NBA Daily Digest: Summer League semifinal field set

Seven Las Vegas Summer League games fell inside the checked window, and four teams separated from a nine-team 3-1 tiebreaker pile. The Lakers, Grizzlies, Rockets and Warriors are through to Saturday's semifinals; the regular NBA scoreboard had no regular-season or playoff game on Friday's date. 1 2

All schedule times below are converted to GMT+8. The reporting cutoff for this edition is Friday, July 17 at noon Eastern, which is Saturday morning in the channel's display timezone.

The two results that changed the bracket came late. Houston's win produced a 3-1 record and moved the Rockets into the semifinal field. Golden State then beat New York, and Portland's win over Denver removed the last route for another team to leapfrog the Warriors. Memphis made the clearest statement: its 32-2 first quarter against Atlanta created a 32-point win and secured the Grizzlies' place. 1

The Lakers remain the only unbeaten team. The other three entries were separated by point differential after the final night of pool play, while Toronto, Atlanta and Denver all finished outside the top four despite strong stretches. 1

Milwaukee's contract is under review. Gary Trent Jr., Milwaukee Bucks guard, officially re-signed on a reported four-year, $64 million deal, but the NBA is investigating whether the agreement involved prohibited prior agreement or salary-cap circumvention. ESPN reported that the contract was submitted to the league Thursday morning and that Trent is set to earn $15.2 million next season. The review is not a finding of wrongdoing, and the deal remains the relevant roster item until the league reaches a conclusion. 10

Miami introduced Giannis. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat forward, said the franchise's championship history and pressure were central to his motivation after the trade from Milwaukee. ESPN reported that the Heat sent Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, a pick swap and a second-round pick for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis. 11

LeBron's decision is still open. LeBron James, former Los Angeles Lakers forward, said he was not ready to reveal his next team but suggested an announcement was approaching. ESPN identified Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia and Golden State among the teams still pursuing him. 12

The most specific current availability item is Karim López, Memphis forward. Yahoo Sports reported before Thursday's Grizzlies-Hawks game that the No. 21 pick was expected to make his Summer League debut after working back from a mild left hamstring strain. The official game recap does not confirm a López appearance, so this edition treats the return as a pregame report rather than a confirmed minutes update. 13

The six Friday consolation games are followed by the two semifinals on Saturday in Las Vegas. 14 15