LAS VEGAS — A new champion will be crowned Sunday as the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets prepare to square off in the NBA Summer League final after a week filled with breakout performances and tight games.
Both teams entered the playoffs undefeated at 4-0, advancing through tiebreakers rooted in point differential to secure their place among the final four. Sacramento’s well-balanced offense, highlighted by the standout play of rookie Nique Clifford (averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game), powered them past the competition in Las Vegas.
✅ @hornets pic.twitter.com/SvUPsFtDLb
— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 20, 2025
The Kings led all Summer League squads in three-point shooting, connecting on 38.8% of their attempts and averaging 95.3 points per game.
The Hornets, led by rookie Kon Knueppel (13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists) and late first-round selection Liam McNeeley (18 points, 8.5 rebounds per game), held their own throughout with a +12.8 point differential in the preliminary stage. Second-year guard KJ Simpson was the Hornets’ leading scorer (19.3 points per game) and distributor (5.5 assists). Charlotte secured the No. 3 seed after defeating the Spurs, pushing them ahead thanks to their impressive point margin.
“It was really cool. The whole team, the whole bench was talking. I really love the culture of Charlotte.” Liam McNeeley told the Charlotte CW on Friday night.
The Thomas and Mack Center Championship game is set for tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. PT.
