffin, Campbell (Utah): 3 G, 8.7 ppg, 10-18 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-6 FT, 6.0 rpgTony Bradley, UNC (Utah): 3 G, 8.0 ppg, 11-23 FG, 2-4 FT, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 bpgJ.P. Tokoto, UNC (Utah): 2 G, 4.5 ppg, 3-6 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apgScott Wood, NCS (Boston): 2 G, 4.0, 3-5 FG, 2-4 3PT, 1.0 apg