CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Day (and night) III of the 22nd NBPA Top 100 Camp ended with one of the more entertaining 30 games played in the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena since Wednesday afternoon.
The left-handed Rayshaun Hammonds (Norcross, GA) hit a running 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Spurs to send their game with the Heat into overtime Friday night.
And then, with two seconds to go in that one-minute OT, Jairus Hamilton (Concord, NC, Cannon School) dropped in another shot from behind the arc and the Spurs had an 80-77 victory.
Hammonds (Class of 2017) and Hamilton (2018) combined for 43 points and 14 rebounds, Hammonds going for 19 and nine and Hamilton 24 and five (while hitting three of five shots from behind the arc).
And the Spurs needed all of the production of the 6-foot-8 forwards mustered in able to edge the Heat, which got another in the series of superb performances from the 6-7 Zion Williamson (Spartanburg, SC, Day School).
Williamson went for 23 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of playing time. And his NBPA Top 100 effort so far has offered a compelling on-court dissertation as to why claim could be reasonably staked that he’s as good as there is in the Class of 2018.
The left-hander is the most explosive offensive scorer and rebounder in camp as he has proven too strong, too quick and too skilled for opponents to cope with here.
And there hasn’t been a more efficient scorer here, either: He’s hit 38 of 52 shots from the field, a staggering .731, while dropping 23 of 26 free throws (.885). He is averaging a camp-best 16.7 points while grabbing 6.3
The results of that final contest locked the camp’s playoff bracket into place for Saturday morning.
The first of the championship quarterfinals will pit the top-seeded Rockets (5-1) against No. 8 Bucks (2-4), and the No.’s 4 and 5 seeds Knicks and Celtics (each 4-2), at 10:45 on Courts 1 and 2, respectively.
The other quarterfinals are scheduled for 11:55, with the No. 2 76ers (4-2) hooking up with the No. 7 Warriors (2-4) and No. 3 Heat (4-2) facing the No. 6 Lakers (2-4) on Courts 1 and 2, respectively.
The first of the consolation bracket games, the Spurs (2-4) vs. the Bulls (1-5), will be played on Court 3 at 10:45.
The championship semifinals are scheduled at 3:55 p.m. with the title game set for 6:30.
Senior-to-be point guards Jaylen Hands (San Diego Balboa) and Tremont Waters (South Kent, CT, School) helped lead the Rockets to their top seed in the playoffs, with scoring and assist averages of 11.2 and 5.3, and 8.3 and 6.5, respectively.
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