LAS VEGAS — A new champion will be crowned Sunday as the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets prepare to square off in the NBA Summer League final after a week filled with breakout performances and tight games.
Both teams entered the playoffs undefeated at 4-0, advancing through tiebreakers rooted in point differential to secure their place among the final four. Sacramento’s well-balanced offense, highlighted by the standout play of rookie Nique Clifford (averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game), powered them past the competition in Las Vegas.
The Kings led all Summer League squads in three-point shooting, connecting on 38.8% of their attempts and averaging 95.3 points per game.
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The Hornets, led by rookie Kon Knueppel (13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists) and late first-round selection Liam McNeeley (18 points, 8.5 rebounds per game), held their own throughout with a +12.8 point differential in the preliminary stage. Second-year guard KJ Simpson was the Hornets’ leading scorer (19.3 points per game) and distributor (5.5 assists). Charlotte secured the No. 3 seed after defeating the Spurs, pushing them ahead thanks to their impressive point margin.
“It was really cool. The whole team, the whole bench was talking. I really love the culture of Charlotte.” Liam McNeeley told the Charlotte CW on Friday night.
The Thomas and Mack Center Championship game is set for Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. PT.
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