Play nears end as league sets attendance record

Winding down

The Nuggets and Hornets are in the second half at Thomas & Mack, which means the summer league is winding down for 2009. Following Denver-New Orleans will be the Clippers and Suns in the Mack with Portland facing the D-League Select in Cox Pavilion.Summer League director Warren LeGarie said the plan is to stay at 22 teams in 2010 and the ticket prices ($25 for adults, $15 for kids) will stay the same for next year.

Record attendance

The final numbers won’t be available until Monday but the summer league set a new record for attendance. Through Saturday, 39,304 had attended the nine sessions. The record, set in 2008 was 40,368 for 10 sessions.

Thabeet’s struggles continue

It’s been a tough week for Memphis’ Hasheem Thabeet. The 7-foot-3-inch center from Connecticut, who the Grizzlies took with the No. 2 overall pick, couldn’t build on his 10-point, seven-rebound effort from Saturday as he had just nine points and eight boards in the Grizzlies’ 76-75 win over San Antonio. Many have labeled him the biggest disappointment of the summer league after averaging just six points and 4.5 rebounds. Given his status, it may be hard to argue with that.

Beck finishes strong

Former UNLV guard Romel Beck finished up his summer league stint with the Spurs with a good outing against the Grizzlies, scoring nine points. Beck averaged 11 points in five games.

Rockets, Griz share title

With Memphis edging San Antonio, the Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets were the only undefeated teams in the summer league and they shared the championship with 5-0 records. For the Rockets, it’s their second Vegas title, having won it in 2006.

Griffin vs. Griffin next

The 55th and final summer league game pits brother against brother as Blake Griffin and the Clippers takes on Taylor Griffin and the Suns in the Thomas & Mack at 7:30. We’ll let you know who gets bragging rights.