Juan Blanco, RotoWire
Promising second-year guard Yogi Ferrell poured in a game-high 23 points to propel the Dallas Mavericks to an 78-73 win over the Miami Heat in Las Vegas Summer League action Tuesday at Cox Pavilion.
A tightly contested first quarter that concluded with the Heat (2-1) ahead 19-18 set the tone for a back-and-forth affair that ultimately featured nine ties and 12 lead changes. The Mavericks (3-0) were especially effective in a 23-point third quarter, which allowed them to create modest separation after a 31-31 deadlock at halftime. Both clubs were relatively even across the stat sheet, except for Miami allowing seven more (17) turnovers than Dallas (10).
Ferrell added four rebounds, one assist and one steal to his aforementioned scoring haul. First-round pick Dennis Smith, Jr. tallied 16 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals. Brandon Ashley followed with nine points, six boards, two blocks and a steal. Nicolas Brussino, who saw action in 54 games in his rookie season, was next with eight points, five rebounds and two steals. Johnathan Motley matched Brussino’s scoring total while leading the bench, adding six boards and an assist.
Undrafted guard Gian Clavell paced Miami with 18 points and three rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Okaro White continued his stellar summer with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included two steals. First-round pick Bam Adebayo posted 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block, while Trey McKinney-Jones registered seven points, six rebounds and three assists.
Both teams now await the final seeding for the first round of the Vegas Summer League playoffs, which get underway Wednesday.
