Wolves hold off Brooklyn 85-77, will play for NBA Summer League title

LAS VEGAS – The Timberwolves will play for a summer championship Monday night in Sin City.

Naz Reid had 20 points and six rebounds, and the Wolves improved to 6-0 in the NBA Vegas Summer League with an 85-77 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The 19-year-old Reid, who has signed a two-way contract with the Wolves, is averaging 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in the six games and said he is working on adjusting to the pros.

"It's very different from college, AAU or high school," he said. "Just being able to adapt to it, I feel I have been so far."

The Wolves — playing without 2018 first-round pick Josh Okogie, who suffered a left ankle/shin contusion Saturday night — will play the Memphis Grizzlies for the league title Monday night. That game will be at 8 p.m. and televised on ESPN2.

In 2016, a Wolves team that featured Tyus Jones and was coached by Ryan Saunders also played for the Summer League title, losing to the Chicago Bulls 84-82 in overtime.

Brooklyn scored the first nine points of the game, but the Wolves responded with an 18-4 run. They led 29-26 after one quarter and 54-48 at halftime, then took control with a 24-11 advantage in the third quarter as their lead grew to as many as 25 points.

Jordan McLaughlin scored 12 points and Mitchell Creek had 11 for the Wolves. Former Gophers forward Jordan Murphy finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Keita Bates-Diop had five points on 2-for-9 shooting in 22 minutes.

Nets third-year center Jarrett Allen, who averaged 10.9 points per game in 80 starts last season, had 15 points and 14 rebounds, but he fell hard to the floor in the third quarter and left because of a left hip contusion.

"It's a great experience, going against a guy like that, who's tough, who's athletic, who can do a lot of things at the NBA level that others really can't do," Reid said of facing Allen.

With Allen on the floor injured, the Wolves ended up with a six-point possession: Jared Terrell made a three-pointer; Brooklyn's Rodions Kurucs was called for a flagrant foul for shoving Reid; and the Nets were called for a pair of technical fouls to boot.