The Memphis Grizzlies beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 88-86, in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League semis and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the finals on Monday night after the Wolves were better than the Brooklyn Nets in the second semifinal, 85-77.
The 2019 @NBASummerLeague Championship is set!
🗓 Monday ⏰ 9pm/et 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/hQPBi2GHds
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2019
Memphis Grizzlies 88, New Orleans Pelicans 86
Brandon Clarke made a dunk with 10.7 seconds left in overtime to seal the victory for the Memphis Grizzlies as they beat the New Orleans Pelicans. Clarke led Memphis with a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds; Tyler Harvey, followed him with 13 points and he forced overtime with a three-pointer in the dying seconds of the game.
23 PTS | 7/10 FG | 14 REB@brandonclarke23 leads the @memgrizz to the Semifinals victory! @NBASummerLeague Championship is Monday 9pm/et on ESPN2. #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/LvCsRJAJdg
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2019
On the other hand, Trevon Bluiett led New Orleans with 16 points; Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Marcos Louzada Silva scored 14 apiece while Kenrich Williams chipped in with 10 points. The Pelicans impressively made it to the final four despite missing No. 1 pick Zion Williamson, and New Orleans summer league coach Fred Vinson was satisfied with the team’s performance in Las Vegas.
“We started this summer league off being about Zion Williamson; once he was out, then it became something different,” Vinson said. “This group really bonded together. They supported each other. Guys who were playing on the floor, guys who weren’t playing on the floor, they supported each other. I wanted those guys to become a team.”
Minnesota Timberwolves 85, Brooklyn Nets 77
The Minnesota Timberwolves reached the finals as the only undefeated team (6-0) in the 219 NBA summer League after defeating the Brooklyn Nets. Naz Reid scored 20 points in just 19 minutes in the Wolves’ victory; Jordan McLaughlin followed him with 12 points.
20 PTS | 6 REB
Naz Reid leads the @Timberwolves to the @NBASummerLeague Semifinals victory! #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/5ALrIrgjem
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2019
“It’s all credit to the players, and how they compete so far,” Minnesota coach Pablo Prigioni said. “As coaches, we want to help them to become a championship team. This is summer league, but at the end of the day 32 teams show up in Vegas, only two [can] compete for the championship.”