The first day of the NBA Summer League saw two former Gonzaga teammates face off at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Drew Timme’s Milwaukee Bucks defeated Julian Strawther’s Denver Nuggets 92-85 on Friday.
Timme, who signed with Milwaukee as an undrafted free agent, registered seven points on 3 of 4 shooting in 13 minutes off the bench. While two of his buckets came inside the key, he also nailed his only 3-point attempt.
“I love to watch Drew play, man,” said Bucks teammate Andre Jackson Jr., the 36th overall pick in last month’s draft. “He brings a different kind of vibe to the team and he’s really kind of calm and he knows the game and he plays the game really smart. He’s really smart, he can make plays, he can score the ball and he’s always in the right spot.”
Strawther delivered 15 points, two steals and a rebound in 26 minutes of action. The 29th overall pick shot 4-for-11 from the field, 3-for-9 from deep and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line.
“I think just being an older player, playing at Gonzaga, playing in a lot of big games, I don’t think anything like this shocks him,” said Nuggets Summer League coach John Beckett. “Came out there and he played really well, he played within himself. I thought he took some really good shots, I think he missed some shots I think later on, he’ll knock those down as well.”
Timme and the Bucks face the Phoenix Suns at 6 p.m. tonight, while Strawther and the Nuggets return to action at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks. Both games take place at Cox Pavilion.
Henry Krueger is a sports editor. Follow him on Twitter: @henrykrveger.