The NBA Summer League is wrapping up over the next few days, and there have been plenty of storylines to keep up with as the week has gone along. We have our matchups for the final few days of the event set, with the Sacramento Kings and the Boston Celtics playing for the trophy on Tuesday night. 

The Undefeated

In addition to the Kings and Celtics, the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves also went 4-0 in the lead-up to the title game. Boston and Sacramento had the best point differential of the four, which is why they will play for the championship.

Minnesota and New Orleans match up on Tuesday evening as well; the winner gets the right to be the other undefeated team remaining here in Las Vegas.

Brooklyn Nets

After dropping their first game of the week, the Nets have been on an absolute tear, with rookie Cameron Thomas leading the way. Thomas has drilled multiple clutch shots to give Brooklyn three straight victories.

The Nets look like they got a steal with the 27th overall pick in Thomas to add to an already historic offensive roster. 

Injuries

As the week has gone along, it’s been clear what the priorities are for teams and players. If you’re healthy, go out there and show what you can do. If not, watch from the bench. If a player picks up any semblance of an injury or discomfort, they will likely be held out of games, especially high-profile young stars.

Rookie top-five picks Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs have been held out of the past few contests and will both likely miss their team’s finales. Some veterans fighting for roster spots have been held out of games for rest. It’s put a damper on a few games with the stars sitting out, but there’s still been plenty of takeaways with other players getting more opportunities in the vacated minutes. 

Championship Preview

The Boston Celtics are led by a couple of young guards who have a bit more experience than a lot of other players here. Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard, and Romeo Langford have all been sensational so far, and all three are expected to suit up for Boston in the finale.

Pritchard is fresh off of leaving Las Vegas to score 92 points in a Portland Pro-Am game, but he tweeted out that he will be back in Vegas for the Summer League Championship. Boston has outscored opponents by an average of 21 points on their way to 4-0, including a 37-point victory over the Orlando Magic. They’ve been by far the most dominant team here and will be tough for the Kings to handle.

The Sacramento Kings are a well-rounded team with multiple scoring threats. Ninth overall pick Davion Mitchell has impacted every game with his defense and passing, even if his scoring numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet. Louis King has shot the ball extremely well and has been one of the surprise players here in Vegas. Second-year guard Jahmi’us Ramsey has been impressive, as has 2018 draft pick Chimezie Metu and rookie big man Neemias Queta. 

The Kings and Celtics will play for the 2021 Summer League Championship at 7 p.m. MDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. 

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