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The 16th seeded Golden State Warriors defeated the 17th seeded Houston Rockets 80-76 in the first round of the Las Vegas NBA Summer League Tournament.
The Dubs jumped out to a quick lead behind forward Royce Oneale's nine first quarter points. He finished with 16 points, six rebounds and two steals. Not to mention his stingy defense on Houston's 2015 first round draft pick Sam Dekker who ended with seven points on two-of-eight shooting from the field.
Warriors' second round draft pick Patrick McCaw started his second consecutive game at point guard. The 6'7" rookie posted 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Golden State opened up a 10 point lead after a strong finish to the second quarter. They picked up the defensive pressure in the second half and ballooned the lead to 17 midway through the third quarter.
The Warriors' defensive surge was led by McCaw, who has received high praise for his versatility on the defensive end. However there is still room for growth as KJ McDaniels overpowered McCaw on numerous occasions throughout the game. Daniels single handedly brought Houston back into striking distance with a 25 point and nine rebound performance.
The Rockets took the lead momentarily in the 4th quarter, but went cold down the stretch. Keifer Sykes led all scorers for the Warriors with 17 points off the bench. "Onion" Kuzmic, as the Summer League announcer calls him, snatched up 10 rebounds in the Warriors' win.
Golden State will take on the number 1 seeded Toronto Raptors Thursday night at 7 PM at Cox Pavilion. Check back tomorrow for highlights and interviews from the Dubs' first round action in 2016 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.