Vegas Summer League Notebook: Sanders, Clippers put things right in Wizards win
Arion Armeniakos
Host · Writer
LAS VEGAS – Nobody associated with the Los Angeles Clippers was happy with how they lost to the Lakers, 99-85, at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday.
Clippers’ NBA Summer League head coach Jay Larranaga said the team got punched in the mouth early and tried to respond individually, not as a collective. Second-year guard Kobe Sanders agreed, critiquing himself, as a more experienced leader of the young side, for not being able to get the right tune out of his teammates and, most importantly, himself.
However, such is the nature of the league — summer or otherwise — that you never have to wait too long to put things right.
On the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday, the Clippers put forth a performance to be proud of, taking down the Washington Wizards 108-94.
The Clippers looked more connected from the off. Sanders said they were having as much fun as it appeared they did. Their showing 24 hours prior was not something they ever wanted to hang their hat on, and the urgency to eradicate that blemish was apparent.
And it all started with Sanders, who led all scorers with 26 points on 9-for-17 shooting — including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc.
When asked about the importance of bouncing back tonight, as a young team trying to build good, winning habits, Sanders said: “[It was] big time. The second we got into the locker room [last night], I tried telling the guys we have to flush that one. It was a nasty game, and we had to flush it right away.
“We just had to get straight to recovery and do everything we could to be mentally prepared to get right back to it.”
Sanders set the tone for the Clippers, scoring nine quick points in the first quarter and getting up to 16 at the half. He beat the half-time buzzer with a smart finger roll layup to give Los Angeles a 52-51 lead.
Sanders added five more points in a third quarter that saw the Clippers finally find some separation, courtesy of a 30-19 run. LA took an 82-70 advantage into the fourth.
Norchad Omier was one of the biggest difference makers in the frame with his six rebounds — four offensive — giving the Clippers an edge on both ends of the floor. Omier secured his double-double with a wing triple late in the quarter. He had all 11 of his points and 13 of his 15 rebounds through three. He ended the game with eight offensive boards.
“[Omier] played for my dad [Jim Larranaga at Miami], so I’ve seen him [dominate the glass] in a ton of games,” Larranaga said.
“I thought he did a really good job tonight, coming off the bench for the first time. His energy right when he got on the court, his physicality, his defense, he was just all over the place and a major part of us being able to get the win.”
Overall, the Clippers had six players score in double figures despite playing without 2026 No. 5 overall Draft pick Keaton Wagler (rest).
Sean Pedulla ran point with extreme poise, also posting a double-double of 16 points and 11 assists (to just three turnovers) to go along with six rebounds. Rookie second-rounder Nick Martinelli chipped in with 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting — 3-3 from three-point range.
Undrafted rookie Fletcher Loyer and rookie No. 36 pick Baba Miller poured in 12 points apiece. Eight of Miller’s came in the fourth quarter.
Sanders put the Clippers’ collective success down to teamwork. “We came in with a focus on playing together,” he said. “We wanted to play free, play fast, and I think that’s what we did. Big shoutout to [Pedulla]. He pushed the pace the whole game, and when you have a point guard like that, it was easy for me to get off.”
Now sitting at 2-2 in Vegas, the Clippers will get the day off on Thursday before returning to T&M to face the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2) in a consolation game on Friday at 8 p.m. PT.
Around the league
A large chunk of the day belonged to sophomores. Orlando Magic’s second-year guard Jase Richardson got the party started when his 25 points (10-15 FG, 3-5 3PT) led his team to a 99-92 win over Philadelphia.
Later in the afternoon, Suns’ second-year big man Khaman Maluach dropped a 23-point, 15-rebound double-double in Phoenix’s 100-88 win against Detroit. Fellow sophomore Rasheer Fleming added 22 points and eight boards.
Celtics’ second-year guard Hugo Gonzalez led Boston to an 82-76 victory over Sacramento with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kings’ rookie Alex Karaban went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc en route to 21 points.
This year’s second-round selection of the Spurs, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, poured in 25 points in San Antonio’s 94-82 win against the Utah Jazz.
In a battle of 2026 No. 13 and No. 14 picks, the former — Bucks’ Nate Ament — led Milwaukee to an 110-91 triumph versus the Charlotte Hornets. Ament scored 23 points. Hornets’ Hannes Steinbach erupted for 27 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.
