A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2021
SPORTS
Former Duck star Pritchard among
standouts at NBA Summer League
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Sounders score 4
straight goals to
beat Timbers, 6-2
By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer
Payton Pritchard arrived
at the NBA Summer League
in Las Vegas looking to take
advantage of the opportunity
to show he deserves major
minutes this upcoming season
with the Boston Celtics.
Mission accomplished.
The second-year point guard
was one of the biggest stars
in Las Vegas before leaving
the team due to a prior family
engagement. He averaged
20.3 points, 8.7 assists and 5.7
rebounds in three games while
helping the unbeaten Celtics
reach Tuesday night’s cham-
pionship game against the
Sacramento Kings (4-0).
That’s good news for Boston,
which parted ways with
Kemba Walker this offseason.
Pritchard may be in line for a
more prominent role in Bos-
ton’s backcourt that includes
Marcus Smart at point guard.
Pritchard shot 57.7%
from 3-point range and his
1.38 points per possession
ranks fi rst among all Sum-
mer League players. He also
protected the basketball well,
averaging 1.3 turnovers per
game.
And while he won’t play in
the title game, Pritchard gave
the Celtics something to think
about before leaving.
“That is what separates
good point guards from great
ones — the ability to make
people around you better and
get people shots and just being
able to control the game,” said
Pritchard, who averaged 7.7
points and 1.8 assists last year
in 66 games for the Celtics.
“That is what I’m trying to
become and I’m going to keep
working on that.”
The Kings reached the
championship game behind a
balanced scoring attack and a
consistently strong defense ig-
nited by fi rst-round draft pick
Davion Mitchell. His numbers
By EDWARD ELSTON
Associated Press
Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free-TNS
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart fi ghts for a rebound against Boston Celtics
forward Grant Williams (12) and guard Payton Pritchard (11) during the fi rst quarter at
Little Caesars Arena, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.
are eye-popping, but there’s
no denying what he brings on
defense.
Mitchell earned the nick-
name “Off Night” while helping
Baylor to an NCAA national
championship last season — as
in, whoever he’s guarding is
going to have an off night.
“That’s his bread and butter,
the way he attacks the game,
the way he defends it,” said
Kings Summer League head
coach Bobby Jackson. “He’s
a really really great on-ball
defender. He has to get better
off the ball and we’ve talked
about it. But he sets the tone
at the top of the key offensively
and defensively for us.”
Here are some of the other
Summer League standouts:
• Cam Thomas, Nets:
Thomas is leading the NBA
Summer League in scoring,
averaging 27 points per game
while probably making some
NBA general managers wish
they hadn’t passed on draft-
ing him. The 27th overall pick
in 2021 had a 31-point night
that included a game-winning
3-pointer in sudden death
double overtime Thursday
followed by a 36-point per-
formance Sunday. The LSU
product is shooting 36% from
3-point range.
• Cade Cunningham,
Pistons: The No. 1 overall pick
in the NBA draft hasn’t disap-
pointed, averaging 18.7 points
and 5.7 rebounds per game.
There are surely some Detroit
fans who’d like to see him with
the ball in hands more often
than what they’ve seen this
summer given his passing abil-
ity. But he’ll need to cut down
on his turnovers (4 per game)
moving forward.
• Paul Reed, 76ers: The
76ers already have an All-Star
center in Joel Embiid, but G
League MVP Paul Reed could
bring some quality depth
to Philly. Check out Reed’s
numbers in an overtime loss
Sunday night to the Timber-
wolves: 27 points, 20 rebounds,
four assists, four steals and
four blocks. Reed is averaging
17.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and
2.5 blocks per game in Las
Vegas.
• Immanuel Quickley,
Knicks: Like Pritchard,
Quickly is another second-
year point guard who appears
to have taken a major step
forward in his game, averaging
21.8 points and eight assists
per game. He’s only shooting
25% from 3-point range, but
the 2020 fi rst-round draft pick
has shown promise that he
could really begin to emerge in
his second season.
PORTLAND — Raul Ruidiaz scored the go-ahead goal
directly off a free kick and the Seattle Sounders went on
to beat the rival Portland Timbers 6-2 in a Cascadia Cup
match Sunday night, Aug. 15.
Ruidiaz and Fredy Montero each scored twice.
“Six goals is unbelievable. You’re not going to lose many
games when you score six goals,” said Seattle goalkeeper
Stefan Cleveland, who made seven saves.
With the win, the Sounders (10-3-6) moved into second
in the Western Conference behind Sporting Kansas City.
Seattle has conceded just 16 goals this season, fewest in
the league.
It was the fi rst time that the Timbers (7-9-2) had al-
lowed six goals at home during the regular season.
“Portland put us under pressure in moments, but the
class of our team, the quality of our team showed through
tonight to get us a victory and three points,” Sounders
coach Brian Schmetzer said.
The game’s starting time was pushed back two hours
Wednesday because of expected excessive heat, with the
temperature Sunday reaching the mid-90s.
The match marked the return of the Cascadia Cup, the
three-way competition between the Sounders, Timbers
and Vancouver Whitecaps. The supporter-created award,
decided on points from head-to-head matchups, was
suspended last season because the coronavirus prevented
capacity crowds from attending matches.
Seattle was coming off a 3-0 victory over Tigres UANL
in a Leagues Cup quarterfi nal match on Wednesday night.
But the Sounders were winless in their previous three
MLS matches.
The Sounders struck early in the 13th minute with a
second-chance fi nish from Colombian forward Montero,
his fi fth goal of the season.
Montero scored his second goal in the 29th minute, giv-
ing the Sounders a 2-0 lead. It was Montero’s ninth career
goal against the Timbers, matching Clint Dempsey’s
record against the rival club.
Sebastian Blanco scored in the 32nd minute for the
Timbers after making his fi rst start for the club since suf-
fering an ACL injury last year.
The Timbers tied it early in the second half when
George Fochive scored his fi rst career MLS goal in the
52nd minute.
The Sounders were quick to respond with a 55th-min-
ute goal off a free kick from Ruidiaz. He scored again in
the 72nd, giving him a league-leading 13 goals.
“It’s not just how many goals he scores, it’s when he
scores them,” Schmetzer said. “He’s a showman and he
pulls out the highlight-reel goals on a week-to-week basis.”
NFL PRESEASON
Lance debuts at QB for 49ers
ready, when I think the team seems ready. We’ll
continue to mix them in there. But I don’t plan
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Trey Lance’s up-
on just doing that completely. ... I wish I could
and-down debut performance in the preseason help him out there longer. I know he enjoys
has done little to alter the timeline the San
playing. He’s only been able to play one game in
Francisco 49ers have for when their rookie
over a year. But I think it was good for him to
quarterback will get more time with the fi rst
get out. I think he started out good, got a little
team in practice and possibly take over as
excited sometimes which he does. And you get
starter.
a little excited, some of your technique and
Lance had a few dazzling plays on Saturday stuff you lose which will be fun to watch with
night, Aug. 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs him.”
highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown pass to
Lance threw the 80-yard TD pass on the
Trent Sherfi eld but also showed some signs of fi rst play of his second drive, making a half roll
inexperience with some off-target throws and
to his left, stopping and throwing back across
inability to avoid sacks.
the fi eld to Sherfi eld. The Niners got a fi eld goal
So as the Niners head into the week of their on their next drive and then came up empty
second preseason game following two joint
on the fi nal fi ve possessions with Lance in the
practices against the Los Angeles Chargers, the game, getting just two fi rst downs on those
pecking order at quarterback remains Jimmy drives.
Garoppolo as starter with Lance mixing in just
Lance fi nished 5 for 14 for 128 yards. He was
occasionally with the fi rst team.
hurt by three dropped passes by his receivers
“I haven’t really defi ned that for myself ei-
but also nearly threw two interceptions and re-
ther,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday about covered his own fumble on one of his four sacks.
what Lance needs to show to get more time in
The Niners invested heavily in Lance, trad-
practice with the starters.
ing three fi rst-round picks to get up to No. 3 in
“When I think it feels right, when he seems the draft.
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
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