Thornton, Newton lift Rockets past Nets in physical contest

Updated: Jul 17, 2026, 01:15 am

Bruce Thornton scored 23 points and Tristen Newton added 20 to lead the Houston Rockets to a 100-83 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in a physical NBA summer league game Thursday at the Pavilion in Las Vegas.

The Rockets built an early lead that grew to as many as 23 points. Thornton, a second-round pick, shot 7-for-13 from the field and added four rebounds. Newton also hit 7-of-13 shots with six rebounds. Rookie Quadir Copeland contributed 13 points and three steals, and Isaiah Crawford had 12 points and eight rebounds before being ejected late in the contest.

For the Nets, Egor Demin led the scoring with 21 points, making five 3-pointers and leading a fourth-quarter surge that sparked a brief comeback and allowed Brooklyn to pull within 10. First-round pick Mikel Brown Jr., the No. 6 selection, finished with 14 points and four assists but struggled shooting, going 3-for-15 from the field. Dain Dainja scored 14 points off the bench on 4-for-4 shooting in 15 minutes of action. Second-round pick Tyler Bilodeau added 10 points, and first-round selection Joshua Jefferson had four points.

The game was marked by intense, physical play, resulting in a combined 59 personal fouls. The contest grew heated in the fourth quarter when a scrum for a loose ball at the 4:29 mark led to double technical fouls on Bilodeau and Crawford. Crawford was ejected.

ESPN Generative AI Services creates recaps from event data and/or transcripts that are reviewed by human editors before posting; email support@espncustomercare.com for corrections.