Former Duke star Cook-ing in Las Vegas NBA Summer League

Quinn Cook has scored 20 or more points in each of his last three games, including 26 on Wednesday to help the New Orleans Pelicans advance in the tournament

NBA.com photo | NBA.com photo
Former Wake Forest star John Collins averaged nearly a double-double in five NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas

The New Orleans Pelicans went winless during the three-game pool play portion of the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League this week. Thanks to Quinn Cook, though, the Pelicans are advancing into the second round of the tournament’s knockout round. The former Duke star went 11 of 16 from the floor, made both his 3-pointers and led both teams with 26 points Wednesday to lead New Orleans to a 105-95 win against the Atlanta Hawks. He also added seven assists and five rebounds in helping his team advance to a second-round matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. Cook, the captain of the Blue Devils’ 2015 national championship team, has scored 20 or more points in each of his last three games in Vegas. Wake Forest’s John Collins also had an impressive performance in the game, scoring 25 points and pulling down nine rebounds in a losing effort for the Hawks. The recent first round draft choice completed a successful week, in which he averaged a double-double while showing NBA-ready skills on both ends of the court. Veteran Ryan Kelly of Duke, auditioning to earn a spot on a team for the regular season, had 11 points and four rebounds for Atlanta. Also Wednesday the Minnesota Timberwolves and their four North Carolina college players were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors 77-69. The result was a reversal of their pool play meeting one night earlier, when NC State’s C.J. Williams hit the winning basket in double overtime. Williams had another big game in the rematch, scoring 19 points and pulling down four rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for the win this time. UNC’s Marcus Paige had eight points and six assists for the Timberwolves, while Davidson’s Jack Gibbs scored 12 points and Duke’s Amile Jefferson chipped in with three points and four rebounds. Campbell’s Eric Griffin left a positive final impression in his effort to earn a spot on an NBA roster by recording 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and four blocked shots for the Utah Jazz in its 97-81 loss to the Phoenix Suns. First round pick Tony Bradley of UNC, however, struggled in his final two games after posting two strong performances to start the Vegas event. He was held to just four points Wednesday, although he did grab eight rebounds and block a shot. In the only other first round knockout game involving a player with state college ties Wednesday, the Sacramento Kings advanced to a second-round matchup against Dallas with a 69-65 win against the Milwaukee Bucks despite a 2-14 (0-5) shooting performance from UNC’s Justin Jackson. Last year’s ACC Player of the Year scored eight points in the game to go along with five rebounds and five assists. Here are the cumulative stats for all state players participating in Las Vegas:Brandon Ingram, Duke (Lakers): 1 game, 26.0 ppg, 9-17 FG, 1-4 3PT, 7-8 FT, 3.0 apg, 3.0 spgQuinn Cook, Duke (Pelicans): 4 G, 21.8 ppg, 37-61 FG, 6-12 3PT, 7-8 FT, 4.0 rpg, 4.3 apgDennis Smith, NC State (Mavs) 3 G, 18.3 ppg, 17-36 FG, 5-14 3PT, 16-22 FT, 6.0 rpg, 5.0 apgJayson Tatum, Duke (Celtics): 3 G, 17.7 ppg, 19-45 FG, 2-3 3PT, 13-15 FT, 8.0 rpgJohn Collins, Wake Forest (Hawks): 4 G, 17.5 ppg, 29-45 FG, 1-1 3PT, 12-16 FT, 10.3 rpgMarcus Paige, UNC (T-wolves): 3 G, 14.3 ppg, 15-39 FG, 8-20 3PT, 5-5 FT, 2.3 rpg, 4.7 apgBrice Johnson, UNC (Clippers): 3 G, 14.0 ppg, 16-28 FG, 10-13 FT, 5.0 rpg, 1.7 bpgKennedy Meeks, UNC (Raptors): 2 G, 13.5 ppg, 12-20 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-4 FT, 6.5 rpgJustin Jackson, UNC (Kings): 4 G, 11.5 ppg, 18-54 FG, 4-22 3PT, 6-7 FT, 4.0 rpg, 1.8 apgC.J. Williams, NC State (T-wolves): 4 G, 11.3 ppg, 15-38 FG, 4-18 3PT, 11-14 FT, 3.3 rpgRyan Kelly Duke (Hawks): 3 G, 10.7 ppg, 9-28 FG, 3-12 3PT, 11-13 FT, 4.0 rpgEric Griffin, Campbell (Jazz): 3 G, 10.7 ppg, 11-25 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-9 FT, 7.0 rpg, 4.0 bpgJack Gibbs, Davidson (T-wolves): 4 G, 9.8 ppg, 15-40 FG, 7-20 3PT, 2-4 FT, 2.3 apgTony Bradley, UNC (Jazz): 4 G, 8.5 ppg, 17-38 FG, 6.3 rpg, 1.0 bpgMatt Jones, Duke (Rockets): 1 G, 7.0 ppg, 1-4 FG, 1-3 3PT, 4-5 FT, 2.0 rpgIsaiah Hicks, UNC (Clippers): 3 G, 6.3 ppg, 7-11 FG, 5-8 FT, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 bpgKendall Marshall, UNC (Clippers): 2 G, 5.5 ppg, 2-5 FG, 1-1 3PT, 6-7 FT, 1.5 rpg, 8.0 apgAmile Jefferson, Duke (T-wolves): 3 G, 2.8 ppg, 4-10 FG, 3-6 FT, 3.8 rpg, 1.0 spgJ.P. Tokoto, UNC (Jazz): 2 G, 2.5 ppg, 2-9 FG, 1-6 3PT, 2.0 rpgNate Britt, UNC (Hawks): 2 G, 1.5 ppg, 1-4 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, 1.5 apgScott Wood, NC State (Celtics): 2 G, 0.0 ppg, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT