The Memphis Grizzlies are your 2019 NBA Summer League champions after hanging on to beat the previously-undefeated Minnesota Timberwolves 95-92 at the Thomas and Mack Center.
Tournament MVP Brandon Clarke continued his impressive form in Vegas, recording his third-straight double-double, finishing with 15 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks on his way to being named Most Valuable Player of the championship game.
15 PTS
— NBA (@NBA) July 16, 2019
16 REB
4 AST
3 BLK@brandonclarke23 is named the @NBASummerLeague Championship Game MVP! #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/U3zuBoxV3w
The Grizzlies were in control early after taking a 56-40 lead into the half-time break, before the Timberwolves rallied in the third quarter to cut the lead to just 72-70, thanks to three triples in the period from Kelan Martin.
Grayson Allen's floater gave Memphis a 10-point lead with 2:03 remaining in the fourth, before the Timberwolves went on a frantic 9-0 run, led by Australian Mitch Creek. The Wolves capped off the run when Creek found Keita Bates-Diop behind the three-point line, who hit nothing but net to cut the lead to just one-point.
Keita Bates-Diop caps off a 9-0 run and we've got a 3-point game with 10.4 seconds remaining! 👀#NBASummer pic.twitter.com/b5J7cAXYEV
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 16, 2019
The Timberwolves had a chance to tie it late with Martin's three-point attempt missing. On the ensuing possession, Allen, who was everywhere in the second half, scoring 10 of his 17 points after half-time, got a fingertip on the Timberwolves' inbound, keeping them from getting a shot off and sealing the win.
Allen added five rebounds and one assist to go with his 17 points, while Bruno Caboclo and Dusty Hannahs chipped in 15 points. Tyler Harvey added 12 points and five assists, making it five Grizzlies in double figures on the night.
🇦🇺 @CreekMitchell and the @Timberwolves fall short in the @NBASummerLeague Final, going down to the @memgrizz 95-92 in a thriller #NBASummer
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) July 16, 2019
📊 13 PTS | 4 REB | 2 AST | 4-5 FG pic.twitter.com/MxQHsbfkJy
The Timberwolves were led by a game-high 19 points from Kelan Martin, while Jordan Murphy added 14, Mitchell Creek 13, Barry Brown Jr. 12 and Keita Bates-Diop 10.
