Josh Christopher, Pelle Larsson Lead Miami Heat To Summer League Title Game

The Miami Heat defeated the Golden State Warriors 102-99 on Sunday night to advance to Monday's championship game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Don't tell the Miami Heat that it's only a summer league tournament. They are playing to win a ring.

Jul 10, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) on the sideline during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat avenged their only loss of the summer, a California Classic defeat to the Golden State Warriors by clawing back to defeat the Warriors 102-99 Sunday night in NBA 2K25 action at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The Heat will take on the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night at 8 p.m. for their first ever summer league championship. Should the Heat win Monday night, they will be awarded with championship rings and a trophy.

"We always want to win," Heat summer league coach Dan Bisaccio said after the game. "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."

Miami was trailing by ten points in the third quarter before they turned the game around. Miami went on a 27-11 run to grab a temporary lead in the fourth quarter. The game was at issue until the waning seconds.

Josh Christopher had another big fourth quarter as he scored 13 of his team-high 23 points in the final stanza. He had a big three-point play with 40 seconds left to give Miami the lead they would not relinquish.

"We're not done, obviously this was a big win," Christopher said. "Our goal is the same, to win a championship. I'm really just honing in on a road that impacts winning and we are doing that as a unit."

Pelle Larsson added 21 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals. The game marked the first time this summer that the guard went over the 20-point mark. Kel'el Ware continued his domination of the summer league with 18 points and five rebounds.

Warriors former first-round pick Kevin Knox II scored a game high 31 points to pace Golden State.

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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