The Trail Blazers Beat The Knicks To Win The 2022 NBA Summer League Title

The tournament aspect of NBA Summer League is usually a secondary concern for teams, who are more hopeful to see development of their young stars in the desert, but once there, teams and players always want to win and on Sunday afternoon the Knicks and Blazers met in Thomas & Mack Arena to battle it out for the Summer League title.

A sluggish start probably should’ve been expected for the noon local tip, as both teams struggled to get much going offensively out of the gate but eventually Portland took control in the second quarter to take an 11-point lead into the break, led by Trendon Watford, who finished the game with 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Brandon Williams, who led all scorers in the game with 22 points and five assists.

On the Knicks side, Quentin Grimes led the way with 19 points, but shot just 5-of-16 from the field, as the entire Knicks roster was ice cold from deep, knocking down just 24 percent of their triples. The highlights on New York’s side came from bouncy big man Jericho Sims, as he had a few of thunderous dunks in an effort to keep the Knicks attached.

Portland would extend their lead to 14 going into the fourth quarter, with summer standout Jabari Walker starting to get himself going as he stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and two assists.

New York would trim the Portland lead back down to single digits in the fourth, but ultimately Walker, Watford, and Williams would push the Blazers to an 85-77 win and the organization’s first Summer League title since 2018.

Watford earned championship game MVP honors for his efforts.

The Blazers finished their time in the desert with a 4-1 record, led primarily by their defense which shut down opposing squads, while Walker and Watford, in particular, shined in the frontcourt on both ends. They will collect the first ever Summer League championship rings for their performance, as they brought a lot more joy to Blazers fans than expected after Shaedon Sharpe went down after five minutes in his debut with a shoulder injury.