Editor
Loading ...
Houston Rockets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – NBA Summer League Final 2023
The 2023 NBA summer league ends with a thrilling final between the Houston Rockets vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. This match-up will likely see both teams giving their all to come out on top. With the season’s standings already decided, this game promises to be one of the most exciting this year, as both sides have much to prove. Both teams have been impressive in their respective summer leagues, with the Rockets and Cavaliers topping their divisions.
Monday at 9 p.m. ET, the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers will compete for the title at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN. Both teams won their semifinal matchups on Sunday.
Rockets, with a record of 5-0, won against the Utah Jazz by a score of 115-101 in a battle between two unbeaten teams in Las Vegas. This victory helped the Rockets maintain their unbeaten record. Similarly, the Cavs have an undefeated record of 5-0 and secured their spot in the championship by defeating the Brooklyn Nets 102-99 in overtime.
Cleveland has never made it to the championship game of the summer league. Meanwhile, Houston last reached the final in 2014 but lost to the Sacramento Kings. This year, both teams are vying for a chance to win the newly-introduced summer league championship ring.
Here are the standout players that you should watch out for in Monday’s championship game.
On Sunday, Houston has been leading the league in scoring with an average of 109.0 points per game and has been performing strongly offensively in Las Vegas.
The Rockets have been successful in the summer league largely because of Jabari Smith Jr., the No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft, scoring 35.5 points per game in his first two appearances. Tari Eason is also doing well with 23.0 ppg, while Amen Thompson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, looked promising before getting injured in the ankle.
The talents of the three aforementioned players, they will not be playing for the rest of the summer league. As a result, Cam Whitmore has been allowed to showcase his skills. Even though he fell to the No. 20 pick in the draft, Whitmore has played with great tenacity and performed excellently on offense and defense, with an average of 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and a league-best 3.5 steals.
On Sunday, the player from Villanova scored 25 points, had four rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal while playing against Utah. However, Nate Hinton scored the most points with a game-high of 27. Trevor Hudgins, a two-way point guard, has performed exceptionally well for Houston. His production has increased after Smith, Thompson, and Eason were sidelined. Along with Whitmore and Hinton, he is expected to play a crucial role for the Rockets in their upcoming Monday game.
The Cleveland team was the strongest defensive team in the NBA in the 2022-23 season, and their effective defensive approach has continued into the summer league. Limiting their opponents to an average of 86.4 points per game has achieved an impressive +11.4-point differential, the best in the league.
Cleveland’s summer league team doesn’t have many big-name players due to not having a first-round pick in this year’s draft. However, the team does have some interest in a few familiar names. Sunday’s summer league session, the Cavs were driven to victory against the Nets by Isaiah Mobley, who was selected in the second round of the 2022 draft. Isaiah is the older brother of Cleveland’s defensive standout Evan Mobley, and he showcased his talent by scoring 23 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing out five assists. He also made the game-winning shot in overtime.
Emoni Bates, the second-round pick for 2023, has been performing exceptionally well for Cleveland. He managed to score in double figures during all five games. On Sunday, he made 20 points and seven rebounds while hitting four out of five three-pointers. Merrill, a former Utah State star player, has been performing well in the Las Vegas summer league, with an average of 18.8 points and a 19-point game on Sunday. He will play an important role in Cleveland’s efforts to win the summer league championship.
Philadelphia 76ers vs New Orleans Pelicans 117 – 114
Brooklyn Nets vs Cleveland Cavaliers 99 – 102 (OT)
Detroit Pistons vs Indiana Pacers 100 – 85
Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets 101 – 115
Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs 94 – 98
Miami Heat vs Portland Trail Blazers 104 – 78
Atlanta Hawks vs Dallas Mavericks 80 – 101
Los Angeles Lakers vs Los Angeles Clippers 104 – 103
Charlotte Hornets vs Minnesota Timberwolves 109 – 92
Golden State Warriors vs Toronto Raptors 101 – 108
Milwaukee Bucks vs Sacramento Kings 84 – 92
Washington Wizards vs Chicago Bulls 85 – 90
Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic 94 – 77
Denver Nuggets vs New York Knicks 89 – 86
Memphis Grizzlies vs Phoenix Suns 79 – 102
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Washington Wizards 89 – 105
Los Angeles Clippers vs Philadelphia 76ers 102 – 91
Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks 89 – 97
Dallas Mavericks vs Indiana Pacers 112 – 91
Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets 81 – 112
San Antonio Spurs vs Detroit Pistons 73 – 79
Utah Jazz vs Phoenix Suns 97 – 93
Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Lakers 100 – 69
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls 87 – 83
Philadelphia 76ers vs Atlanta Hawks 98 – 99
Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors 99 – 94 (OT)
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 91 – 72
Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors 118 – 101
Charlotte Hornets vs New Orleans Pelicans 83 – 89
Portland Trail Blazers vs Orlando Magic 88 – 71
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings 80 – 93
Los Angeles Clippers vs Memphis Grizzlies 83 – 74
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Atlanta Hawks 93 – 99
Golden State Warriors vs Dallas Mavericks 96 – 98 (OT)
Toronto Raptors vs Detroit Pistons 90 – 94
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers 98 – 87
New York Knicks vs Orlando Magic 82 – 80 (OT)
Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz 91 – 96
Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics 90 – 95
Brooklyn Nets vs Milwaukee Bucks 92 – 71
Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder 105 – 92
Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans 73 – 82
Portland Trail Blazers vs Charlotte Hornets 97 – 93
Chicago Bulls vs Sacramento Kings 107 – 99
Washington Wizards vs San Antonio Spurs 85 – 96
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 77 – 100
Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat 73 – 70
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Dallas Mavericks 103 – 111
Indiana Pacers vs. Orlando Magic 108 – 85
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz 96 – 108
Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers 70 – 80
Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers 76 – 99
Los Angeles Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets 93 – 75
New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets 80 – 98
Detroit Pistons vs Houston Rockets 101 – 113
Boston Celtics vs Washington Wizards 98 – 103
San Antonio Spurs vs Portland Trail Blazers 80 – 85
Atlanta Hawks vs Denver Nuggets 98 – 93
New Orleans Pelicans vs Golden State Warriors 94 – 86
Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics 99 – 88
Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder 80 – 91
New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers 101 – 110
Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic 89 – 78
Memphis Grizzlies vs Chicago Bulls 87 – 80
Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards 91 – 83
Milwaukee Bucks vs Phoenix Suns 84 – 75
Los Angeles Clippers vs Utah Jazz 99 – 105
New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota Timberwolves 88 – 102
Denver Nuggets vs Milwaukee Bucks 85 – 92
Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors 83 – 74
Portland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets 99 – 100
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets 101 – 97
Charlotte Hornets vs San Antonio Spurs 68 – 76
Sacramento Kings vs Atlanta Hawks 80 – 76
Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers 96 – 103
If you are looking to bet on NBA games, make sure to check out our free bets and betting bonuses.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.