Wild endings set up Kings-Celtics showdown in Las Vegas Summer League championship game
After a full day of wild finishes, fisticuffs and point-differential calculations, the Kings emerged from the fray Sunday evening, still unbeaten and undeterred in their quest to capture the Las Vegas Summer League championship.
The Kings (4-0) will have a chance to win the summer league tournament for the first time since 2014 when they face the Boston Celtics (4-0) in the championship game at 6 p.m. Tuesday at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. They needed help in the late games to win two tiebreakers before they could claim their place in the big game, but everybody needs a little luck in Las Vegas.
The Kings handled their business with an 86-70 victory over the Dallas Mavericks early Sunday afternoon. The team was awaiting word on a possible suspension for big man Chimezie Metu, who was ejected after punching Mavericks forward Eugene Omoruyi during a fourth-quarter altercation.
Despite their perfect record, the Kings still needed assists from some former teammates to complete their run to the championship game. An eight-point win by the Minnesota Timberwolves or an 11-point win by the New Orleans Pelicans would have knocked the Kings out of contention, but former Kings guards Frank Mason III and Kyle Guy helped prevent that from happening.
Mason had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists as the Philadelphia 76ers took the Timberwolves to overtime before falling 99-96. Guy made a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter for the Golden State Warriors, who nearly knocked off the Pelicans before losing 80-79 in overtime. Boston, Sacramento, Minnesota and New Orleans all finished the preliminary round with 4-0 records, but the Celtics (+21) and Kings (+13.8) held tiebreaker advantages over the Timberwolves (+12.8) and Pelicans (+11.5) based on point differential.
Mitchell vs. Pritchard
The championship game will feature a marquee matchup between Kings rookie defensive dynamo Davion Mitchell and second-year Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who is apparently making his way back to Las Vegas after scoring 92 points in the Portland Pro-Am on Saturday.
Pritchard averaged 20.3 points, 8.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in Boston’s first three games in Las Vegas, shooting 51.4% from the field and 57.7% from 3-point range. The Celtics said Pritchard left the team temporarily for an excused absence — his appearance in the pro-am — but Pritchard announced his return Sunday night on social media, tweeting: “Back in Vegas on Tuesday for summer league chip!”
One more thing
The Kings will also have their hands full with Aaron Nesmith, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound second-year small forward from Vanderbilt. Nesmith, the 14th pick in the 2020 NBA draft, is averaging 18.8 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Celtics. He is shooting 51.7% from the field and 39.3% from 3-point range.
The Celtics have been virtually unstoppable at the offensive end. They are leading the Las Vegas Summer League with 100.0 points and 25.5 assists per game. They also lead the league in field-goal percentage (.481) and 3-point shooting (.403).
