Harper's Spurs top Flagg's Mavs at summer league

LAS VEGAS -- The apical 2 picks of the 2025 NBA Draft faced disconnected Saturday successful the NBA Summer League, and flashed an enticing presumption of what mightiness beryllium connected the skyline adjacent play during the San Antonio Spurs' 76-69 win implicit the Dallas Mavericks.

No. 1 prime Cooper Flagg racked up a game-high 31 points connected 10-of-21 shooting connected an day that besides featured aggregate highlight-reel dunks. No. 2 enactment Dylan Harper scored 16 points successful conscionable 20 minutes successful his summertime league debut aft missing each of San Antonio's erstwhile matchups owed to a insignificant groin injury.

"[There's] not a amended clip to travel backmost [than] successful a crippled similar this and a assemblage arsenic electrifying arsenic this," Harper said. "He had a bully game. I had a bully game. We benignant of conscionable showed the NBA satellite what we're about."

Performing earlier a packed location astatine Thomas & Mack Center that included existent players and erstwhile NBA stars arsenic good arsenic celebrities specified arsenic comedian Cedric the Entertainer and histrion Jason Sudeikis, Harper poured successful the archetypal points of the crippled 45 seconds into the enactment connected a thrust to the basket. Both Flagg and Harper started slow, each hitting lone 1 of 4 successful the archetypal 4th arsenic San Antonio built a 21-11 lead.

But the assemblage roseate to its feet erstwhile the apical picks matched up one-on-one with 4.1 seconds near successful the archetypal quarter. Harper missed a 24-foot stepback jumper astatine the extremity of that series with Flagg defending.

Offensively, Flagg struggled astatine times erstwhile guarded by Spurs helping Carter Bryant (the No. 14 prime of the 2025 NBA Draft), who is wide projected to make into 1 of San Antonio's apical antiaircraft stoppers. Flagg inactive managed to gain respective trips to the foul line, wherever helium changeable 8 of 13.

"I deliberation it's a caller environment, caller setting," Flagg said. "They privation to spot maine beryllium assertive and bash that benignant of stuff. I deliberation I did that a batch amended today, conscionable getting to the line, getting fouled, and that helped maine to get comfy and get settled successful early. Still missed a clump of escaped throws. I cognize my ma astir apt wasn't precise blessed with that."

Flagg would nutrient his astir memorable series implicit the past 30.3 seconds of the 3rd quarter. Flagg bushed full-court unit for a driving layup to propulsion Dallas to wrong 10 points (57-47). Then, helium drove for a thunderous dunk implicit San Antonio's Riley Minnix, earlier swatting distant Minnix's halfcourt heave astatine the buzzer.

"He conscionable continues to marque the close plays," Mavericks summertime league manager Josh Broghamer said. "Whether it's a thrust by [on] the feline pressuring him oregon we were utilizing him a small spot much arsenic a roller and disconnected the shot a mates of times conscionable to get him immoderate easier catches truthful helium wasn't moving truthful hard to bring the shot up the floor, helium conscionable continues to marque the close plays, which is ever large to see."

One of Harper's astir eye-popping moments came with 1:04 near successful the 2nd quarter, erstwhile helium swooped successful for a high-flying artifact astatine the handbasket connected Ryan Nembhard. The play jolted Spurs teammates Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson from their courtside seats arsenic the Thomas & Mack Center assemblage roared.

"[Harper] was great, and you felt his impact," Spurs summertime league manager Mike Noyes said. "The stints were a small spot abbreviated helium would say. He hasn't played a crippled successful a agelong time. So, we tried to negociate that properly. When helium was retired there, helium was playing hard, making the close play."

Harper concluded the 2nd 4th with an and-1 decorativeness connected a 10-foot floater with Flagg guarding. Harper connected connected the ensuing escaped propulsion to springiness San Antonio a 33-32 pb astatine intermission.

Harper finished with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block, portion Flagg logged 4 rebounds, an assistance and a block.

"We're going to play them a batch this year," Harper said of Flagg and the Mavericks. "So, the aboriginal battles are going to beryllium great. One happening that we've some got, we're conscionable competitors. We're going to spell retired and compete."