The Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets enter Thursday's Summer League finale with identical 2-1 records and a chance to strengthen their case for a semifinal spot.
The Brooklyn Nets will wrap up their NBA 2K26 Summer League schedule on Thursday afternoon against the Houston Rockets at 4:30 p.m. ET at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The game will air on ESPNU and YES via Gotham Sports.
Brooklyn enters the matchup with a 2-1 record in Las Vegas after a dominant 115-83 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. The Nets controlled the game from start to finish, delivering one of their most complete performances of Summer League.
Egor Dëmin continued his outstanding play by leading Brooklyn with 22 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Drake Powell followed with 18 points in a breakout performance after struggling to find his rhythm through the first four games of the summer.
Mikel Brown Jr. added 16 points and five rebounds, Danny Wolf finished with 14 points, Chaney Johnson recorded 13 points and nine rebounds, and Ben Saraf contributed 11 points, five assists and four steals as all five Nets starters scored in double figures.
Defense has been Brooklyn's biggest strength throughout Summer League. The Nets enter Thursday with the second-best defense in Las Vegas, allowing just 77.0 points per game, trailing only the San Antonio Spurs. They've also posted the tournament's best point differential at plus-17.0 per game, highlighting how dominant they have been on both ends of the floor.
The Rockets also come into Thursday with a 2-1 record after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 90-64 on Tuesday. Houston put together an impressive defensive performance, holding Philadelphia to just 23-of-74 (31.1%) shooting from the field.
Bruce Thornton, Houston's 2026 second-round pick, led the way with 18 points, while Isaiah Crawford finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Tristen Newton also made a strong impact with 17 points and six rebounds as the Rockets cruised to the victory.
Thursday's matchup carries significant importance for both teams. It marks the final game of the Summer League schedule before the semifinal field is determined, with only the top four teams advancing to compete for the championship. A victory would put Brooklyn in strong position to earn one of those coveted semifinal spots and continue its pursuit of a Summer League title.
With two of the tournament's top defensive teams facing off and both clubs still in contention for a championship, Thursday's showdown should provide one of the most competitive matchups of the final day of Summer League play.
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