LAS VEGAS (AP) — Wash. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers will meet in the NBA Summer League championship for a second straight season.
Last year Kyle Kuzma dropped a game-high 30 points to lead the Lakers to a 110-98 victory over Portland.
This year it’ll be MVP-candidate Josh Hart — one of two returning players from last year’s team — looking to earn a second straight title for the Lakers (6-0). Alex Caruso is also back for Los Angeles.
But for Hart, who didn’t play in the 2017 title game, he is not looking at it as a two-peat, given the complexion of this year’s squad is different.
“Our identity is totally different, the make-up is totally different, that team last year we had three first-rounders and a second rounder, so the make-up was totally different and how we played was totally different,” Hart said. “This team is tough, is gutty and determined to win. I came here to win, I came here to dominate and that’s what I want to do tomorrow.”
While Hart is a leading candidate for MVP of the entire summer league, he said he’s not worried about following in the footsteps of Lonzo Ball, who was awarded the honor last season.