Former Razorbacks put on scoring show at NBA Summer League

Two former Arkansas standouts turned Las Vegas Summer League into their personal showcase Monday night.

Trevon Brazile and Meleek Thomas each cracked 30 points in separate games, giving the Razorbacks program three of the seven 30-point performances recorded in Vegas so far this summer.

Thomas got things going first, pouring in 35 points and coming within seven points of the all-time Las Vegas Summer League scoring record.

It was his second 30-point outing of the summer.

Brazile followed with a career night of his own for the Denver Nuggets, scoring 32 points on 11 of 19 shooting in a 106-103 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He also connected on six of 12 attempts from three-point range and pulled down six rebounds.

A hot start carries into the fourth quarter

The performance came in just Brazile’s second Summer League appearance after he sat out Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury.

He picked up right where his college career left off, topping his old Arkansas career high of 28 points, which he set in a March 4 win over Texas last season.

Brazile put together his best stretch before the break, scoring 19 first-half points and hitting five three-pointers.

His final triple of the half banked in from halfcourt as time expired, putting Denver ahead 60-51 at intermission.

The Nuggets needed him again to close out the game.

After a quiet start to the second half for both teams, Brazile scored Denver’s first points off a putback and a contested layup.

He added a driving basket past Thunder big man Aday Mara late in the fourth quarter, then followed it with a pick-and-pop three that pushed Denver’s lead to 12 points at 95-83.

Oklahoma City chipped away in the closing minutes but couldn’t complete the comeback as Denver escaped with the win.

Brazile credited his fit with the organization after the final buzzer.

“I know I can fit in this league really nice,” Brazile said. “This is the perfect team for me to go to. The whole time I was saying, ‘fit over pick’ for the draft, and I think I went to the perfect place.”

Denver moved to 2-1 in Summer League play with the victory.

The Nuggets are back on the floor Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers, with tip-off scheduled for 9 p.m. on Prime Video.

Key takeaways

• Trevon Brazile and Meleek Thomas both scored 30-plus points in separate Summer League games Monday night.
• Brazile posted 32 points and six rebounds to help Denver beat Oklahoma City 106-103, with five threes coming before halftime.
• Thomas dropped 35 points, landing within seven points of the all-time Las Vegas Summer League scoring record.