NBA summer league 2022: Previewing the Sunday title game between the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers

After 10 days of play in the desert, the NBA 2K23 Summer League championship game will take place Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas (3 p.m. ET on ESPN). This year saw the debut of several lottery picks for the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets, and the return of the Golden State Warriors' 2020 lottery pick, but the title game will feature the New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Both teams were among seven squads that finished their first four summer league games at 3-1, but because of superior point differential — the Knicks at plus-47 and the Blazers at plus-33 — New York and Portland earned the right to square off for the crown.

And for the first time in Las Vegas summer league history, the winners will receive championship rings. So there's clearly a lot to play for, right?

Sunday won't be the first time these two teams have met in Vegas this year. On Monday, the Blazers defeated the Knicks 88-77. Trendon Watford led Portland with 18 points in that contest, while Quentin Grimes had a game-high 24 for New York.

Here's a look at how both teams made it to this point and a breakdown of key players to watch in the championship game.

After opening summer league play with an 81-78 loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Blazers bounced back with wins over the New Orleans Pelicans (85-68), the Knicks (88-77) and the Houston Rockets (85-77).

Portland could have easily been counted out after losing the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Shaedon Sharpe, after just five minutes on opening night, but the team battled back with three consecutive victories while holding opponents to an average of 74 points per game in the 10-minute-quarter summer league contests.

After Sharpe was pulled out of the first game, an MRI revealed