Jamaree Bouyea spoils Nuggets’ Summer League opener with buzzer-beater 3-pointer

LAS VEGAS While Cooper Flagg and Bronny James faced off in a packed arena on the campus of UNLV the Nuggets and Bucks played a Summer League thriller in the sleepy gymnasium adjacent to the main event Former Ohio State star EJ Liddell gave Denver the lead with seconds left on a put-back slam after Hunter Tyson and DaRon Holmes II missed jump shots but Milwaukee s Jamaree Bouyea answered with a buzzer-beating -pointer to hand the Nuggets a - loss on Thursday night The dramatic loss tipped off Summer League play for Denver which faces the Timberwolves on Saturday at Cox Pavilion Holmes return As expected the Nuggets used lineups with Holmes operating as both a four and five He mostly floated around the floor early in the tournament regaining his footing and not getting too involved in the action offensively But his first touch was a catch-and-shoot -pointer from the left wing against a close-out setting a confident tone Holmes steadily grew more settled throughout the night He tested his physicality by picking up a flagrant foul and almost a second one He tried to put the ball on the floor more in the second half After he drained another above-the-break by trailing the play in transition he had established several respect from the wings The next time he picked and popped he attacked the close-out for a driving layup looking smooth after leaving his feet Holmes wasn t challenged too much at the defensive end when he switched but the Nuggets clearly have interest in evaluating his ability to guard smaller players in space He tacked on an impressive block during the second half of a team-leading -point night Tyson s rebounding Nuggets Summer League coach Andrew Munson explained early this week that rebounding would be an emphasis for Hunter Tyson in Las Vegas The third-year wing delivered on that expectation Thursday with boards en trail to a double-double Tyson s -point stroke still seems out of sync He clanked a scant spot-up attempts in rhythm On the other hand he also buried a step-back triple in the corner at one point The Nuggets need him to showcase his off-the-catch ability more than anything else but if he can result in other methods to gain confidence they ll take that as well On one of the first possessions of the night he scored out of a post-up demonstrating his talent for playing bigger than his size He also turned a driving euro-step into an and-one That s the type of stuff that he won t have opportunities to do at the NBA level but it never hurts to show off he can do it Related Articles NBA K launches Sept with Angel Reese and Carmelo Anthony featured on special editions Nuggets notes Andrew Munson on MPJ business why Hunter Tyson is playing rd Summer League Keeler Nikola Jokic s contract delay sent Nuggets perfect message Don t stop now Nikola Jokic won t sign contract extension with Nuggets this offseason sources say Here s why it makes sense to wait Nuggets DaRon Holmes II is full go for Summer League return from torn Achilles Spencer Jones athleticism Spencer Jones is the Nuggets only two-way competitor from last season who s back on the roster this year From an up-close vantage point his athleticism and length stood out next to the other Summer League dreamers on Thursday His defensive mobility on the wing could make a difference for Denver in regular-season games in -