Sacramento Kings To Play Final Summer League Game On Saturday Afternoon

The end of the NBA’s Summer League is much closer than most of us would prefer.

After nearly three weeks of action, the Sacramento Kings will play its final game of the summer on Saturday afternoon when they face the Houston Rockets at 6:00 pm PST at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

The NBA 2K23 Summer League schedule for Saturday, July 16 ⬇️

All game times listed are Pacific Time. pic.twitter.com/9LTGiQBiGV

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 15, 2022

Due to the NBA’s new layout for Summer League, there will not be a tournament this season. In previous years, a majority of the league would play a single-elimination style series of gams en route to the championship game. This season, only the top two teams with the best records will face off on Sunday afternoon for a chance at securing their first-ever NBA Summer League championship rings.

It’s currently unknown if Houston plans to play its prized third-overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. on Saturday. Over four appearances in Las Vegas, the Auburn product is averaging 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 40 percent from the field and 26 percent from three-point range.

Like Smith, it’s also uncertain if Sacramento plans on sending out standout rookie forward Keegan Murray for the Summer League finale on Saturday.

Seeing that the Kings play on Friday night against Phoenix, it seems unlikely that Sacramento will send the fourth-overall pick back out for the second leg of a back-to-back after essentially playing like the MVP this summer’s showcase in Las Vegas.

In his three appearances in the desert, Murray holds averages of 24.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals while shooting 47 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the three-point line.

If Smith and Murray both suit up and end Summer League on an absolute high-note, that’s a win for NBA fans. But if they don’t, the Kings have already ended the summer with a win.

Murray looks like the real deal, and that’s enough to send Kings fans into the dog days of the offseason feeling pretty good as we wait for training camp to open up in September.

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