The penultimate day of Las Vegas Summer League is in the books. As always, there was a lot of exciting action, and a number of teams wrapped up their summer schedules. Here are some key takeaways from the eight games.
Metu suspended for championship game
On Sunday, Sacramento Kings big man Chimezie Metu got ejected for punching Dallas Mavericks forward Eugene Omoruyi in the head after a hard foul. It turns out that reaction will cost him, as the league announced on Monday that Metu has been suspended for the championship game on Tuesday.
The Kings, who most recently won the Las Vegas Summer League title in 2014, will play the Boston Celtics at 9 p.m. ET for the trophy. Neither team has lost yet in the competition, and it’s set up to be a highly competitive contest.
Knicks rookies Grimes and McBride finish in style
One of last season’s surprise teams, the Knicks are looking to build on their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade. Based on how things have gone in Vegas, they might have some help on the way in the form of two rookies: Quentin Grimes and Deuce McBride.
The duo have impressed all summer and finished in style as they led the Knicks to a rout over the Hawks, 104-85. Grimes hit six 3-pointers as part of a 26-point, six-rebound, three-assist performance, while Grimes knocked down five triples of his own en route to 19 points and four assists. This duo will be one to watch in training camp and early next season.
Stevens hits game winner for Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers closed out their Summer League journey in style on Monday with a narrow win over the Phoenix Suns, 88-85. They did so thanks to some late-game heroics from Lamar Stevens, who bullied his way into the paint and converted a nice little finish to give the Cavs the lead with just 24 seconds remaining.
After going undrafted last year, Stevens earned a spot with the Cavaliers and appeared in 40 games as a rookie. A productive summer and clutch moments like this should only further his cause in the organization.
Garza goes off, earns two-way deal
Luka Garza put together a historic collegiate career at Iowa, where he was the consensus national player of the year last season. But as a slow-footed big who preferred to operate around the basket and was already 22 years old, he didn’t get a lot of love from the NBA community.
In fact, he was in danger of going undrafted until the Detroit Pistons selected him with the 52nd overall pick. That could end up being a savvy selection, as Garza has played well in Vegas. He’s shown off a solid 3-point shot and put up two huge double-doubles, including a 21-point, 15-rebound outing in the Pistons’ finale on Monday.
Thanks to his strong performances, he reportedly earned a two-way contract according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
