Heat push past Grizzlies in unique OT to win championship at Vegas summer league

The mere fact that competitive NBA basketball was being played on July 22 made Monday night at the Las Vegas NBA Summer League unusual enough.

The fact that the game then went to an overtime decided by the first team to score seven points in the extra period made it all the more unusual.

But, in the end, ultimately satisfying for the Miami Heat, who managed to steal into the desert night with the championship of the event with a 120-118 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, a win decided when Heat second-round pick Pelle Larsson scored on a driving shot in the lane to end the untimed extra period.

For the Heat, the victory, which included rings and a postgame trophy ceremony, capped a 6-0 run in Las Vegas and an overall 8-1 summer, when factoring in a 2-1 record in the preceding California Classic summer league in San Francisco.

It took an across-the-board effort Monday night for the Heat to secure the championship, with first-round pick Kel’el Ware closing with 21 points and 10 rebounds, supported by 24 points from Josh Christopher, 21 from Alondes Williams, 19 from Cole Swider and 16 from Larsson. It was a Cole 3-pointer that helped the Heat force overtime.

Christopher, who like Williams and Swider remains without a contract commitment from a team for next season, was named Most Valuable Player of the championship game.

“We’ve been grinding from the start, and now we win,” said Christopher, who closed 6 of 10 on 3-pointers. “Just trust and playing hard. We wanted to win, and we won.”

It proved to be a considerable challenge, with the Grizzlies getting 32 points from Jake LaRavia, 29 from Scotty Pippen Jr. and 28 from GG Jackson.

“They made it tough for us,” Heat summer coach Dan Bisacio said.

But he also credited the work his summer roster had put in over these past three weeks.

“They deserve all the credit,” he said. “They worked so hard from Day 1.”

Overtime began tied 113-113 — making 120 the target score.

A Larsson layup then put the Heat up 115-113, with free throws by Jackson and LaRavia leaving it tied 115-115.

A Christopher 3-pointer then put the Heat ahead 118-115, before LaRavia tied it with a 3-pointer of his own.

That effectively made it next basket wins, at 118-118.

Off a Heat timeout, Larsson scored on a driving layup for the victory.

“Coach drew up a great play that we’ve run in practice a bunch of times,” Larsson said. “They did a good job of guarding it … and then I just made it.”

For Larsson, it capped a gritty effort that came while playing through foul trouble.

“Pelle did a great job setting the tone,” Bisaccio said.

Larsson said the fuel for the moment came naturally.

“Just my hunger,” Larsson said. “I’m always hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry.”

And so, hours after Ware was named to the event’s All-Summer League first team and second-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. to the second team, the Heat got to celebrate a title.

The Heat made one change from the starting lineup that opened Sunday’s semifinal win over the Golden State Warriors, with Williams starting in place of Swider. Remaining in the starting lineup were Isaiah Stevens, Ware, Larsson and Christopher.

Missing his third consecutive game for the Heat was undrafted forward Keshad Johnson, with the ankle sprain sustained in the Wednesday victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Johnson, who had a solid start to summer league, is under a two-way contract.

Unsigned center Warren Washington and unsigned guard Caleb Daniels were the first two off the bench for the Heat. Swider then followed, with undrafted Florida guard Zyon Pullin, who is on a two-way contract, making it nine deep.

With Ware showing fatigue, French big man Neal Sako then was inserted in the second period.

The Grizzlies led 25-24 at the end of the opening period, 57-54 at halftime and 94-87 through three quarters.

Like Larsson, Christopher and Stevens played in foul trouble, all three forced to the bench in the third period with their fourth fouls. Stevens later fouled out with four points, six assists and four rebounds in 24 minutes.

As for the All-Summer League teams, Ware was joined on the first team by the Rockets’ Reed Sheppard, the Clippers’ Jordan Miller and a pair of Grizzlies, Jackson and Scotty Pippen. Miller is the former University of Miami guard who was selected in the 2023 second round by the Clippers.

Jaquez was joined on the second team by the Wizards’ Bub Carrington, Trail Blazers’ Donovan Clingan, Pacers’ Jarace Walker and Nets’ Jalen Wilson.