In case you hadn’t worked it out by now over the past couple of years, this IS the home of the Patty Mills cheersquad (#MorePattyPlease and all). His second game of 2010 Summer League play was even more attention-capturing than the first (in which he approached a triple-double). This time around, Patty led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 81-69 win over the New Orleans Hornets, as he scored 18 points at a fine shooting clip.
Highlights of the match courtesy of NBA.com:
And extended highlights here:
Meanwhile, Mills’ fine play has attracted plenty of attention across the league — so much so, that he is today featured on ESPN’s NBA front page (see below).
The Daily Dime had this to say about the speedy Aussie point guard:
“Most 6-foot point guards with diminutive frames would be wary of mixing it up, but Mills isn’t your typical guard. Despite his stature, Mills is a scorer first and foremost who actually does some of his best work off the ball. One display of his aptitude without the rock came when Mills hurled himself at a Hornets defender almost twice his size, setting such a thick baseline screen that his own man had to scurry off to help. The suddenly wide-open Mills then floated to the perimeter for a clean 3, bringing his total on the evening to 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting.
In Mills, the Blazers look to have another threat off the bench who can pack a punch offensively, whether he’s the primary ballhandler or not. With players like Brandon Roy and Jerryd Bayless typically dominating the ball, Mills’ abilities away from the play should prove valuable.”
At this rate, Patty will be doing himself no disservices in pushing for that final point guard slot on the Blazers’ roster.
Here is Patty talking about his performance, his upcoming matchup against John Wall and how the team is going, after the Hornets game:
| Postgame video: Patty Mills |
