NBA Summer League announces 2018 schedule

Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. takes the ball down the court against Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso during the NBA Summer League semifinal game at Thomas and Mack Center on Sunday, July 16, 2017, in Las Vegas. Morgan Lieberman Las Vegas Review-Journal

The NBA Summer League, which for the first time will host all 30 teams, features two marquee games on the event’s first Saturday night, the NBA announced Tuesday.

The Summer League runs July 6 to 17 at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion with the biggest games set for Saturday, July 7: Lakers vs. 76ers at 8:30 p.m. and the Suns and Kings at 4:30 p.m. Both games are at Thomas & Mack Center.

The Lakers won the Summer League championship last year and met the 76ers open their defense against Philadelphia, who made the No. 1 choice in the 2017 draft. The 76ers will pick 10th in this year’s draft with a selection originally owned by the Lakers, then again at 26. The Lakers have the Cavaliers’ first-round pick, 25th overall.

The teams with the first two picks in the NBA Draft will meet earlier in the day, when the Suns and the No. 1 overall pick meet the Kings and the No. 2 pick.

The Hawks, who pick third, will play the Knicks on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Each team will play a minimum of five games, starting with three preliminary games from July 6-10. The tournament begins July 11 and ends with the championship game at 7 p.m. on July 17.

More NBA Summer League: Follow all of our NBA Summer League coverage online at reviewjournal.com/summerleague and @RJ_Sports on Twitter.

Contact Justin Emerson at jemerson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2944. Follow @J15Emerson on Twitter.