No, LeBron James did not suit up for the Cavaliers in the third quarter of their Friday night finale in Vegas. It just must have felt like it for the Timberwolves, who saw the Wine and Gold go on a 28-5 second half run to win their last Summer League contest, 78-73, over Minnesota at Cox Pavilion.
The Cavaliers got some courtside moral support on Friday night as LeBron – decked out in a crisp white Cleveland Indians jersey – joined Coach David Blatt to take in some of the Summer League action. (Canning a courtside trey during one timeout to the delight of the Vegas crowd.)
Shurna leads with 14 points.
Snapshots from Game 5.
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The Cavs Summer League squad got off to yet another slow start on Friday, with Minnesota racing out to a 14-4 edge midway through the first period. Bret Brielmaier’s squad fought back to take the lead before the end of the period, but the Wolves proceeded to outscore them, 21-12, in the second.
Cleveland’s comeback was keyed by forward John Shurna – who came off the bench to go 4-for-9 from long-distance for a team-high 14 points, tied for the team lead with six boards to go with a pair of steals. His bomb with 26.8 remaining in regulation gave the Cavaliers a four-time point edge after Minnesota had sliced their lead to a single point.
On the night, the Wine and Gold were +29 when Shurna – Northwestern’s all-time scoring leader who played in Turkey last year – was on the floor.
Three other Cavaliers finished with 10 points apiece, including the Cavaliers’ recent second-rounder, Rakeem Christmas, who was 4-of-7 from the floor – including a big put-back dunk with under two minutes to play – and led both teams with two blocked shots. Christmas also did a solid job against this June’s top overall draft pick – Karl-Anthony Towns – holding the former Kentucky star to nine points and four boards.
D.J. White notched double-figures again for the Wine and Gold – adding 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, adding four boards and a blocked shot.
Keifer Sykes rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures, posting another solid game off the bench to finish with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
With their victory on “Consolation Friday” in Vegas, the Cavaliers finished their 2015 Summer League run with a 2-3 mark.