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The Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns collide in the second game of their 2023 NBA Summer League campaign, which is set to take place at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Monday, July 10.
Phoenix lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in their first game of the Summer League. Toumani Camara had 20 points, while Jordan Goodwin scored 12 for the Suns. But the bench didn’t get much playing time and didn’t produce much, either.
On the contrary, the Heat, who have played multiple games together, relied on defense to defeat the Boston Celtics 99-88, with Orlando Robinson scoring 36 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Phoenix Suns are like many teams in the Summer League that need to wake up on the offensive end, as their opening performance wasn't great. The Miami Heat are just one of those teams that compete to win, whether it's Summer League, preseason, G League or the NBA Finals.
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Prediction: Both teams don't have much depth, so it's starting lineup against starting lineup, and Miami’s starting five is way better. So, we expect the Heat to win this one and stay undefeated in the Las Vegas tournament.
Pick: Heat -3 (-110)
Players to watch: Orlando Robinson and Toumani Camara
Orlando Robinson and Toumani Camara are two players we should focus on Miami vs. Phoenix game in Las Vegas.
Orlando Robinson exhibited a tantalizing skill set for a big man, dominating inside and out (3-for-4 from deep) for 36 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. His zero turnovers were especially impressive for a young big man in a mistake-ridden atmosphere like Summer League.
“I mean, every day in the playoffs, when I knew I couldn’t play, I was working that entire time,” Robinson said, “looking forward to this moment and stage, just to come out here and compete and do my best and do the things I’ve been working on this entire time.”
Robinson wasn’t drafted in 2022, but the Miami Heat have kept him under some form of contract since. Saturday provided more than a hint as to why.
The Phoenix NBA Summer League team lost their opener on Saturday night. Still, Suns roster player Toumani Camara (second-round draft pick) likely looked really good, especially in the first half.
The game didn’t look ‘too fast’ for rookie Camara, who finished with 20 points (8-13 shooting) and eight rebounds in 31 minutes.
Toumani Camara later said he enjoyed being a versatile defensive player, guarding multiple positions for Phoenix when needed:
"I love it. I feel like that’s part of my game, that’s part of my identity - who I am. I take a lot of pride in that. Like I said today, I feel like I didn't do a good job of boxing out, so I feel like [it's about] keep watching a film, learning and going on the next day."
Miami Heat 2023 NBA Summer League roster
Caron Butler is the head coach of the team in the Summer League
Phoenix Suns 2023 NBA Summer League roster
Quinton Crawford is the head coach of the Phoenix Suns in the Summer League
Heat, Suns coaches praise Robinson and Camara for impressive Las Vegas debut
Orlando Robinson and Toumani Camara shined in their respective debuts in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League and got high praise from their head coaches afterward.
“It’s amazing,” said Caron Butler, the Erik Spoelstra assistant who is coaching the Heat’s summer roster, on Orlando Robinson. “This is the thing that we talked about throughout the course of the season, just getting prepared for this moment, so he could be prepared to have an excellent performance on this stage.”
Meanwhile, Suns coach Quinton Crawford was impressed with the Dayton product after his NBA Summer League debut:
"He was great. He did everything we asked him to do. We use him as a Swiss Army knife. He showed that he can bring the ball up the court. He showed that he can play the five [inaudible] and a bunch of different things. I think his first showing in the NBA was really good."
We expect both Robinson and Camara to continue their stellar performances in the remaining NBA Summer League games, starting from their battle on Monday.
Miami Heat Nation! You can check out the latest Miami Heat Schedule and dive into the Heat Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.
