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Blazers win Summer League championship, beat Lakers 91-73 in title game rematch

By Matt George Moore

LAS VEAGS, NV - JULY 17: The Portland Trail Blazers are awarded the 2018 Summer League Championship Trophy after the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 17, 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 Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEAGS, NV - JULY 17: The Portland Trail Blazers are awarded the 2018 Summer League Championship Trophy after the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 17, 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 Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The NBA Summer League tournament championship game pitted two familiar foes against each other: the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

For the first time ever, all 30 NBA teams participated in Summer League competition. And your Portland Trail Blazers are the only team left standing.

Completing a 7-0 tournament run, the Blazers whooped the Los Angeles Lakers and Summer League MVP Josh Hart 91-73 to take the tournament title. It was sweet payback; last year, the Lakers won the Summer League title by beating Portland, 110-98.

Portland beat their opponents by an average of 14.5 points in the summer tourney. And for long stretches, they were absolutely dominant. Not just in the Lakers game, but all tournament long.

Blazers-Lakers Rivalry

Not only have the Trail Blazers and Lakers met on the regular season and playoff hardwood for the last (almost) 50 years, they’re becoming the two dominant teams in the NBA Summer League.

Well, OK. It’s only been two straight Summer Leagues. But that’s enough to get the NBA world a-buzzin’ — with at least one puckish commentator joking that the two rivals are ruining the tournament.

Here were your Portland starters. (Nine players on the Blazers’ Summer League roster have NBA experience FYI.)

And here’s how the scoring totals looked after the victory was secured:

A Few Highlights

The Lakers had Summer League MVP Josh Hart. But he got tossed in the fourth quarter for arguing with a referee. He finished with 12 points on 3/12 shooting.

Portland was on fire in the first quarter, getting out to a 31-19 lead after one. Both teams slowed down in the second quarter, but the Blazers led the entire game, and played some relentless defense down the stretch.

Next: Who’s better for the Blazers, Shabazz Napier or Seth Curry?

Superlatives (Mostly)

K.J. McDaniels led all scorers with 17 points. Wade Baldwin IV had 14 points and six assists.

Full stats here!

Zach Collins had a poor outing; he fouled out with just three points. (He also got into it with former Blazers player Jeff Ayres.)

We’ll have more info and analysis about the Summer League tourney at RipCityProject.com, so make sure you stay tuned there and at @ripcityproject.