Summer League California Classic: Bucks 97 Warriors 83

Breakdown Game 1 of the California Classic

by Aiden Fermaner

08/07/26

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The Bucks had their first win in the California Classic in dominant fashion, 97-83. They were led by Brandon Boston, Bogoljub Markovic and Kira Lewis, who we will highlight in this article. Nate Ament and Brayden Burries did not play this game.

First Quarter

Despite the dominant win, we started the game off slowly. Bogoljub Markovic was one of the only shining lights of the first quarter. He came out looking much improved and was oozing confidence compared to his debut Summer League experience last year. Brandon Boston came out looking smooth, calm, and silky, even if the box score didn't reflect it in this first quarter, which is to be expected given his 4-year NBA tenure. He was active both in passing lanes and on the boards. The Bucks end the first quarter down 18-25.

Second Quarter

The second quarter was when we really started to take over, especially in the key game stat of rebounding, where we doubled their rebound count for the quarter, 6-12, led by a strong quarter from Rafael Castro with 4 defensive rebounds for the quarter. Malique Lewis got into the game using his size, length and defensive skillset to get in passing lanes and apply pressure on drives. I link his skill set to his tenure in the NBL, our Australian pro league that prides itself on its defence. We will dive more into this throughout Summer League as our team hosts 3 ex NBL stars, Malique Lewis, Jesse Edwards and Luke Travers. I was underwhelmed in this first half by Cormac Ryan as he struggled to get his fingerprints on the game. He is someone I want to see dominate a Summer League after a good first year in the NBA and a few really impressive showings, including a 28-point night against the Nets on an EFG% of 62%. Scoring and scoring efficiently is Cormac's game, so I expect that from him, but I would also like to see him showing other developing skillsets during Summer League. He is a player I'd like to see people saying that he doesn't belong playing in the Summer League and is the next level up from it. Brandon Boston elevated and showed it on the box score, posting 5 points at 100% from the field and looking like one of those players who can dominate Summer League and is a level up from a lot of the players we will see in the Summer League.

Something that was a prominent theme in the first half and seems to be recurring throughout Summer Leagues each year is issues with people's hands. There's a clear mixture of people not playing together previously, skill level and passing preferences, but the turnovers from hand skills can be difficult to watch at times. It is a great evaluation for players, mainly forwards and centres, as to where they are skill-wise. Bogoljub Markovic had some good hands this game, and I take that as a good sign of his overall skill level and improvement.

Third Quarter

The Bucks begin to click here in the third quarter with a dominant 34-13 period to take a 19-point lead. Cormac Ryan gets involved with a quick 6 and shows some of those scoring assets I expect to see more of from him. Malique Lewis continues to harass on the defensive end. Cormac Ryan rounds out his great quarter with a defensive stop and 2 more at the free-throw line. He showed what I would expect from him with 8 points in the quarter on 4 shots, 50% from the field. Quick and efficient, along with making it look easy. Bogoljub Markovic continued to show good signs, filling the stat sheet with 6 points on 100% from the field, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. He continued to highlight his good hand skills I mentioned before. Brandon Boston continued to show his control over the game with an efficient 6 points. Kira Lewis also piled on with 7 points at an efficient rate.

Fourth Quarter

The Bucks hit the brakes in this quarter, losing 20-25. Zack Austin had a highlight package of dunks, showing off his elite athleticism and good mobility for his larger frame. Brandon Boston showed his ability to change pace throughout the quarter and highlighted 3 assists along with 2 steals for the quarter to cap off a great game from him. That caps a great first win of the California Classic and Summer League for the Bucks, winning 97-83 over the Warriors.

MVP

The top three players of the game were Bogoljub Markovic, Brandon Boston and Kira Lewis. All three stuffed the stat sheet and led the Bucks to this victory, but the MVP of this game will go to Brandon Boston. He took over the game with his scoring and looked like he was in control from the first whistle. He was in passing lanes and was disruptive on defence and even topped it off with 3 assists and 2 steals in the fourth quarter to round out his stat line. It showed he has that well-rounded game, and if he can get those skills all going at once, he can be a multi-faceted problem for other teams on the offensive end. He is definitely someone I'd be happy to see at the end of the Bucks' bench or even on another developing team in the NBA.