Damian Lillard continues to impress at NBA Summer League

LAS VEGAS — Seven days in Las Vegas is a long time regardless of the occasion, but there are times that it has seemed particularly long this week as four games in a gym watching fringe NBA players play basketball can surprisingly take its toll on a guy. There are always a few moments that make it all worth it, though, and Thursday’s performance from Damian Lillard did just that.

Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers first round draft pick, has been pretty great all week … though he’s somehow slid just a bit under the radar as the game this writer’s been watching has taken place in the other gym. That all changed on Thursday in the Cox Pavilion, however, as the Weber State product didn’t disappoint with yet another impressive performance.

Portland’s new point guard entered the game averaging 26 points while shooting better than 41 percent from beyond the arc through his new team’s first two games and followed that up with an impressive 31 points and seven assists while limiting himself to just three turnovers after committing seven the game prior. It’s tough to tell how much Summer League performances matter, but Lillard’s having one heck of an exhibition season.

The rest of Thursday’s standouts are as follows:

• Thomas Robinson got the best of Jared Sullinger as the Sacramento Kings beat the Boston Celtics, but since that’s already been written about here, let’s instead single out undrafted free agent Tony Mitchell. The Alabama alumnus scored 13 points off the bench in yet another solid effort as he continues to show that he can put the ball in the bucket at this level.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in large part thanks to the play of last year’s No. 2 pick Derrick Williams, but Coby Karl’s shooting was probably the more fun aspect to watch (no offense to Derrick’s crazy drives to the bucket, of course). Karl, the son of George made six of his seven 3-point attempts en route to 18 points off the bench — and blocked a shot to boot.
• Dionte Christmas led the Boston Celtics in scoring on Thursday and, although it happened in a loss, it was a good look for him as continues to be impressive in Summer League. The most surprising part is that his shot is still falling considering the Celtics completed their eight game since last Monday after previously competing in the Orlando Summer League.
• Ed Davis continued to impress for the Toronto Raptors on Vegas as he helped his team pick up a close victory over the New York Knicks with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots while taking exactly what he was given — a facet most second-year players are struggling with here in Vegas. Aside from rookie Terrence Ross (2-for-8, five points), the whole Raptors team looked pretty good on the offensive end, but Chris Wright — formerly of the Golden State Warriors — stood out most with 15 points, six rebounds and the usual array of powerful dunks in transition.
• Tobias Harris was good once again in Vegas with 21 points and 12 rebounds against the D-League Select team, but the well-built wing turned the ball over an unsightly seven times. Tarence Kinsey, former member of the Memphis Grizzlies, scored 14 points as he attempts to return to relevance — and took a solid step toward that with a nice defensive effort in extended minutes on Thursday.
• The Los Angeles Lakers needed five games to get a win in Vegas, but at least it happened. The way it happened was quite intriguing, too, as Christian Eyenga scoring 22 points — quite a few on jump shots, no less — was not what Summer League fans expected. Julian Khazzouh wasn’t bad either as the Australian big man scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds as a pick-and-pop option alongside Robert Sacre.
• Tyler Zeller came back to earth for the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 1-for-7 shooting performance after looking much better than that earlier in the week and, not surprisingly, it led to a Cleveland loss. Not all was bad for the Cavs, though, as Tristan Thompson scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting while a reformed Samardo Samuels had 14 points and added five assists.
• It unfortunately came in a loss, but Adam Morrison was once again impressive for the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. The former third overall pick hit his usual array of difficult shots on the way to 22 points as he tries to earn his way on to an NBA roster. Terrico White was good off the bench, too, finishing the game with 10 points and four rebounds.
• The D-League Select Team fell behind early and simply couldn’t recover, though it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. Instead the team just couldn’t convert on the offensive end. Kenny Hayes (15 points) and Leo Lyons (nine points, 10 rebounds) were bright spots, but it simply was not enough.
• The Knicks’ Summer League squad hasn’t looked very good all week aside from Chris Copeland (who has already wrapped up a training camp invite) and, unfortunately, that was the case again on Thursday afternoon. Copeland, despite missing a crucial bucket late, scored a game-high 17 points while the rest of his team struggled … though new addition Sylven Landesberg was a pleasant surprise with 10 points and no turnovers after playing last season in Israel.
• Mike Scott, the second round pick of the Atlanta Hawks, led an underwhelming effort for the Atlanta Hawks as they finished up their Summer League schedule with 14 points and seven rebounds.

More action continues on Friday with seven games slated to take place. Hopefully the excitement comes in more than just small spurts.