Thornton stars for Clippers

Two high-octane rookies might be playing basketball in Los Angeles this fall.

While Lakers fans are excited about guard Javaris Crittenton, Clippers fans are going wild over power forward Al Thornton, the former Florida State star who is shining in the NBA Summer League.

The 6-foot-8-inch Thornton is leading the Clippers in scoring (17.3 points per game) and rebounding (6.0). He had 19 points and 10 rebounds Friday in the Clippers' 90-84 win over Memphis at Cox Pavilion.

"I'm trying to play hard and make things happen," Thornton said. "I'm having fun out there, but it's a rough transition. The players are better. We get new plays every day. There's a lot to learn at this level. It's a big difference from college."

Despite his success in the summer league, Thornton said he has plenty of room for improvement.

"I should be doing better," he said. "I need to cut down on my turnovers, and I need to rebound better."

• BANKS SITS AGAIN -- Phoenix's Marcus Banks missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury.

The former UNLV and Cimarron-Memorial High School guard slightly dislocated his left shoulder late in a scrimmage Tuesday against Detroit and did not play in Wednesday's 104-101 loss to Philadelphia or in Friday's 94-86 win over New Orleans.

Banks, who set the summer league single-game scoring record Monday with 42 points against Cleveland, might try to play tonight against Portland or Sunday against Minnesota.

"I'm leaving it open for now," Banks said Friday regarding his status for the remaining two summer league games.

• BIGGEST DAY EVER -- For the first time, the summer league will feature seven games in one day, as four will be played inside Cox Pavilion with another three at the Thomas & Mack Center.

One admission is good for all seven games, which will be highlighted by the Lakers meeting the Pistons at 3:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack and the Warriors facing the Knicks at 7 p.m. at Cox.

• STAT LEADERS -- Heading into Friday's play, Philadelphia's Louis Williams was leading the summer league in scoring, averaging 25.2 points per game. Golden State's Marco Belinelli was next with a 25.0 average, followed by Houston's Aaron Brooks at 24.5.

Brooks is leading in assists with a 7.5 average, followed by New York's Nate Robinson at 7.0.

Denver's Jelani McCoy is the top rebounder so far, averaging 12.3 per game, followed by Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge (11.0) and Sacramento's Justin Williams (10.0).