Cavs Rout Rockets 99-78, Win the NBA Summer League

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Houston Rockets in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League finals tonight, 99-78, thus winning this competition. This Cavs team was dominant throughout the entire tournament in Nevada, posting all victories and, in the end, trashing the rivals in the finals.

Apart from falling behind 2-0 at the start, the Cavs were ruthless in this one. They quickly made a 17-2 run after that and ended the first period with a 29-14 lead. The team from Houston made a push in the middle of the second period, coming down to three points, 41-38, but that burst didn’t last for too long, as the Cavs immediately responded. A 9-0 spark at the start of the second pulled them away to 62-44.

From that moment on, there was no way back for the Rockets team, who was constantly behind 20 buckets.

Houston had the most dominant offense in the tournament, averaging 110 points per game up until tonight. Throughout the tournament, we’ve seen them trashing pretty much all the rivals. Some of their biggest young stars, like Parker Jr. and Thompson, have been shut down from playing during the tournament, but the team’s efficiency stayed high due to players like Cam Whitmore or Nate Hinton.

The first was named the tournament MVP, but he didn’t do well in the finals, scoring only 14 buckets, 6-for-17 from the field with three turnovers. The top scorer was Hinton, with 18 buckets and ten boards, in 20 minutes.

On the other side, Isaiah Mobley dominated with 28 points and 11 boards, 12-for-20 from the field. He also added two blocks and steals. The forward didn’t end up in the All-Tournament team, despite being one of the most influential players in the same.

Sam Merrill ended the event with 27 buckets, hitting six threes in 12 attempts, and splashing from all over the positions on the floor. Unlike Mobley, he was among the top five players in this competition. He stated that he likes playing at Thomas & Mack Center, where he had a positive experience with his Utah State in 2020, hitting a game-winner that brought Mountain West tournament title. This was another great performance for the young guard.

🗣 MVP

Isaiah Mobley takes home the Summer League championship game MVP award. pic.twitter.com/y54jbv8ru5

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 18, 2023

Emoni Bates, one of the top high-school prospects a few years into the past, had 10 points and five boards. A lot of hype is generated around this guy who went from being a possible top pick at the draft to a second-rounder. Though, for the moment, Bates isn’t bothered by that, leaving an excellent impression during the tournament. He was selected to the second All-tournament team, with Max Christie from the Lakers, Javon Freeman-Liberty from the Bulls, Xavier Moon of the LA Clippers, Smith Jr from the Rockets, and Jalen Wilson of the Nets.

The first team included Merrill and Whitmore, plus Keyonte George from the Jazz, Orlando Robinson of the Heat, and Hunter Tyson of the Denver Nuggets.

We are ahead of another round of trades and departures following the NBA Summer League, so stay tuned and follow WagerBop.com for more fresh news and information and more opinionated articles.