Jordan Miller leads Clippers past Nuggets in Summer League opener

Miller makes six 3-pointers on his way to 36 points to lead the Clippers to an 88-78 win in Las Vegas. Kobe Brown adds 13 points, Moussa Diabate has a double-double and rookie Cam Christie has eight points.

As a two-way player, Jordan Miller spent most of his rookie season playing on the Clippers’ G League team in Ontario.

But that was last season.

This season, Miller is looking to earn significant minutes beyond the 28 he played over eight NBA games in 2023-24 and he took a big step forward with a strong display in the Clippers’ first Summer League opener on Friday night in Las Vegas.

Miller scored 36 points on 11-of-18 shooting (6 for 10 from 3-point range) to lead the Clippers to an 88-78 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Cox Pavilion. He also had five rebounds and one steal.

“The basket felt big today,” Miller said on NBATV.

The game included a devastating injury for one rookie, as Nuggets first-round draft pick DaRon Holmes II (No. 22 overall) suffered a torn right Achilles tendon, according to The Athletic. Holmes is expected to miss the 2024-25 season.

With Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank watching from courtside seats, Miller got off to a lively start, posting 19 points in the first half to lead the Clippers to a 41-38 lead heading into intermission.

Miller’s two-way contract extends into this upcoming season, which means he will see more time in the G League. But if he continues to put up eye-catching numbers like Friday, his time with the now-San Diego-based developmental affiliate could be less this season.

But Miller is smart enough to know that he will need more than one big game to reach his goal.

“I still got a lot more to prove and I’m hungry,” he said.

Fellow second-year player Kobe Brown finished with 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting but missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. Center Moussa Diabate, who could see significant minutes behind starter Ivica Zubac this season, had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Newly drafted rookie Cam Christie had eight points on 3-for-12 shooting to go with three rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.

The Nuggets were led by second-year guard Julian Strawther with 25 points, and Hunter Tyson with 15 points.