Starting 5: NBA Summer League Semifinals field set

Smooth 3. Polished celly.

Jon Elmore and the Lakers are headed to the NBA Summer League Semifinals as the only unbeaten team in Vegas.

See how the rest of the Semifinals field shook out below ⬇️

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

First Two In: Lakers finish pool play as only unbeaten, Grizzlies storm into Semis

Final Two Decided: Rockets & Warriors emerge late from a nine-team logjam

Roundup: Raptors win but fall short of Semis via tiebreak, Blazers bump Nuggets

Friday Finales: Twelve teams wrap up their Summer League circuit today in Vegas

Giannis In Miami: Heat officially introduce their newest superstar – who has a new number

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Friday delivers a six-game slate of consolation matchups, including a potential showdown between Vegas standouts Caleb Wilson (No. 4 pick) and Meleek Thomas (No. 34) as the Bulls face the Cavs (7 ET, ESPN).

On Saturday, the NBA Summer League Semifinals tip off with Rockets-Grizzlies (6:30 ET, Prime), followed by Warriors-Lakers (8:30 ET, Prime). | Full NBA Summer League Standings

The NBA and WNBA have announced a new multi-year global partnership with TikTok, combining creator access to events and highlights with live-game discovery through TikTok GamePlan.

1. FIRST TWO IN: LAKERS GO 4-0, GRIZZLIES ROAR TO SEMIS

One night. Fourteen teams in action. Four Semifinal spots on the line.

Thursday marked the final day of pool play at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and with a slew of teams entering the day at 3-0 or 2-1, point differential loomed large as the first multi-team tiebreaker.

It would come down to the slimmest of margins. The first squad to punch its ticket to Saturday’s Semis, however, avoided the chaos by going unbeaten.

Lakers 105, Bulls 82: Seeking a win to go 4-0 and cement its Semifinals berth, Los Angeles turned in a complete two-way effort, as Chris Mañon (16 pts) and Cameron Carr (14 pts, +22) led six Lakers in double figures, while their defense held Chicago to just 3-of-33 from deep. | Recap

• “I think I was overlooked, so I got a lot to prove,” Carr, the No. 24 pick, said postgame. “Gotta have your own fire under your feet, so every time I step on the court I’m motivated to go out and do my job.”
• Wilson Shines Again: Caleb Wilson led Chicago with 21 points, 8 boards and 1 massive block, but it wasn’t enough to top Los Angeles, which led wire-to-wire
• “Every single game, we get better and better,” Carr said. “Everybody takes care of their job and everybody plays hard, and that’s all you could ask for.”

The Hawks joined the Lakers as the only 3-0 teams entering Thursday, eyeing a win to secure a Semifinals berth.

The Grizzlies entered the day 2-1, needing a win to keep their Playoff hopes alive – and a convincing one to vault into the Semis via point differential.

Memphis got just that.

Grizzlies 96, Hawks 64: The Grizz blitzed Atlanta from the jump, opening the game on a 21-0 run before ending the 1st quarter up 32-2.

They never looked back, with Cam Boozer (game-high 24 pts, 7 reb, 10-13 FG) and Cedric Coward (23 pts, 7-12 FG) leading a dominant showing to secure a 32-point win and a ticket to the Semifinals. | Recap

• Logjam Leapfrog: Memphis boosted its point differential from +4.7 to +11.5 with the win, jumping from 9th to 2nd in the standings
• “We came into this game knowing there were some high stakes, knowing what we were playing for,” said Coward. “And we played like it.”
• Threading The Needle: Watch Boozer (3 ast) dish a backhand transition dime to Carson Cooper to punctuate Memphis’ 1st-quarter eruption
• “He’s special, man,” said Coward of Boozer, the No. 3 overall pick. “I can’t believe he’s only 18, but he’s a special, special player and we’re gonna do a lot of good things.”
• Hawks Drop: Atlanta’s 3-1 record wasn’t enough to crack the top-four, as its +3.5 point differential left it in 8th place

2. FINAL TWO DECIDED: ROCKETS & WARRIORS RISE ABOVE CHAOS

The Lakers had claimed the No. 1 seed, while Memphis vaulted to No. 2.

That left two Semifinals spots to be decided among the remaining 3-1 teams, where every bucket proved pivotal.

Rockets 100, Nets 83: Both entering the night 2-1, Houston claimed a must-win game convincingly.

It started with a 22-11 1st quarter as rookie Bruce Thornton (23 pts) and two-way guard Tristen Newton (20 pts) led the Rockets past Brooklyn despite another strong outing from Egor Dëmin (21 pts, 5 3s) and No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. (14 pts). | Recap

• Houston, We Have Chaos: With the win, the Rockets became one of nine teams – yes, nine – to finish 3-1, but their +10.3 point differential trailed only Memphis (+11.5), boosting them to the No. 3 seed

Now, how about those other eight 3-1 squads? One would be the Warriors, who ultimately secured the final Semifinal bid with a double-digit dub.

Warriors 87, Knicks 77: Sophomore LJ Cryer (17 pts, 5 3s) led five Warriors in double figures as Golden State led wire-to-wire over Jaden Akins (21 pts, 1 nasty shake & score) and New York to improve to 3-1. | Recap

• Golden Stop: This year’s No. 11 overall pick, Yaxel Lendeborg, protected Golden State’s 10-point lead with an emphatic swat at the buzzer
• It proved pivotal as the Warriors’ +6.3 point differential was enough to claim the final spot in the Semifinals

Semifinals Set: When the dust settled, point differential sent Memphis (+11.5), Houston (+10.3) and Golden State (+6.3) to Saturday’s Semifinals alongside the unbeaten Lakers (4-0).

• Semifinal 1: Grizzlies (2) vs. Rockets (3) | 6:30 ET, Prime
• Semifinal 2: Lakers (1) vs. Warriors (4) | 8:30 ET, Prime

3. ROUNDUP: RAPTORS, NUGGETS FALL SHORT OF SEMIS

Raptors 99, Heat 90: No. 19 overall pick Allen Graves (23 pts, 6 reb, 4 3s) led Toronto past Castrol Rising Stars participant Jahmir Young’s 30-point night (12 reb, 5 3s), as the Raptors joined the 3-1 record club but missed the Semifinals on a tiebreaker (+5.0 pts). | Recap

• Last Roll: Miami (1-3) wraps up its summer schedule Friday against Detroit (9 ET, ESPN), and Toronto takes on the Nuggets Sunday (6:30 ET, ESPN2)

That Denver team (2-1, +3.7 ppg coming in) was also in the hunt Thursday and needed to win – and win big – to make the Semifinals, but Portland’s seven double-figure scorers had other plans.

Blazers 108, Nuggets 101: Flynn Cameron, Frankie Fidler and Quincy Olivari led the way with 16 points apiece as Portland took control late despite Mark Sears’ game-high 26 points for Denver and a big night from No. 35 pick Trevon Brazile (19 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk). | Recap

• Weekend Finale: Both teams finished group play 2-2, with Denver wrapping up its summer against Toronto Sunday, and Portland potentially seeing Darryn Peterson and Utah tonight (10:30 ET, Prime)

Mavericks 97, Thunder 87: Six of nine Mavs scored in double figures, led by John Poulakidis’ five 3s and 19 points, as Dallas (2-2) pulled away from Brooks Barnhizer (21 pts, 12 reb) and OKC with a 13-0 run in the 3rd. | Recap

• Young Mavs: No. 25 pick Sergio de Larrea (9 reb, 14 ast) fed double-digit outings from second-round picks Vsevolod Ishchenko (12 pts, 7 reb) and Tobi Lawal (10 pts, 7 reb). Morez Johnson had the day off
• One More Run: Thunder first-rounders Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz also had the day off. OKC eyes its first Vegas win in a Sunday consolation game against the Nets (4:30, ESPN)

4. FRIDAY FINALES: STANDOUT ROOKS CLOSE SUMMER CAMPAIGNS

Before Saturday’s Semifinals, a dozen teams wrap up their Vegas schedule Friday, with several rookie standouts potentially taking the floor.

Kings vs. Hornets (6:30 ET, Prime): After pouring in 26 points on Tuesday, including a 16-point 3rd-quarter eruption, No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff Jr. looks to lead the Kings to a closing win vs. the Hornets.

• Shifty Delivery: The reigning SEC Player of the Year has averaged 19 points and 5.3 dimes through three games in Vegas, flashing the creativity that made him one of college basketball’s most dynamic guards
• Young Kings: Fellow Sacramento rookie Emanuel Sharp, the No. 45 pick from Houston, added 24 points on Tuesday with six 3s

Bulls vs. Cavaliers (7 ET, ESPN): Among players who have logged at least three games in Vegas, only two have averaged 23+ ppg: Meleek Thomas (28.3) and Caleb Wilson (23.5). Tonight, they could go head-to-head as Cleveland faces Chicago.

• Thomas Takeovers: Thomas hasn’t been shy about the chip on his shoulder after falling to the 2nd Round of the Draft and has played like he has something to prove, dropping 30+ points in his last two outings
• Wilson Soaring: You’ve seen the dunking ability, but Chicago’s No. 4 pick has also shot the lights out in Vegas, hitting 3.3 3s per game at a 48% clip

Blazers vs. Jazz (10:30 ET, Prime): Speaking of scorers, Darryn Peterson’s shotmaking has been on display all summer, averaging 26.5 ppg in the Salt Lake City Summer League and 20.7 in Vegas. Tonight, the No. 2 pick could be back in action as Utah faces Portland.

• DP Playmaking: Peterson has also showcased his all-around game this summer, averaging a combined 5.2 assists per game in Summer League

Wolves vs. Clippers (11 ET, ESPN): Keaton Wagler’s reputation as a knockdown shooter at Illinois has carried over to Vegas. He dropped 23 points on 4-of-7 from 3 Sunday before adding 16 Tuesday.

Can LA’s No. 5 overall pick stay hot as the Clippers close Friday’s slate against the Wolves?

Two more games get underway tonight, as No. 9 pick Morez Johnson (18.5 ppg) leads the Mavs against the Knicks (8:30 ET, Prime), before the Pistons meet the Heat (9 ET, ESPN).

5. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO, BOBBY PORTIS OFFICIALLY INTRODUCED IN MIAMI

Giannis Antetokounmpo has already accomplished plenty in his career.

An NBA title. A Finals MVP. Back-to-back Kia MVPs.

But he believes even more is possible in Miami.

“One of my goals is to win a lot of championships,” Antetokounmpo said. “This is the best route for me to do that.”

On Thursday, the 10-time All-Star was formally introduced with the Heat, taking the stage alongside coach Erik Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley.

• New Threads: The 2021 NBA Champion chose No. 7 for his jersey moving forward. He had worn No. 34 for the Bucks in honor of his parents, born in 196(3) and 196(4)
• Behind The Number: He’s honoring Veronica and the late Charles Antetokounmpo once again when choosing this new number. Seven, after all, is three plus four
• “I decided to leave that number (in Milwaukee) and try to start a new chapter,” Antetokounmpo said. “Hopefully I can leave my mark here in Miami.”

Now with the three-time NBA champions, “The Greek Freak” carries a sparkling resume that spans 13 seasons since he was selected No. 15 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.

• Astounding Accolades: Antetokounmpo won back-to-back Kia MVPs in 2019 and 2020, as well as the 2021 Finals MVP. He boasts seven All-NBA First Team selections and was Kia Defensive Player of the Year in 2020
• Career Snapshot: The 31-year-old, 6-foot-11 forward has averaged 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5 assists per game in his career – and he’s not done
• “I’m ready for the challenge,” Antetokounmpo said. “Pressure brings the best out of me … I don’t like being in the comfort zone.”

Bobby Portis was also introduced in Miami. He spoke about the Heat’s past Finals clashes with the Mavericks and Spurs, recalling how he rooted for the team before going pro.

• Familiar Face: The 11-year veteran will continue his partnership with Antetokounmpo, which began with their title-winning 2020-21 season, in South Beach
• “How can we impact winning? How can we get another [championship]?” Portis said. “That’s always been the talk. It hasn’t been about anything else but winning.”