Riley Minix was the hero against the Jazz (Photo via X)
In a game of runs, Riley Minix and the San Antonio Spurs got the last laugh against the Utah Jazz. Minix’s turnaround baseline jumper as time expired in overtime gave the Spurs a 93-91 victory. With the win, the good guys improved to 3-0 in Las Vegas.
The Spurs stumbled out of the gates and were down double-digits just a few minutes into the game. After catching all the way back up, San Antonio’s offense got stuck in the mud in the third quarter and the Spurs again found themselves down double-digits.
After rallying, the Spurs held a healthy lead in the fourth quarter — before almost fumbling the game away. A Dylan Harper layup forced overtime and then Minix’s heroics sealed the win.
Stats: Spurs vs. Jazz
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Spurs vs. Jazz – Final Grades
Dylan Harper
It was a tough night for Harper. In his summer league debut, he didn’t force anything. Tonight, he forced the action too much and, as a result, the offense stalled when he was in the game. His playmaking was missing in action, he turned the ball over five times in 25 minutes and he generally just didn’t play a team-centric style of basketball. Still working his way back into shape, his ball-handling suffered at times due to a lack of burst. Defensively, Harper wasn’t much better. His individual defense wasn’t bad but he got lost help-wise far too often. The good news is that Harper didn’t let his early struggles impact him the entire game. He hit some key shots during money time and remained composed no matter what was happening around him. It’s impossible to escape the fact that Harper was pretty darn bad this evening — but I liked how he battled through the adversity.
Grade: D
Carter Bryant
Offensively, Bryant had a pair of dunks that showed off his athleticism. Unfortunately, he didn’t make a shot from the perimeter — and none of his attempts appeared to be particularly close. His aggression level was higher but it appeared as if the misses started weighing on him as the game progressed. Defensively, Bryant’s highlight reel wasn’t as heartwarming as usual, though he still made more than his share of plays — including a few clutch defensive plays that helped secure the W.
Grade: C
Harrison Ingram
Ingram clearly had his best game of summer league thus far. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that he was the most important cog in the wheel tonight. Ingram’s passing remains excellent; his combination of court vision and timing is very impressive for a forward. His rebounding against the Jazz was vitally important. He could be counted on to rip down any contested board in his area. Ingram also went 3-for-6 from three-point land, which helped keep the defense honest and provide momentum-shifting moments. His team-defense was really good but he did struggle in one-on-one situations. Ingram looked to be too slow to defend Utah’s speedy guards and too small to guard their bigs. But, overall, this was a big step in the right direction for the 2024 second round pick.
Grade: A-
Riley Minix
Minix’s night will be remembered for his game-winning 20-foot fadeaway. And rightfully so. Looking at the bigger picture, he had his struggles on the defensive end — particularly against quickness. He missed a few shots inside that he should have made. But he did have some good moments when helping on defense, he exhibited toughness throughout and he played a smart brand of basketball on offense.
Grade: B
Ibrahima Diallo
Diallo started at center but only played five minutes. To his credit, he took advantage of that miniscule amount of playing time by securing six rebounds and blocking a shot. But more important than anything else he did was sink a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter to help force overtime. Those were big freebies for a seven-footer with iffy form. Well done.
Grade: B+
David Jones-Garcia
Jones-Garcia has been a scoring machine in summer league and it continued Monday night. In 28 minutes off the bench, he poured in an efficient 28 points. He was 5-for-8 on two-pointers, 5-for-11 on three-pointers and 3-for-3 at the free throw line. Jones-Garcia’s offense was especially needed tonight because the starters struggled to do anything coherent on that end of the court. His ability to be a one-man wrecking crew was game-saving. Passing-wise, Jones-Garcia had his moments but also struggled at times to make the right decision. All in all, though, he competed with gusto in all areas of the game and that should be applauded.
Grade: A-
Dexter Dennis
Dennis continues to be a quiet but dependable force for good. He connected on his first three three-point attempts, including an early pair that helped San Antonio’s anemic offensive attack get going. Dennis also played conscientious defense, hustled all around the court and performed with enthusiasm.
Grade: B+
Osayi Osifo
Osifo was a bit muted compared to previous summer league showings but he still helped out by crashing the boards and protecting the rim. His running of the court, as we’ve come to expect, was very good. Osifo had some adventures when trying to dribble the ball — but it wasn’t all bad.
Grade: B
Kyle Mangas
I’m not sure who he is related to but it’s pretty amazing that he was granted 15 minutes tonight. Mangas was 0-for-5 from three-point land and didn’t do much else of note.
Grade: D
Jameer Nelson, Jr.
Nelson provided a jolt of excitement when he entered the game but he only played five minutes.
Grade: Inc.
Chibuzo Agbo
We only saw three minutes of Agbo but it was enough to state with confidence that his ball-handling against pressure needs quite a bit of work.
Grade: Inc.
Mike Noyes
Noyes coached well. He responded to a listless group of starters by finding a group that would put in the work. (He actually had to do that a few times during the game.) Mangas getting so many minutes this summer league is something I can’t understand. The rest of the rotation was fine. I especially liked Noyes’ playcalling out of timeouts and that he helped keep Harper and Bryant engaged throughout their struggles.
Grade: B+