Isaiah Mobley was the guy with the best snub claim when the All Summer League teams came out and his name wasn’t on it.
That was bad news for the Houston Rockets in the Summer League finals Monday night. Mobley was fired up and dropped 28 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Cavaliers to the Summer League championship. Mobley was named the Championship Game MVP — making up for him not being on the All Summer League team — and he got some outside help from Sam Merrill, who knocked down six 3-pointers on his way to 27 points in the Cavaliers’ 99-78 victory Monday to take the Summer League crown.
Isaiah Mobley and Sam Merrill combine for 55 PTS as the @cavs win the #NBA2KSummerLeague chanpionship!
— NBA (@NBA) July 18, 2023
Mobley: 28 PTS, 11 REB, 3 AST, 2 BLK
Merrill: 27 PTS (6 3PM) pic.twitter.com/fXqXpRwlDY
The Cavaliers went a perfect 6-0 in Summer League, in part because their roster had a number of guys who had experience together in the G-League, combined with some rookies who stood out. Those rookies included Emoni Bates, who had 19 points in the championship game.
Emoni Bates (19 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST) helps lead the @cavs to the #NBA2KSummerLeague championship!
— NBA (@NBA) July 18, 2023
Bates was named to the All-Summer League Second Team prior to tonight's final 👏 pic.twitter.com/dYsWnnINoE
The Cavaliers were in control of this game most of the way, racing out to a 17-4 lead to open the game. A late first-half run by the Rockets got the lead within three, but the Cavaliers opened the second half on an 11-0 run and the game was never in doubt after that.
Summer League MVP Cam Whitmore scored 14 points for the Rockets, and Nate Hinton led the way for the Rockets with 18 points and 10 rebounds. That was Houston’s first game lost in Summer League, despite not having No. 4 pick Amen Thompson (sprained ankle in his first game) or Jabari Smith Jr., who dominated his first two games for the Rockets then was shut down for Summer League by the franchise.
