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Blazers beat Grizzlies 97-92, face Lakers Tuesday in Summer League title rematch

By Matt George Moore

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 16: Zach Collins #33 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes up for a rebound against the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 16, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 16: Zach Collins #33 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes up for a rebound against the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 16, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Portland Trail Blazers have been steamrolling opponents in the NBA Summer League. They were less dominant against the Grizzlies.

Now that they’ve put away the Memphis Grizzlies 97-92 in the Vegas Summer League tournament semifinals, the Portland Trail Blazers (6-0) move on to the championship game for a rematch of last year’s title bout.

Portland is the second-seed in the tournament. They will play the Los Angeles Lakers (6-0) in the finals Tuesday at 7 p.m. PDT at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The Lakers, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-109 in double overtime Monday. That meant the Blazers-Grizzlies game got off to a later-than-expected start; the two teams didn’t tip off until almost 8 p.m. PDT (30 minutes late).

Portland entered the game having beaten their Summer League opponents by an average of 15.8 points per game. This one wasn’t so easy, despite the fact that Memphis was without Jaren Jackson, the No.4 overall pick in the draft. Portland, meanwhile, was without their own first-round draft pick. Anfernee Simons sat out the game with a left hip contusion.

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Memphis was off and running early, and for the first time in the Summer League, it looked like Portland was a step or two slow. But Portland woke up from the doldrums and took a 46-44 lead into halftime.

Blazers (Mostly) Superlatives

Coming into the game Monday, Wade Baldwin led the Summer League stat board with 8.4 assists per game. For long stretches in Vegas, he’s performed like the best player on the floor. He’s absolutely worthy of a contract guarantee, which will go into effect July 18, unless the Blazers say otherwise. But why would they say otherwise, right?

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Blazers President of Basketball Operations certainly spoke as if the franchise was ready to guarantee WBIV’s contract. During an in-game interview Sunday, Olshey told Chauncey Billups and Mark Jones the following:

"(Baldwin is) controlled tempo. He’s had good composure. He’s taking care of the ball, which is what you’re going to want from guys who are going to play behind Dame and CJ."

Unfortunately, Baldwin played poorly. And he got off to a rough start against his former franchise. His first-half stats: five points on 2/10 shooting and four turnovers. For the game: eight points on 2/13 shooting and a disconcerting nine turnovers.

Jake Layman had a sweet block:

Caleb Swanigan had a double-double by the first half (12 points, 12 rebounds) on 6/8 shooting. He would finish the game with 21 points, 16 rebounds and one turnover.

The Grizzlies made a spirited run to get within four, but the Blazers pulled away late. It was a game that felt oddly familiar …

Here are your scoring totals. Check out Archie Goodwin — Summer League’s all-time leading scorer!