The Lakers headed for the second title game of the summer league

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers will meet in the NBA Summer League Championship for a second consecutive season.

Last year, Kyle Kuzma lost 30 points to lead the Lakers to a 110-98 victory. Portland

This year it will be MVP candidate Josh Hart – one of two returning players from last year's team – looking to win a second consecutive title for the Lakers (6-0). Alex Caruso is also back for Los Angeles

But for Hart, who has not played in the 2017 game, he does not consider it a double-round, given that the squad of the team this year is different. 19659005] "Our identity is totally different, the make-up is totally different, this team last year we had three first rounders and a second rounder, so the makeup was totally different and the way we played was totally different" Hart m & Said. "This team is tough, she is willing and determined to win. I came here to win, I came here to dominate and that's what I want to do tomorrow."

While Hart is one of the leading candidates for the summer league, he said that he is not worried about following the footsteps of Lonzo Ball, who received the l & # 39; honor last season.

"This testifies to the hard work I've put into this season, but I'm not going for individual braces, that's never been a reason why I've played at that. play – I play this game to win, "said Hart, who has an average of 24.1 to six games. "If we win, it's the biggest thing."

It will not be easy, as Portland (6-0) has three players in the team last year, including Zach Collins, a native of Las Vegas, and Caleb. Swanigan and Jake Layman.

"We all want to win here, we have come so far, so why come home with a loss," said Layman, who averages 14 points after the first six games. "It's fun for us to play again, we had a difficult loss last year, we did not have our best game. So I think we're all excited to come back and to win this year. "

For Collins, he personally seeks redemption, after being beaten last summer in his home town and getting injured before the championship, enduring the rigors of a season then. tough rookie

and nothing would mean more to him than to win a professional championship. Even though it is a summer champion title, in front of friends and family members.

"The team was busy doing business and came to the championship and I had to go back to Portland to improve, I was not part of it. It's my first year, "said Collins, who won four high school state championships at Bishop Gorman and helped Gonzaga participate in the 2017 National Championship." I'm excited, we've come all this way, we played well to go that far and that's our goal, our goal was to win and win, and we are at a victory to do that. "[19659005] LAKERS 112, RIDERS 109

Hart scored 37 points and caught nine rebounds to lead the Lakers to a semifinal victory. Svi Mykhailiuk scored 31 points for the Lakers, while Jeff Ayres added 20.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes made the game when he snatched a loose ball and nurtured Ayres with a nice touch under the basket with 45 seconds to the second extension. Rathan-Mayes followed Ayres's lay-in with a sharp lay-up to put the Lakers up 110-106 with 22 seconds left.

Cleveland's Billy Preston missed a 3-pointer to the buzzer.

Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers (5-2) with 27 points, while Jamel Artis and John Holland each scored 17.

TRAIL BLAZERS 97, GRIZZLIES 92

Swanigan and Collins both had a double-double to lead Portland in the second semifinal. Swanigan scored 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Collins had 13 and 12. Archie Goodwin added 22 points for the Trail Blazers

The Grizzlies (4-3) were led by Brandon Goodwin, who had 27 points, while Kobi Simmons scored 34 and Markel Crawford added 19.

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