Former Mizzou standout Kobe Brown erupted for 10 first-quarter points in the Los Angeles Clippers’ narrow 95-92 win over the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League on Friday night at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

Brown shot 4 for 5 in the opening frame and 5 for 7 overall from the field to finish with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. The 6-foot-7 forward also owned a 2-for-3 clip from 3-point range.

Despite the strong performance, Brown got tangled up with a Rockets player during the third quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game with an ankle injury.

Brown started his red-hot first quarter with a second-chance layup to give the Clippers a 5-0 lead with 8:51 remaining. The Huntsville, Alabama, product showcased his marksmanship, drilling a top-of-the-key 3-pointer to extend the lead to 8-0 with 8:01 left.

Brown drained another 3-pointer, this time from the left wing, to give his team a 17-12 advantage with 2:38 remaining. He then rattled the rim with an alley-oop dunk off an assist from forward Trentyn Flowers, extending Los Angeles’ lead to 19-14 with 1:16 left.

Brown carried his success into the second quarter, nailing a contested, moving mid-range jump shot over Rockets forward Cameron Matthews to give the Clippers a 35-27 lead with 6:04 remaining. 

Brown’s final points were scored from a 2-for-2 trip to the free-throw line.

Toronto Raptors 116, Chicago Bulls 72: Ex-Tigers star Caleb Grill struggled to find his footing in the Bulls’ blowout loss to the Raptors.

The SEC Sixth Man of the Year finished with six points and one assist on 2-for-6 shooting from the field. All of Grill’s shot attempts were from beyond the arc.

With 2:11 left in the third quarter, Grill finally scored his first NBA basket with a 3-pointer from the right corner to trim the Raptors’ lead to 74-54. His other make was from the left corner to trail 78-57 with 24 seconds left in the third frame.

Charlotte Hornets 111, Utah Jazz 105: Neither former Mizzou standout John Tonje nor ex-Rock Bridge star Dajuan Harris Jr. played in the head-to-head matchup between the two teams at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Tonje was ruled out with an ankle injury, while Harris did not play due to coach’s decision.

Phoenix Suns 103, Washington Wizards 84: Former Missouri standout DeMarre Carroll secured his first Summer League win as coach of the Suns in their drubbing of the Wizards.

Guard Koby Brea led Phoenix in scoring with 19 points, followed by double-digit scorers forward Ryan Dunn (17), guard Boogie Ellis (16), center Khaman Maluach (14) and forward Oso Ighodaro (11).

Up next

Saturday’s action includes Dajuan Harris Jr. and the Charlotte Hornets facing the Philadelphia 76ers at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2, Grill and the Bulls matching up against the Sacramento Kings at 7 p.m. on NBATV, DaJuan Gordon and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2 and Tamar Bates and the Denver Nuggets meeting the Minnesota Timberwolves at 9 p.m. on NBATV.