Meleek Thomas just won’t slow down.
The former Arkansas guard put up 35 points on Monday night, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Miami Heat 90-73 in NBA Summer League action.
It marked the Cavs’ first win in Las Vegas this summer and gave Thomas his second straight 30-point outing.
Thomas shot 14 of 23 from the field and hit 5 of 9 from three-point range. He also grabbed three rebounds, dished three assists, picked off two steals and blocked a shot.
That’s a stat line most rookies only dream about.
Two nights earlier, Thomas scored 30 points in front of his family and his old Arkansas coach, John Calipari, though the Cavs lost that game.
Cleveland needed a bounce-back, and Thomas delivered one in a hurry.
Thomas starts hot and stays hot
The second-round pick came out firing from the opening tip. He scored 11 points in his first seven minutes on the floor.
Right before halftime, he banked in a tough buzzer-beating layup that pushed his total to 21 points. Cleveland led 47-36 at the break.
Thomas didn’t cool off after the half. Less than a minute into the third quarter, he drilled a floater in the lane.
He’d go on to score 12 of his 14 second-half points in that third frame alone.
His 35-point night set a new career high and tied the Cavaliers’ Summer League record for points in a game. He fell just seven points shy of the all-time Summer League mark of 42.
Winning matters more than scoring
Despite the gaudy numbers, Thomas made clear after the game that stats aren’t what drive him.
“We went 0-2 the first games,” Thomas said on the Prime Video broadcast. “I’m big on winning, so I just wanted to solidify the win, and I want to keep solidifying wins. It’s not about the points. Just because I’m a team-oriented player. If I make others look better, I look amazing myself.”
Through three Summer League games, Thomas is averaging 28.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals.
He’s shooting 50 percent overall, 45.8 percent from deep and a perfect 6 for 6 at the foul line. Those numbers lead every player in Summer League.
Cleveland’s second-round pick has racked up 85 points through three games on strong shooting splits.
That kind of production usually gets a player shut down for the rest of Summer League, though it’s not yet known if Thomas has played his last game in Vegas.
The Cavs will find out soon enough.
Cleveland faces the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on Prime Video, giving Thomas a chance to add to his growing highlight reel.
Key takeaways
- Thomas scored 35 points on 14-of-23 shooting to lead Cleveland past Miami 90-73.
- He’s averaging 28.3 points a game through three Summer League contests, tops among all players.
- Thomas says winning matters more to him than personal scoring totals.
