The Warriors’ Summer League campaign started with a win over the Heat and ended with a loss to them.
Golden State started summer play 8-0, with a California Classic championship and five straight wins in Las Vegas. But with a chance to advance to the Summer League championship, the Warriors couldn’t hold a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
In a game with 14 lead changes, Golden State fell, 102-99, to Miami in the semifinals, ending an impressive summer campaign.
In the loss, Kevin Knox II (31 points on 12-for-17 shooting) provided a major lift off the bench and two-way player Pat Spencer logged 14 points and seven assists. But Miami’s Josh Christopher and Kel’el Ware thrived in the fourth quarter, helping Miami take the lead and then put Golden State away.
Miami rookie Pelle Larsson (21 points, six assists) hit two free throws to officially send Miami to the championship against Memphis.
The Warriors fell behind early, but Knox and the bench picked them up.
One of Golden State’s strengths this summer has been their depth. Director of basketball development Ryan Atkinson assembled the team with a coherent vision, with multiple experienced players added from outside the organization, like Knox.
Knox scored 12 points in his first nine minutes, leading a 15-0 run from the Warriors bench.
The Heat answered, but Knox continued to roll, helping the Warriors enter halftime with a 47-45 lead.
Second-round pick Quinten Post played in his second Summer League game, but the Warriors went small for vast stretches of the game. The Warriors ran out of center options behind Post with Roman Sorkin inactive, Marques Bolden injured and Trayce Jackson-Davis shut down.
Post made an impact with back-to-back dunks in the third quarter, each of which were assisted by Spencer. Then Knox canned another 3, giving Golden State seven unanswered points.
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But the Heat stayed competitive and retook the lead early in the fourth quarter. As Daeqwon Plowden struggled, the Warriors searched for another scoring option outside of Spencer and Knox. Plowden, the Summer League standout who earned a two-way deal, missed all seven of his field goal attempts — including five 3-pointers.
Miami opened the fourth on a 17-6 run as Golden State went cold. Post found himself open underneath for another dunk, but also air-mailed a 3. At that point, Golden State was just 6-for-30 (20%) from deep.
The Warriors’ lack of center options became apparent as Ware got going in the fourth, particularly against Golden State’s smaller lineups. The Indiana rookie registered 18 points and five boards.
Knox drove relentlessly to the cup, keying a 7-0 run to give the Warriors an 89-88 lead with 2:30 left. Although the Warriors gave up size, their smaller lineups opened up driving lanes. Spencer beat his man off the dribble and found Knox for a corner 3, making it a one-point Miami lead a minute later, and Yuri Collins’ layup put the Warriors back on top.
But Christopher, who had been jawing with Spencer earlier in the game, hit a circus and-1 in the paint and a late turnover from Spencer and Plowden’s missed free throws with 5.9 seconds left ended Golden State’s bid.
