Trevon Brazile didn’t just have a good night in Denver’s 106-103 Summer League win over Oklahoma City. He took over the game.
The Nuggets’ top pick in the draft poured in 32 points and looked like the best player on the floor from the opening stretch all the way through the final frantic possessions. Denver needed every bit of it, too, because the Thunder’s first-round duo of Aday Mara and Bennet Stirtz kept making things uncomfortable late.
Erik Stevenson added 12 points, Osayi Osofo finished with 11 off the bench, and Denver picked up its second Summer League victory in Las Vegas. But this was Brazile’s showcase, plain and simple.
Denver came out sharp enough to build an early cushion. Stevenson opened with a step-back three that got the Nuggets moving, and after Giovanni Emejeru finished a putback dunk to push the lead to 11-4, Oklahoma City called timeout. The Thunder responded well, and when Denver’s shooting cooled, the game tightened quickly.
Brazile changed that. He caught fire late in the first quarter, drilling a pair of threes before adding another from deep and then finishing a fast break with a windmill dunk that sent the quarter out in style. Denver led 31-22 after one.
The second quarter stayed messy, which is pretty standard Summer League fare, but the Nuggets kept finding enough offense to stay ahead. Stevenson knocked down a couple more threes, Denver’s perimeter shots were falling, and the pace stayed lively. Still, the Thunder chipped away while Brazile sat, and the Nuggets’ offense lost its rhythm without him.
Once Brazile returned, the separation came back. He buried another three, looked completely at ease from the top of the arc, and even banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer. At halftime, he already had 19 points and five triples, and Denver held a 60-51 lead.
The third quarter got sloppy for the Nuggets. Turnovers and missed defensive assignments let Oklahoma City cut into the margin, and Brazile was again the one steady presence on Denver’s side.
He came up with a tip-in by flying to the rim, then followed with a strong drive to the basket. The Thunder kept hanging around, but Denver’s bench helped steady things with a couple threes, and Brazile’s activity on the glass and downhill pressure kept the Nuggets in front.
After three, Denver led 78-71.
Oklahoma City made its real push in the fourth. Mara and Stirtz started working together for easy alley-oops, and the Thunder got within striking distance as Denver’s offense went cold again. Osayi Osofo gave the Nuggets a lift with a three and a foul drawn at the rim against Mara, and then Brazile came back in to restore order.
He blew by Mara for a layup, hit another three, and pushed the lead back to double digits. Denver looked in control until Brazile made a rare mistake, closing out too hard on Payton Sandfort and giving up a three-point play. That swung some momentum back to Oklahoma City, and suddenly the finish got tense.
Stirtz and Sandfort carried the Thunder down the stretch, and Denver had to survive a last shot at the buzzer that could have tied it. It hit iron. The Nuggets escaped with the 106-103 win.
Brazile finished with 32 points, six rebounds, a steal and a block, and he did it on 11-for-19 shooting. It was a huge bounce-back after his first Summer League game and a missed second game because of a sore shoulder. During that stretch, Denver gave him a full NBA contract, and he played Thursday night like a player who knew exactly where he belonged.
He shot it well from deep, got to the rim without much trouble, attacked the boards and made solid defensive plays, too. Denver used him in a bunch of different actions, and he kept making the right read.
It wasn’t as clean a night for Denver’s other draft pick, Bryce Hopkins, though he has been strong in the first two games. Hopkins likely ends up on a two-way deal.
Beyond him, the Nuggets don’t appear to have much on this Summer League roster that points to a regular-season role, aside from DeJon Jarreau’s flashes, Stevenson’s shooting and K.J. Simpson.
Denver still has at least two more games left in Summer League, so there’s time for somebody else to make a case. But for now, Brazile is the clear headliner.
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