By Juan Blanco, RotoWire
Troy Williams scored 29 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a hard-fought 102-99 victory over the Denver Nuggets in the Las Vegas Summer League opener for both teams Friday at Cox Pavilion.
The Rockets (1-0) led by as many as 15 points, but the Nuggets (0-1) never stopped chasing, drawing to within six points, 77-71, at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, though, the Nuggets could never get closer than three points.
Williams was 8-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range as the Rockets shot 50 percent with four players scoring in double figures. Seven-footer Zhou Qi totaled 17 points, six rebounds and a block, while Chris Johnson finished with 12 points and eight boards. Ray McCallum, who played 41 games with the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies in 2015-16, had 11 points. Shawn Long, after an impressive rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers, added nine points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal in 16 minutes off the bench.
Houston also won the battle down low, grabbing 42 rebounds to Denver’s 36.
Malik Beasley, Denver’s 2016 first-round pick, totaled 29 points on a whopping 30 shots in 31 minutes. He made 12, shooting 40 percent, and went 3-of-12 from three-point range. Juan Hernangomez had 21 points and eight rebounds, and Robert Carter Jr. finished with 17 points and six rebounds.
The Rockets play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, and the Nuggets take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
