Utah State guard Sam Merrill walks again up the courtroom on the Smith Spectrum following one of many remaining performs of the Aggies’ upset of No. 12 Nevada on Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Logan. Jeff Hunter
A shorthanded Utah Jazz group fell to the Houston Rockets 115-101 within the semifinals of the NBA Summer season League in Las Vegas on Sunday, however Monday evening’s championship sport will nonetheless have some Beehive State aptitude.
That’s as a result of simply earlier than the Jazz and Rockets squared off, former Utah State star Sam Merrill and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-99 to advance.
Each the Cavaliers and Rockets are undefeated at 5-0 this week in Las Vegas.
Merrill has been glorious all through your complete occasion, as he averaged 18.7 factors per sport within the first three contests. He sat out the fourth one however got here again Sunday to attain 19 factors and added 5 assists, 4 rebounds and a steal in a team-high 36 minutes.
Cleveland gained Sunday because the NBA is utilizing the dramatic “Elam Ending” in time beyond regulation throughout summer season league. With the groups tied at 94, the goal rating was 101, and Isaiah Mobley (the brother of Cavs budding star Evan Mobley) sealed the take care of a bucket.
Merrill, who starred at Bountiful Excessive earlier than going to Utah State, is making an attempt to indicate that he deserves a spot on Cleveland’s roster subsequent season.
Final season, he performed primarily for the Cavs’ NBA G League group after being the primary general choose within the 2022 G League draft, however he signed a contract with Cleveland in March for the rest of the marketing campaign.
So far as the Jazz are involved, they performed Sunday with out Ochai Agbaji, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Johnny Juzang, Brice Sensabaugh and Luka Samanic.
After the groups had been tied on the finish of the primary quarter, the Rockets gained the second by 12 and didn’t look again, with Utah solely getting as shut as inside seven within the fourth quarter.
Monday’s championship sport between the Cavs and Rockets is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. MT and could be seen on ESPN.