Young leads Hawks past Bulls at Summer League
It's been a bumpy ride for Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, but he finally got his shot going.
The No. 5 overall pick out of Oklahoma scored 24 points and made 7 of 13 3-pointers to help the Hawks defeat the Chicago Bulls 101-93 on Tuesday in the Las Vegas Summer League. Young looked like the player who led the nation in scoring and assists as a college freshman.
"I just try to play my game," he said. "I try to make the right plays, and if I see an opening, I'm going to knock it down or find my teammates. I'm just trying to get more into rhythm each and every game. I'm just trying to get better and progress and get better. That's my main thing. I think I'm headed in the right direction."
Young made just 12 of 52 shots in three summer league games in Utah, and before Tuesday, he had shot just 29 percent in two games Las Vegas. After showing signs of figuring things out with a 21-point, 11-assist performance against New York this past Saturday, he suffered a minor right quadriceps injury on Sunday against Portland. He seemed fine on Tuesday, playing a team-high 33 minutes.
Stephenson excited to join rival James on Lakers
Lance Stephenson always felt his famed rivalry with LeBron James was rooted in mutual respect. When James called Stephenson last week to pitch him on teaming up with the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephenson's feelings were confirmed — and he quickly accepted the invitation.
The Lakers formally announced the signings of Stephenson, center JaVale McGee and second-round draft pick Svi Mykhailiuk on Tuesday.
Coming off a productive season in his latest stint with the Indiana Pacers, Stephenson agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal to join James, McGee and Rajon Rondo in the Lakers' influx of veteran talent.
Ex-player Washington sentenced for fraud
Former NBA player Kermit Washington has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in charity donations on vacations, shopping sprees and plastic surgery for his girlfriend.
The U.S. attorney's office says the 66-year-old Las Vegas man also was ordered Monday to pay nearly $970,000 in restitution. Washington pleaded guilty in November in federal court in Kansas City, Missouri, to making a false statement in a tax return and aggravated identity theft.