Heat advances to Las Vegas Summer League championship game with win over Warriors

The Miami Heat began summer league this year with a loss to the Golden State Warriors. But the Heat made sure this year’s summer league run didn’t end with another loss to the Warriors.

The Heat avenged that 39-point blowout defeat at the start of summer league with a 102-99 win over the Warriors on Sunday at Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV’s campus in the Las Vegas Summer League semifinals.

With the victory, the Heat advances to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday (8 p.m., ESPN) in the Las Vegas Summer League championship game. It marks the first time that the Heat has made the summer league championship game since Las Vegas began crowning a champion in 2013, with rings and a trophy awarded to the summer league champion.

That lopsided loss to the Warriors on July 6 in the California Classic is still the Heat’s only loss of summer league. With a 2-1 record in the California Classic and 5-0 record in the Las Vegas Summer League, the Heat holds a 7-1 overall record in this year’s summer league.

“We always want to win,” Heat summer league head coach Dan Bisaccio said following Sunday’s victory. “So no matter what, when we have an opportunity to win a championship, of course we’re going for it. It doesn’t matter if it’s summer league, it doesn’t matter if it’s some kind of spring ball. Whatever it is, we’re always going to want an opportunity to compete for a championship.”

The Heat rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to punch its ticket to the championship game in Las Vegas, using a 27-11 run to take a six-point lead with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter.

Then it turned into a back-and-forth possession game down the stretch, with six lead changes in the final 2:46 of the game.

But Josh Christopher’s big fourth quarter was enough to lift the Heat past the Warriors, as he converted on a game-winning three-point play (fadeaway jumper and one free throw) to turn a one-point deficit into two-point lead for Miami with 40 seconds to play. The Heat never trailed again.

Christopher scored 13 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.

This year’s Heat draft picks Kel’el Ware (first-round selection) and Pelle Larsson (second-round selection) led the way early, combining for 23 of the team’s first 32 points.

Ware finished the win with 18 points and five rebounds.

Larsson recorded 21 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals for his best performance of summer league.

The Warriors were led by former first-round pick Kevin Knox II, who scored a game-high 31 points.

“We’re not done,” Christopher said. “Obviously, this was a really big win. A team that beat us by 39 in San Francisco. The goal hasn’t changed, even from our first game when we got destroyed. Our goal still stayed the same, a championship.”

Here are other observations and things to know from the Heat’s summer league win over the Warriors:

▪ Heat forward Keshad Johnson missed his second straight game after spraining his left ankle during Wednesday’s summer league win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Johnson, who the Heat has already signed to a two-way deal, has been one of the biggest summer league positives for Miami. He has impressed with his motor, physicality and versatility on both ends of the court, averaging 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in six summer league appearances for the Heat.

Projected as a three-and-D forward at the NBA level, Keshad has shot 7 of 18 (38.9 percent) on threes and has racked up nine steals and six blocks during his six summer league games.

▪ Christopher has been one of the Heat’s summer league standouts. Through the Heat’s first four games in Las Vegas, the 22-year-old guard averaged 17.3 points on 57.1 percent shooting from the field and 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) shooting from three-point range in four Las Vegas Summer League appearances.

Christopher continued his summer league surge with Sunday’s 23-point outing.

Christopher (6-foot-4 and 215 pounds) is a former first-round pick, as he was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He’s still looking for an NBA contract after spending part of last season with the Heat’s G League affiliate.

▪ Isaiah Stevens, who went undrafted out of Colorado State, made his third straight start for the Heat at point guard ahead of Zyon Pullin.

Stevens, who is the only player who the Heat currently has signed to an Exhibit 10 tryout contract, has impressed in summer league. He continued his summer league run with another quality performance, recording 15 points, three rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block in 36 minutes in Sunday’s win.

Stevens has dished out 40 assists to 12 turnovers in his last five summer league appearances.

Pullin, who is one of three players who the Heat has signed to a two-way contract, was again quiet on Sunday. He missed his only shot attempt of the game in four minutes off the bench.

The Exhibit 10 deal, which is essentially an invite to training camp, protects Stevens from being signed away by another team. This gives the Heat until the eve of the regular season to make a decision on whether it wants to make Stevens a part of its NBA roster or waive him.

▪ Guard Alondes Williams finished Sunday’s loss with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Heat.

Forward Cole Swider struggled to make shots, scoring just three points on three free throws for the Heat. He shot 0 of 6 from the field and 0 of 5 on threes.

Swider and Williams remain unrestricted free agents after finishing last season as Heat two-way contract players. The Heat withdrew their qualifying offers earlier this month, allowing both players to outright sign a two-way or standard contract with any NBA team.

▪ With so many players impressing for the Heat during summer league, the front office faces some tough roster decisions.

With no room under the second apron to sign a 15th player to a standard contract and all three two-way contract slots currently occupied, the Heat would need to waive a player to promote a prospect from a summer contract to its NBA roster.

The Heat is not expected to add to its standard roster before the season because of its position against the second apron, so the addition would likely come on a two-way deal. Dru Smith, Johnson and Pullin currently occupy Miami’s two-way contract slots, but two-way deals can be swapped out at any point with no effect on the team’s salary-cap situation.

Among those on the Heat’s summer league roster currently without a two-way or standard contract who are candidates to be moved to Miami’s NBA roster are Stevens, Christopher, Swider and Williams.

While Stevens can’t be signed away because he’s locked into an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat, Christopher, Swider and Williams are currently free to be poached by another NBA team at any point.