Can Andre Jackson Jr. and company shut down Cleveland and the red-hot Nae’Qwan Tomlin?
The 1-0 Milwaukee Bucks will square up against the 0-1 Cleveland Cavaliers this afternoon for game two of the Summer League experience. For Milwaukee, today will be about continuing momentum, while Cleveland will be looking to find some.
Where We’re At
The Bucks will still be riding the high from Thursday night’s exciting victory against Denver. They went on a 12-4 comeback run in the final three minutes before two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea drained a game-winning triple at the buzzer. Undrafted wing Cormac Ryan and recently waived 2023 draftee Chris Livingston were the standouts on Thursday. Both guys scored a game-high 18 points in the win. On the other end of the vibes scale, Andre Jackson Jr., Tyler Smith, and Bogoljub Markovic were all underwhelming, so hopefully they can find a groove today.
Cleveland’s first game of Summer League, which was against the Indiana Pacers, was essentially the opposite of Milwaukee’s. The Cavs were in control, up ten points with less than three minutes remaining, but then fell apart, let up a comeback, and fumbled the win on the final possession. With ten seconds remaining, Cleveland’s Norchad Omier scored a putback layup to put his team up one, but then Indiana’s Enrique Freeman was fouled on a leakout and nailed a pair of free throws that ended up sealing the deal. That’s almost eerily similar to the late-game rally the Bucks pulled off, as Denver’s EJ Liddell threw down a putback dunk that felt like a dagger before Bouyea called game. Despite the loss, the Cavaliers got encouraging production from two of their young forwards on Thursday. Two-way contract man Nae’Qwan Tomlin poured in 30 points on 12/16 shooting, and 2024 first-round pick Jaylon Tyson added 20 points and 12 assists.
Injury Report
As reported by Eric Nehm, Milwaukee’s Mark Sears missed Summer League opening night with a calf strain. Cleveland’s Craig Porter Jr. left six minutes into Thursday’s game with a hamstring injury and did not return. There are no official injury reports for Summer League, so we’ll find out closer to game time if those two are playing or not.
Player To Watch
The pressure is on for Andre Jackson Jr. He scored just six points, attempted only two shots, and turned it over three times against Denver. That performance falls well below the expectations for a third-year player who has real NBA rotation minutes under his belt. If he doesn’t pick things up, whispers about him being traded or cut will start to get louder. Even if he doesn’t fill up the scoring column today, he’ll have an opportunity to make his presence felt on defense, as he’ll likely match up against one of Cleveland’s stars from game one: Tomlin or Tyson.
How To Watch
FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and NBA TV at 2:30 p.m. CDT.
Playback Streaming
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