Rockets, Jazz, Nets and Cavs vying for spot in NBA Summer League championship game

The Houston Rockets will try to earn a spot in the NBA Summer League championship game when they face the Utah Jazz in a battle of unbeatens on Sunday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets will play in the other semifinal game Sunday.

The championship game is set for Monday night in Las Vegas.

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The Rockets (4-0) have been led this summer by Jabari Smith Jr., the leading scorer in Summer League play at 35.5 points per game in two games, and Tori Eason, who averaged 23 points in three games. Amen Thompson, the No. 4 pick in the draft, also looked sharp before an ankle injury ended his summer action prematurely.

None of them are expected to play Sunday with the Rockets shutting them down for the summer.

That means Houston will rely on first-round draft pick Cam Whitmore, who has been outstanding on both ends of the floor. The 20th pick in the draft has averaged 19.3 points, six rebounds and a league-high 3.5 steals. Trevor Hudgins has stepped up too, averaging 24.5 points on 45% shooting from the field since he led Rockets to a 13-point win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Jazz (4-0) had three first-round picks playing in Las Vegas, including Taylor Hendricks, the No. 9 overall pick, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh. All three didn’t play in Utah’s most recent game and it’s unlikely they’ll play Sunday either.

George has been the sparkplug for the Jazz, averaging 21.7 points in three outings. If that trio doesn’t play, Utah will turn to Johnny Juzano, who is averaging 17.8 points.

In the earlier game, the Cavaliers (4-0) will look to stay unbeaten behind Isaiah Mobley. The second-round year player from USC is averaging 14 points, eight rebounds and 4.8 assists in four games.

Cavaliers second-round draft pick Emoni Bates has scored in double digits in all four games and is averaging 16 points and six rebounds, while shooting 35% from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Nets (3-1) will be appearing in the Summer League semifinals for the first time.

After losing to Cleveland 101-97 in their opener, the Nets have rebounded with three straight wins. The Nets were one of seven teams to finish 3-1, but advanced to the semifinals based on cumulative point differential.

from Sportsnet.ca
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