Blazers Outlast Grizzlies To Advance And Face Lakers In 2017 Summer League Finals Rematch

After a nearly two weeks of games, just two teams remain at the final table in Las Vegas. The Portland Trail Blazers advanced to the 2018 Summer League Tournament Final for the second-straight year by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 97-92 at Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV Monday night.The Trail Blazers are now 6-0 at the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League and will face the top-seed Los Angeles Lakers, also undefeated at 6-0, in a rematch of the 2017 Tournament Final Tuesday night at Thomas & Mack. The Grizzlies, the 27th-seed in the 30-team tournament, gave the two-seed Trail Blazers all they could handle Monday night, which has been a rarity during Portland’s nearly two week run in Sin City. Despite playing with Jaren Jackson Jr., the fourth overall pick of the 2018 Draft, Memphis took a 24-19 into the second quarter, which was the first time at the 2018 Summer League that Portland trailed after one quarter of play. The Trail Blazers, playing a bit shorthanded as well with rookie Anfernee Simons sitting out with a left hip contusion, cleaned up some of their mistakes in the second quarter, though they would be plagued by turnovers and foul trouble for most of the evening. But thanks to a first-half double-double from Caleb Swanigan, the Trail Blazers were able to outscore the Grizzlies by seven in the second quarter to take a 46-44 lead into the intermission.