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Grizzlies

In terms of their title-contending window, the Memphis Grizzlies are perhaps in the best position of any team in the NBA.
The fact is that Memphis forced their window open a few years earlier than anyone would have anticipated. The oldest guys on the current roster are Steven Adams and Kyle Anderson, both 28 years of age. At the start of the 2022-23 season, the top three players for the Grizzlies will be 24 years old (Desmond Bane) and 23 years old (Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.). The team with the second-best record in the league has a core that has not even scratched its prime.
Memphis is here, and with Morant likely to be locked up through 2027, this franchise will be competitive for quite a while. And moving ahead, recently named 2022 NBA Executive of the Year Zach Kleiman is now tasked with some decisions for Memphis to continue on this fast-rising arc.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s definitely a lot to be said about core continuity,&rdquo; Kleiman <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/article/28749/zach-kleiman-named-nba-executive-of-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently told Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>. &ldquo;We are not going to have any issue paying anyone who we want to pay. There is not going to be any issue with retention here. I&rsquo;m very grateful, and we wouldn&rsquo;t be in this spot without (Grizzlies owner) Robert [Pera]&rsquo;s vision and support and commitment on that end. We are not worried about small-market notions or this or that. We are not going to have any issue whatsoever keeping together who we want as we continue to prioritize continuity.&rdquo;
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There a few names that come to play in regards to "retention." Heading into this offseason, Tyus Jones, Jarrett Culver and Anderson will all be entering unrestricted <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free agency</a>. The Grizzlies were able to steal Jones and Anderson from their respective teams during their restricted-free-agency summers, but now the question is whether they will retain either of them this offseason.
There should be little to no argument that Jones is the best backup point guard in the NBA. His steady play and care of the ball played a major role in the Grizzlies winning the way they did this season, even when Morant went down with injury. In his exit interview, Jones told reporters that, while he does desire to be a starting point guard, he "loves the organization and playing with this team."
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Paying Tyus starter money to back up Morant is like paying for an expensive insurance policy. You may never get your money's worth, but when you need it in an emergency situation, you are sure glad you have it. With Ja's style of play, having Jones on the roster seems like the most valuable potential signing Memphis could have this summer. They could front load the contract to make the money work long-term, and then draft another point guard to be ready by the end of Jones' next deal.&nbsp;
Anderson, while more likely to return than Culver, has probably played his last game in a Memphis uniform. His veteran presence was important in the playoffs this season, but his inability to shoot leaves Memphis looking for an upgrade. Anderson is a holdover from the Chris Wallace regime, and though he has been a cultural fit in the locker room, it may be time to move on.
Adams, Dillon Brooks and Killian Tillie will all be on expiring deals worth over $30 million combined going into next season, and both Morant and Brandon Clarke are eligibile for their rookie-scale extensions. While Morant will get a max offer the second he is eligible, the decision on Clarke will loom large this summer. Memphis would do well to avoid restricted free agency in 2023 with the springy forward, and should look at a four-year, $50 million dollar extension as the ceiling for him.&nbsp;
With a pair of first-round picks and enough expiring money and cap space heading into the 2022 NBA Draft, will Memphis make a splash? The free-agent market is not enticing enough for them to sign anyone &mdash; especially considering they are going to have to pay Bane soon as well. A reunion with Delon Wright seems to be the best option if Memphis were to lose the Jones sweepstakes. Don't expect the Grizz to put their name in the hat for Zach Lavine this summer either.&nbsp;
Could Memphis pry Pascal Siakam away from Toronto for a package of Adams, Brooks and three first-round draft picks? Or perhaps Utah is open for business and there is a similar package, plus De'Anthony Melton, for Donovan Mitchell. A simpler upgrade for the Grizz could be Brooks and a pick for Bojan Bogdanovic, a veteran shooting presence Memphis needs.&nbsp;
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The Grizzlies' summer will be unpredictable. On one hand, they could be completely silent, doing nothing crazy and opt to run it back. On the other, they could swing for it, seeing their window open before Morant hits his first max contract.
Another big storyline for them will be the development of Ziaire Williams at NBA Summer League. The previous season, Bane went from a low-usage rookie to a summer-league standout to receiving a Third Team All-NBA vote. Williams is on the Bane plan, and if he were to breakout in a similar way, that is a massive development for the Grizzlies' title aspirations.
No matter what Memphis does this summer, the organization is ahead of schedule. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane make up one of the most lethal trios in the league, and they are just getting started.
The Grizzlies do not care if you believe in them. They believe in themselves, and are going to be in the thick of it for years to come.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis takes a look at the upcoming decisions the Grizzlies have to make in free agency and with their own roster this summer.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Memphis Grizzlies?

The NBA announced the 10 players who made the NBA All-Rookie teams in the 2021-22 season.
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Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley were unanimously selected to the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team. More ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/eqKb0CU5GU">https://t.co/eqKb0CU5GU</a> Voting results ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/sxxe12SfTu">pic.twitter.com/sxxe12SfTu</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1527080628625231875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The All-Rookie First Team features unanimous selections Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, and Evan Mobley, while Franz Wagner and Jalen Green rounded out the squad.
The All-Rookie Second Team features Herb Jones, Josh Giddey, Bones Hyland, Ayo Dosunmu and Chris Duarte.

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Other players received votes but did not make one of the teams including Jonathan Kuminga, Davion Mitchell, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Suggs, Ziaire Williams, Jose Alvarado, Austin Reaves, Josh Christopher, Trey Murphy III and Cam Thomas.

The NBA announced which players were named to the league's All-Rookie First Team and All-Rookie Second Team.

Barnes, Cunningham, Mobley headline NBA All-Rookie Teams

NEW YORK &ndash; NBA team basketball executives have selected Memphis Grizzlies Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Zach Kleiman as the winner of the 2021-22 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award, the NBA announced today.
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NBA team basketball executives have selected Memphis Grizzlies Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Zach Kleiman as the winner of the 2021-22 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award, the NBA announced today. More ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/XbxgH6RXZ2">https://t.co/XbxgH6RXZ2</a> <a href="https://t.co/innXghwI5m">pic.twitter.com/innXghwI5m</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1524766484160864256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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This is the first NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award for Kleiman, who has led Basketball Operations for Memphis for the last three years. &nbsp;Kleiman, 33, is the youngest recipient of the award, which has been presented annually since the 1972-73 season. &nbsp;He also becomes the second person to earn the honor with the Grizzlies, joining Jerry West (2003-04).
Kleiman received 16 of 29 first-place votes and earned 85 total points from a panel of team basketball executives across the NBA. &nbsp;Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karni&scaron;ovas tied for second place with 27 points each. &nbsp;Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones and Miami Heat President Pat Riley tied for fourth place with 26 points each. &nbsp;Executives were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
As Memphis&rsquo; lead personnel decision maker, Kleiman assembled a roster that finished with the second-best record in the NBA this season (56-26) and matched the franchise single-season record for victories. &nbsp;The Grizzlies secured the No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference, their highest seed ever.
This season, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was named a starter for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game and the winner of the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, and head coach Taylor Jenkins finished in second place in the voting for the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year Award. &nbsp;In 2019, Kleiman selected Morant with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft and hired Jenkins to his first NBA head coaching position. &nbsp;The same year, Kleiman acquired forward Brandon Clarke and guards Tyus Jones and De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, three valuable contributors to the 2021-22 team.
Memphis guard Desmond Bane, the 30th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, finished in fifth place in the voting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award after averaging 18.2 points and ranking second in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (43.6). &nbsp;In November 2020, Kleiman acquired Bane&rsquo;s draft rights as part of a three-team trade with the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers.
Under Kleiman, the Grizzlies also signed guard-forward Dillon Brooks and forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr. to multiyear contract extensions in February 2020 and October 2021, respectively. &nbsp;Brooks averaged 18.4 points this season. &nbsp;Jackson averaged 16.3 points and an NBA-high 2.27 blocks, finishing in fifth place in the voting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
In August 2021, Memphis acquired center Steven Adams and the draft rights to guard-forward Ziaire Williams, the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, as part of a three-team trade with the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. &nbsp;Adams started 75 of his 76 games this season and ranked 12th in the NBA in rebounding (10.0 rpg). &nbsp;Williams started 31 of his 62 games as a rookie and averaged 8.1 points.
Kleiman joined the Grizzlies in 2015 as their in-house legal counsel. &nbsp;He served as assistant general manager during the 2018-19 season and was promoted to his current role in April 2019. &nbsp;Prior to joining Memphis, Kleiman worked as an associate at the international law firm Proskauer Rose LLP.
Kleiman will be presented with a special edition 75th Anniversary commemorative trophy today in celebration of the honor, gifted in addition to the NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award trophy, which he will receive later. &nbsp;The commemorative trophy, composed of a solid crystal basketball, features the NBA 75 logo 3D laser etched and suspended within its center.
The voting results for the 2021-22 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award are below. &nbsp;The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young LLP.
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Grizzlies' Zach Kleiman has been chosen as the winner of the 2021-22 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award.

Grizzlies' Zach Kleiman wins 2021-22 NBA Executive of the Year award

Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones each scored 21 points and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Golden State Warriors 134-95 on Wednesday night to avoid elimination and force a sixth game in the Western Conference semifinal.
Dillon Brooks added 12 points for Memphis. Ziaire Williams and Brandon Clarke had 11 apiece and De&rsquo;Anthony Melton 10. Steven Adams had 13 rebounds, six offensive.
The Grizzlies never trailed, turning in their best performance of this series to pull to 3-2 even with All-Star guard Ja Morant sitting out his second straight game because of a bone bruise in his right knee. They improved to 4-11 when facing elimination.
Memphis scored 77 points in the first half, the most in franchise postseason history. The Grizzlies pushed their lead to 55 in the third quarter, threatening the three biggest postseason blowouts in NBA history. Their 52-point lead after three tied for the largest in a playoff game in the past 70 years.
When Memphis fans chanted &ldquo;Whoop That Trick! Whoop That Trick!&rdquo; early in the fourth, Stephen Curry laughed on the court laughing while Draymond Green swung a towel in unison with the crowd.
Game 6 is Friday night in San Francisco, where the Warriors have won five straight playoff games and their last seven overall.&nbsp;
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 19 points, Jonathan Kuminga added 17, Curry had 14 and Damion Lee and Moses Moody each had 10.
The Warriors lost for the first time with assistant Mike Brown filling in for coach Steve Kerr, who missed his second straight game since testing positive for COVID before Game 4.
The Grizzlies got back to doing the things that helped the post the second-best record during the regular season. They outrebounded Golden State and dominated on the offensive boards. They forced plenty of turnovers and got their best production from the bench of this series.
Golden State, thanks to Poole coming off the bench, had outscored Memphis&rsquo; reserves each of the first four games. Facing elimination, the Grizzlies had a 28-8 edge through the first two quarters and finished with a 52-35 margin.
Memphis led 38-28 at the end of the first quarter and continued a 24-8 run into the second quarter to go up 53-36t. They finished the second on a 20-4 run, including 14 straight, to outscore Golden State 39-22 for a 77-50 lead at halftime.
Then the Grizzlies opened the third quarter outscoring Golden State 20-6, prompting fans to start chanting &ldquo;Whoop That Trick.&rdquo; Memphis just pushing, outscoring Golden State 42-17 in the third for a 119-67 lead going into the fourth.
Brown benched most of his starters by 3:44 of the third, and Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins followed to start the fourth resting up for a flight to California and Game 6.
TIP-INS
Warriors: The 77 points allowed in the first half matched the most allowed all season. They also gave up 77 on Jan. 13 at Milwaukee. ... The Warriors also fell to 12-4 in Game 5s since 2015. ... Nemanja Bjelica started the third quarter in place of Jonathan Kuminga. Bjelica had played only four minutes in this series. ... Otto Porter Jr. played 12 minutes before being sidelined by a sore right foot.
Grizzlies: They matched their most first-half points, also scoring 77 against New Orleans on March 8. They did it by outscoring Golden State 24-5 on second-chance points with a 18-4 edge on the offensive boards.
POSTSEASON BLOWOUTS
The Bucks also led Philadelphia by 52 (124-72) on March 30, 1970. Denver beat New Orleans by 58 on April 27, 2009, matching the margin Minneapolis beat St. Louis on March 19, 1956. Golden State beat the Los Angeles Lakers by 56 on April 21, 1973.
GRIZZLIES&rsquo; D
Memphis scored 25 points off turnovers in the first half &mdash; most by any team in the 1st half over the last 25 postseasons. The Warriors had been averaging 19 turnovers a game in this series and had 14 by halftime and finished with 20.
BROWN&rsquo;S FIRST LOSS
Brown, the next coach of the Sacramento Kings, had been 12-0 coaching the Warriors in the postseason, winning 11 straight in the 2017 playoffs. He also won Game 4 when the Warriors took the lead for the first time with 45.7 seconds left to pull out a win for a 3-1 series lead.&nbsp;

Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones each scored 21 points and the Grizzlies routed the Warriors 134-95.

Grizzlies rout Warriors to avoid elimination, force Game 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Klay Thompson had 21 and nine rebounds and the Golden State Warriors shut down Ja Morant's supporting cast to embarrass the Memphis Grizzlies 142-112 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Morant's 3 just before the halftime buzzer got the Grizzlies to 64-57 at the break and gave him 17 of his 34 points after a 47-point performance in Game 2. But Morant couldn't do it alone for Memphis, and he was done after rubbing his tender right knee and limping off with 6:19 to play before heading to the locker room.
Still bothered by Dillon Brooks' hard foul in Game 2 that sidelined Gary Payton II, Draymond Green and Golden State kept cool from the opening tip &mdash; methodically running away with it. Instead, Memphis forward Kyle Anderson got ejected with 6:19 left for arguing an offensive foul.
Brooks was suspended for his Flagrant 2 foul in the first quarter Tuesday when he pounded the head of a driving Payton, who landed awkwardly and fractured his left elbow. He will be sidelined indefinitely, also with ligament and muscle damage.
Coach Steve Kerr said the play was &ldquo;dirty&rdquo; and broke an NBA &ldquo;code&rdquo; injuring someone and threatening his career, while Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins and his Grizzlies players defended their hard-nosed style as not dirty at all.
Brooks will be back for Game 4 on Monday night at Chase Center, where the raucous sellout crowd included two women holding signs of Payton's face insisting the <a href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1523082755487109120">Warriors &ldquo;Win it for Gary.&rdquo;</a>
Golden State did so with a balanced attack and energy on both ends after Green called for the offense to do more to better the defense.
Jordan Poole scored 27 points off the bench and Andrew Wiggins added 17 points for Golden State, which used a 10-0 run out of halftime to take command for good.
Rookie Jonathan Kuminga provided a spark starting in Payton&rsquo;s place, while Ziare Williams was in for Brooks.
Curry missed his initial two shots then scored his first points of the game by making a big 3 with 0.9 left in the first as the Warriors trailed 28-26.
Morant hit a 31-foot 3-pointer midway through the first and Williams dunked shortly after for a 21-8 lead and Memphis made 6 of 9 shots to start the game. But the Grizzlies went cold and made only 3 of the next 12 and watched the Warriors close the quarter with an 18-7 burst.
THOMPSON'S TOUCH
Thompson shot 8 for 13 with four 3-pointers in a solid shooting night.
He had been 11 for 38 from the floor, including 5 of 22 on 3-pointers, so far in the series before finding a better groove. Kerr figured it would happen soon enough.
&ldquo;Klay has been in a little bit of a rush. He's trying too hard to get himself going and he just needs to be a little more patient,&rdquo; Kerr said. "He&rsquo;s had some good looks, but he&rsquo;s also forced some others. He hasn&rsquo;t really gotten into a good rhythm, so that&rsquo;s hopefully something we can accomplish tonight.&rdquo;
ADAMS' ABSENCE
Grizzlies center Steven Adams was available to play for the first time this series series after coming out of the league health and safety protocols but the big man didn't play until the game was out of hand.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: G Desmond Bane's troublesome back was sore during Game 2 but has improved. &ldquo;His back is progressing. I don't think he's at full strength like he was in the regular season but he&rsquo;s the ultimate competitor,&rdquo; coach Taylor Jenkins said. Bane had 16 points in 29 minutes. ... Memphis shot 6 of 11 from 3-point range in the opening quarter.
Warriors: The Warriors outrebounded the Grizzlies 21-14 in the first half and 53-37 overall. ... Golden State is 4-0 playing at home during this postseason and 49-11 dating to the 2015 title run that ended with the franchise's first championship in 40 years.

Led by Steph Curry's 30 points, the Golden State Warriors routed the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3.

Curry, Thompson lead Warriors past Morant, Grizzlies 142-112

Ja Morant had one of those nights. His 47 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists led the way for a young Grizzlies team fighting to avoid a 2-0 series deficit versus the Golden State Warriors in the second round. He was, in a word, invincible out there on Tuesday evening.
That said, it'd be a disservice not to mention that Golden State lost its best Morant defender, Gary Payton II, due to an elbow injury within the first three minutes of the game. That's more than just a small footnote; 'GPII' is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the sport, a helacious screen sniffer-outer with the speed and physicality to stay epoxied to players of Morant's ilk as they bob and weave into the paint. There was a reason Payton II was promoted to Steve Kerr's starting lineup for each of the first two games. His job was to defend Morant at all costs.
Payton's injury left Golden State high and dry without any reliable options for the superstar Grizzly guard. Golden State's primary scheme versus pick-and-rolls is to simply switch assignments, so Morant went deep into his bag by targetting weaker Warrior options on PnR switches for a steady diet of downhill isolations.
Jordan Poole got the worst of it, diced up like a smoothie in a Ninja blender in a highlight that made rounds on social media almost instantaneously. Poole just doesn't have the experience nor the diligence to stick with Morant's wide array of moves&mdash;the fake-spins, the earth-shaking crossovers and through-the-legs dribbles&mdash;and was regularly left stumbling on his heels. Per NBA matchup stats, Morant went 3-for-5 when guarded by Poole, and the most shocking part about this stat is that he actually missed twice.
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Andrew Wiggins was Morant's primary defender, and while he did fare better than Poole by holding Morant to 33.3% shooting, Morant scored what ended up being the game-sealing floater by driving full force and then tapping his brakes to decelerate and get to his preferred right hand. Speed and change of pace appear to be Morant's most notable attributes when guarded by Wiggins. He basically Thanos-snapped the All-Star wing into dust with a helacious drive to close the third quarter.
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Golden State also gave Klay Thompson some reps against Morant, which, um... didn't go well. Morant shot a perfect 4-for-4 when guarded by Thompson, who very much looked like a player attempting to reclaim his former two-way greatness while coming off a two-year injury absence. It's probably too early to say Thompson has lost a step after ACL and Achillies tears in back-to-back seasons, but Tuesday night didn't necessarily help dispel that notion. Meanwhile, his backcourt buddy Steph Curry might be Golden State's best option going forward with Payton II on the mend. Not only did Curry record the game-sealing block against Morant in Game 1, he also held him to just 1-of-4 shooting in Game 2. Even on Morant's solo bucket, Curry does a nice job sending Morant to his weaker left hand before cutting off the driving lane. Ja just hits a ridiculous bank-shot through contact.
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Looking ahead, what are Golden State's options when attempting to contain this Tazmanian Devil of a power-guard? For one, disallowing Morant from attacking ill-suited defenders in isolation is certainly an idea worth exploring. Trapping pick-and-rolls by sending two defenders Morant's way just to get the ball out of his hands and forcing his teammates to finish possessions would also make sense. Per The Ringer's <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/5/4/23056681/ja-morant-grizzlies-warriors-nba-playoffs">Kevin O'Connor</a>, the Warriors trapped just one Grizzlies pick-and-roll, which eventually resulted in a three-pointer from a sub-32% shooter, Ziaire Williams.
Here's the problem: Late in the fourth quarter, Memphis may have already stumbled upon a possible counter should Golden State start blitzing pick-and-rolls.
Below, the Grizzlies run pick-and-roll by having Williams initially approach the left side of Wiggins' body to generate a drive going right for Ja Morant. Knowing this, Jordan Poole jumps in front of Williams to be in position to either switch or hedge the ball screen.&nbsp;
But it's all a ruse. At the last second, Williams flips his ball-screen to the right side of Wiggins' body, and because Poole was so eager to thwart Morant's preferred right-handed drive, he's now positioned poorly. Morant gladly takes the free lane to the basket down the left side of the floor for a gorgeous&nbsp;hanging layup.&nbsp;
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This wasn't the first time that Memphis preyed on Poole's inability to mask his intentions when guarding the pick-and-roll. Just one minute later, the Grizz went to the same action&mdash;this time with De'Anthony Melton faking and flipping his screen&mdash;and Poole is once again woefully out of position when he jumps out to contain the right-handed drive.
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These same principles of flipping ball screens could be applied if and when Golden State starts trapping pick-and-rolls. Imagine if, in each of the two clips above, Poole had taken a few steps higher to blitz the ball-screen from the right side of the floor. Williams would still have had a small window to set a screen on Wiggins' hip to send Morant left for the drive. It's worth mentioning that Morant is in that rarified class of athletes with a monstrous first step to beat traps with regularity.
Flat screens could also be something the Grizzlies could tinker with in lieu of the threat of a blitzing defense. Flat pick-and-rolls are when the screener sets the pick with his back completely parallel to the baseline. Because he isn't setting the screen on either side of the ball-handler defender's body, it makes it tough for the defense to tell which direction the ball-handler intends to go. It'd be at Morant's discretion to go left or right depending on which way the trapping defense was leaning.
(A brief tangent: Memphis could also experiment with snug pick-and-rolls should Golden State sag deep into the paint and dare Morant to shoot, a la Russell Westbrook. Snug pick-and-rolls, or PnRs closer to the basket, were how the Miami Heat countered the Los Angeles Lakers' paint-packed defense versus Jimmy Butler in the 2020 Finals. Setting screens closer to the rim puts the defense in a perilious situation with less time to recover, and all an explosive guard like Ja Morant needs is a slight advantage to take a few leaps and bounds to the rim to bust out his breathtaking athleticism.)
In Game 2, 21 of Ja Morant's 47 points came off drives, with most of those downhill attacks in isolation against grusomely underprepared Golden State defenders. It'll be interesting to see how Golden State responds. If the Dubs do indeed go the trapping route, Memphis already has displayed a few counters of their own with even more in their back-pocket. But ultimately, it all comes down to just how special of a driver Ja Morant is. He's fully equipt to beat aggressive schemes with pure athleticism. It turns out things get a lot easier when you boast the best downhill player of the last half-decade.
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Ja Morant single-handedly flipped the script in the Grizzlies-Warriors series, so how will Golden State respond defensively?

How the Grizzlies flipped the script on the Warriors

Ja Morant scored 47 points to match his postseason high and carry the Memphis Grizzlies into a tie in the Western Conference semifinals with a 106-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
Morant scored the last 15 points for Memphis, starting with 4:16 left. He drove and turned around a defender before hitting a 7-foot jumper with 1:42 left to put Memphis ahead to stay at 100-99. He added four free throws and a 9-footer finishing with 18 in the fourth quarter.
The NBA&rsquo;s Most Improved Player, who also had 47 in Game 2 against Utah last year, became only the third player in league history to have multiple 45-point games in the postseason before turning 23. The other two? LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Ziaire Williams hit four 3s and finished with 14 points off the bench. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 12 points before fouling out for the third time in eight games this postseason. Brandon Clarke added 10 points.
Now the youngest team to reach the semifinal round in the last 25 years heads to San Francisco for Game 3 on Saturday night knowing the series will return to Memphis for Game 5.&nbsp;
Stephen Curry finished with 27 points on 3-of-11 shooting outside the arc. Jordan Poole added 20 off the bench but was 1 of 6 from 3. Andrew Wiggins had 16, going 1 of 7 from 3. Klay Thompson finished with 12 points and was 2 of 12 from 3. The Warriors shot just 7 of 38 from 3-point range.
The Warriors, in the semifinals for the seventh time in 10 years, had their chances. Trailing 104-101, Curry passed to Green, who tossed it to Thompson, who traveled with 17 seconds left. Morant hit two free throws for the final margin.
The Grizzlies are coming off the franchise&rsquo;s first series win in seven years. But a team that was the NBA&rsquo;s second-youngest squad during the regular season is trying to take Memphis past the second round, something this franchise has done only once back in 2013.
It didn&rsquo;t get easier when Dillon Brooks, averaging 15 points this postseason and whose job was defending Curry, was ejected with 9:08 left in the first quarter after a hard foul on Warriors guard Gary Payton II. Payton went to the locker room for X-rays on his left elbow. He didn&rsquo;t return.
Green, ejected from Game 1 for his own Flagrant 2, went down a couple minutes after Brooks&rsquo; ejection. He went to the locker room, flashing the middle digit on each hand at the fans. He returned for the second quarter after getting stitches for a cut at his right eye that was nearly swollen shut by halftime.
Memphis scored the first eight points of the game and led 33-25 after the hectic first quarter with Morant scoring 14, Jackson 10. Curry had 11 for Golden State with Brooks in the locker room. The second quarter got a bit sloppy at times with the Warriors going 2 of 11 outside the arc with five turnovers.
The Grizzlies led 56-51 at halftime with Morant scoring the final four points of the second for Memphis, giving him 23.
Curry and Poole fueled a big third quarter in Game 1 combining for 23 points. This time, Curry scored four points and Poole had six, but Golden State finished the third on a 13-3 run to tie it up at 77. Morant was hit in the face in the final seconds and went to the bench saying he couldn&rsquo;t see out of his left eye.
Golden State took its first lead of the game within the opening minute of the fourth on a layup by Poole, and the Warriors led by as much as 81-77. Memphis answered with a 9-2 run capped by back-to-back 3s from Williams, who missed the last two playoff games with a sore right knee.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Now are 39-34 in Game 2s and 18-9 since the 2015 playoffs. ... Thompson needed only one 3 to reach 400 for his career in the playoffs. He knocked that down with 7:16 left in the first quarter. ... They outrebounded Memphis matching their postseason high for a second straight game at 52-47.
Grizzlies: Morant snapped a streak of six straight double-doubles that made him the youngest in 30 years with that long a streak in one postseason. ... Jackson tied Zach Randolph for third on the franchise&rsquo;s career blocks list in the postseason with his 24th a minute into the third quarter. ... They shot 14 of 45 from 3.
IN THE CROWD
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was at the game with three former Spartans in this game, including Warriors forward Draymond Green. Izzo posed for a photo before the game with Xavier Tillman Sr. and Jackson.&nbsp;

Ja Morant scored 47 points to match his postseason high and carry the Grizzlies into a tie in the West semifinals with a 106-101 victory.

Morant scores 47 points, Grizzlies tie Warriors at one apiece

Klay Thompson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, and the Golden State Warriors overcame Draymond Green's first-half ejection to edge the Memphis Grizzlies 117-116 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Jordan Poole led the Warriors with 31 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 10 3-pointers. Stephen Curry added 24 points, Andrew Wiggins had 17 and Thompson finished with 15.
Green was ejected for a flagrant foul just before halftime.
Thompson missed both free throws with 6.7 seconds left, then Memphis won a jump ball before taking a timeout with 3.6 seconds remaining to set up the final play. The Grizzlies ran a play similar to Ja Morant's last-second layup to win Game 5 in the first round, but Morant's layup went over the rim.
Morant finished with 34 points and 10 assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. matched his season high with six 3-pointers and had a career-high 33 points as Memphis' first pair of teammates to score at least 30 in a playoff game. D'Anthony Melton added 14, and Brandon Clarke had 12.
The Grizzlies finished their first-round series by coming back from double-digit deficits in their final three wins &mdash; the first team in NBA history to do that more than once in a postseason, let alone a series. They came in leading the NBA in the fourth with an average of 33 points and outscoring opponents by 10.3 points a game.
This time, they could only match the Warriors point for point in the period.
Memphis edged the Warriors out for the No. 2 seed in the West by tying the franchise record with 56 wins, and the Grizzlies also took three of four in their season series. Thompson only played one and Green two of those games and Curry three.
This was a rematch with role reversals from the 2015 semifinal the Warriors won as the younger team with Memphis led by experienced vets. This also was just the first time the Warriors started a conference semifinal on the road and third playoff series Golden State didn&rsquo;t start at home with Steve Kerr as coach.
The Warriors mixed up their lineup, benching Poole in favor of Gary Payton II to focus on defending Morant, the Grizzlies' All-Star point guard and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-ab99752f256668274bb16e1b325e6648">NBA's Most Improved Player</a> this season.
Morant opened the game with back-to-back 3s, half of what he made the entire first round against Minnesota, and he had 14 to help the Grizzlies lead 32-24 after the first quarter. It marked the first time Memphis held an opponent to fewer than 30 points this postseason.
The Grizzlies led by as much as 13 in the second quarter and were up 61-55 at halftime.
With 1:18 left in the second, Green fouled Brandon Clarke. Officials reviewed the play for several minutes with fans chanting &ldquo;Throw him out!&rdquo; Green finished with six points, four rebounds and five turnovers.
Curry was held to eight points in the first half, none in the second and picked up his third foul seconds after Green's ejection.
Curry was held to eight points in the first half, none in the second. But he scored 13 and <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1520883744676061184">Poole had 10</a> in the third as the Warriors outscored Memphis 36-29 and led 91-90 after the third. Golden State was 14 of 21 shooting in the third, including 5 of 7 outside the arc.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Curry passed Dennis Johnson for 23rd for most playoff points with 3,123. Next up is Paul Pierce with 3,180. ... Kevon Looney and Poole started the second half in place of Green and Payton, who started but was limited to eight minutes by three early fouls. ... The Warriors also started on the road against Houston in 2018 and Toronto in 2019. ... They won a road game in a series extending their NBA record to a 25th consecutive series.
Grizzlies: Steven Adams, who led the NBA in offensive rebounds per game during the regular season, missed a second straight game in the health and safety protocols. Ziaire Williams missed his second game with a sore right knee.

The Warriors overcame Draymond Green's ejection to edge the Grizzlies 117-116 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Warriors rally after Green ejection, beat Grizzlies in Game 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied yet again to eliminate the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6 on Friday night.
Brandon Clarke added 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Grizzlies, who withstood another quiet night by star Ja Morant and another double-digit deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies advanced in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, this time to meet Golden State. They&rsquo;ll host Game 1 in Memphis.
Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter for Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels had 24 points off the bench, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Morant went 4 for 14 from the field and had 17 points and 11 assists.
With the Grizzlies already the first team in NBA history to win multiple games in the same playoff series by erasing a double-digit-point fourth-quarter deficit, the here-we-go-again feeling was palpable in the building as an 84-74 lead for the Wolves at the third-quarter break quickly vanished.
Bane and Brooks each hit tying 3-pointers midway through the fourth, and Brooks fouled out just 26 seconds after his evened the score at 97.
Bane then swished another one from deep at 3:03 for a 101-99 lead, the first for the Grizzlies since they were up 39-38.
The kill shot came soon after for a Wolves team that, like so many others against the Grizzlies this season, was consistently a step and a jump behind on the glass.
Tyus Jones missed a pair of 3-pointers from the wing on the same possession, but the Grizzlies rebounded both &mdash; and Morant used the second one for a layup and a four-point lead.
After McDaniels, who had the game of his two-year career, hit a 3 with 1:34 left to bring the Wolves back within one, Jones &mdash; the former Timberwolves player and native of Minnesota &mdash; answered with a 3-pointer to bump the lead back to two possessions with 1:09 left.
ANT GOES MARCHING
The Grizzlies have had only one lead after the first quarter in this series, 33-32 in Game 2, and Edwards ensured they didn&rsquo;t get another one. The first overall pick in the 2020 draft with the bravado and the flair for the big moments had nine of his team&rsquo;s first 11 points. He hit a 3-pointer with about a minute left in the period, then blocked Morant's layup with a few seconds left.
The crowd roared when the game operations crew flashed a graphic in the second quarter with a side-by-side comparison of scoring totals of Edwards and Morant, which was 16-0 at the time.
BEVERLEY THRILLS
One of the most vital players for Minnesota in this series &mdash; all season, really &mdash; has been Patrick Beverley with his energy, experience and tenacity. One of the NBA's most notorious pests, who was on the Grizzlies roster last summer for a few days in a stopover between trades that routed him from the Clippers to the Wolves, Beverley has contributed his share of big shots, too.
He knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Wolves a 69-56 lead with Morant guarding him, grinning at the NBA's Most Improved Player, who flashed back a smile &mdash; and promptly produced with a three-point play on the other end by flipping in a layup and drawing a foul. That sparked a 12-0 spurt by the Grizzlies, which Beverley ended with another 3-pointer.
MUST-WINS IN MINNESOTA
This was the first Game 6 the Timberwolves hosted in their modest postseason history, though they had Game 7 at Target Center in 2004 when they beat Sacramento to close that second round series.
In the Western Conference finals that year, the Wolves also beat the Lakers here in Game 5 before losing in Los Angeles in Game 6. Those are the only two elimination games they&rsquo;ve ever won at home, having lost in those situations in the first round in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Despite the devastation of the two squandered leads in defeat earlier in the series and the untrustworthy history of a franchise in a market that has not enjoyed a major professional league championship in a men&rsquo;s sport since 1991, the fans turned out once again and gave the Wolves a clear advantage.
Former Timberwolves star Latrell Sprewell sat courtside, a few seats down from Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, a Minnesota native. Local head coaches P.J. Fleck (Gophers football), Ben Johnson (Gophers basketball) and Cheryl Reeve (Lynx) were in the house, too, as fans clutched neon-blue glow sticks for the duration of the night in the packed downtown arena.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Bane has 27 made 3-pointers in the series. That's already the <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1520222830645989377">most in team history</a> for a single postseason. O.J. Mayo made 20 shots from behind the arc in 13 playoff games in 2011. ... Backup forward Ziaire Williams (right knee soreness) was held out.
Timberwolves: Naz Reid was not with the team for personal reasons, so recent acquisition Greg Monroe got the backup center minutes, his first action of the series.

Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Grizzlies eliminated the Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6.

Grizzlies rally past Wolves 114-106 to reach second round

After frittering away a double-digit-point fourth-quarter lead twice in this series, the Minnesota Timberwolves could have already defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by now and be preparing for the second round.
The Timberwolves will try to stave off elimination by the Grizzlies in Game 6 on Friday night instead, aiming to show the league, their fans &mdash; and perhaps themselves &mdash; that they have an ample supply of the late-game resolve needed to be a factor in the NBA playoffs.
What they don't necessarily need, though, is one of their stars to take over.
One of the main reasons why the Wolves have been unproductive in the final stretches of games is a stagnant offense and forced shots from one of the trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards or D'Angelo Russell.
&ldquo;Everybody wants to be the hero, and that&rsquo;s not how you&rsquo;re going to win these games,&rdquo; coach Chris Finch said after practice Thursday.
Edwards tied Game 5 with 3.7 seconds left on a fadeaway corner 3-pointer. The second-year guard has quickly established himself as a true clutch player, so having the ball in his hands with the clock winding down is not at all a negative for Minnesota. The problems can arise, though, when there's little passing to or from him to set up the best looks at the basket.
&ldquo;It was me. I was a lot of that, what Coach talked about,&rdquo; Edwards said, reflecting on his Game 5 decision-making. He had 22 points but took 20 shots to get there.
Russell has had some ill-advised attempts, too, including a 10-foot pull-up in traffic with 12.3 seconds left in Game 5 that missed badly.
Entering the series, guard Patrick Beverley was the only player on the Wolves with any postseason experience of significance.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re young,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;I think we all know that, and we&rsquo;re learning as we going.&rdquo;
The Grizzlies are just as inexperienced on this stage, but they've been the better team in the last half of the fourth quarter, even if the other 90% of the game has mostly gone the way of the Wolves. Ja Morant belied his age by quite a bit in Game 5 by scoring his team's final 13 points, including the last-second layup that lifted Memphis to victory.
The rally in Game 5 came after Jaren Jackson Jr. fouled out, prompting coach Taylor Jenkins to go to a super-small lineup with Morant next to Tyus Jones, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks and Brandon Clarke. Brooks and Clarke helped defend Towns, and Clarke dominated in the fourth quarter with seven of his 10 rebounds on the offensive end. Memphis had a 12-0 scoring edge in second-chance points in the final period, and Clarke finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds off the bench.
The Grizzlies last advanced to the second round in 2015, when none of their current players were around, nor the coaching staff.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just focused on how we&rsquo;re going to play our best basketball still. So hopefully come out with that physical edge, that mental edge you&rsquo;re going to need,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;You just need to take it up a notch for sure on the road against a really tough team.&rdquo;
Taking a early lead at Target Center could go a long way toward sending the Grizzlies to a Game 1 on Sunday at Golden State.
&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to give a team like that any life,&rdquo; Jones said. &ldquo;When you have a chance to close out an opponent in a playoff series, you've got to try to take advantage of it. We obviously don&rsquo;t want this to go to a seventh game.&rdquo;
GRIZZLIES at TIMBERWOLVES
Memphis leads 3-2. Game 6, 9 p.m. EDT, ESPN.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Grizzlies with an average of 31.6 points are outscoring the Wolves by 8.8 points in the fourth quarter in the series, by far the largest disparity in this postseason.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Bane. He averaged 30 points and shot 15 of 27 outside the arc in Games 3 and 4, the first two games in Minnesota. Bane joined Klay Thompson (three straight) and Stephen Curry (two) as only the third player in NBA history to make at least seven 3-pointers in back-to-back playoff games. He is shooting 48.3% from 3-point range on the road this season for both the regular season and playoffs.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Grizzlies center Steven Adams entered the COVID-19 health and safety protocols and will not play in Game 6. Backup forward Ziaire Williams (right knee soreness) was listed as doubtful for the game. Morant and Edwards have both played through minor leg injuries, but they have not been limited in any way.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Brooks. He was 3 of 18 shooting in Game 5, including 1 of 10 from 3-point range, and finished with eight points.
___
AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker contributed to this report.

The Timberwolves will try to stave off elimination by the Grizzlies in Game 6 on Friday night.

Timberwolves try to avoid 'hero' ball, stay alive vs. Grizzlies

Ja Morant scored on a layup with a second left, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to edge the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 on Tuesday night and grab a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.
Morant, named the NBA&rsquo;s most improved player on Monday, struggled mightily much of the game. But he turned it on in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 points &mdash; including 9 of 10 at the free-throw line.
Morant came from the low post as the Grizzlies inbounded the ball with 3.7 seconds left and lost Anthony Edwards at the top of the key. That left him an open lane into the paint that he&rsquo;s so rarely had in this series, beating Jarred Vanderbilt with his left hand on an underhanded layup.
Morant finished with 30 and had 13 rebounds and nine assists. Desmond Bane added 25 points, and Brandon Clarke had 21 off the bench for Memphis, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 12 before fouling out.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Edwards had 22, and D'Angelo Russell added 12 and Taurean Prince 10.
Game 6 is Friday night in Minnesota.
The Timberwolves led 99-88 with 6:58 left after three free throws by Towns and Jackson fouling out for a second straight game. The Grizzlies responded with a 10-0 run to set up a thrilling finish to what had been an ugly game with plenty of poor shooting.
Edwards tied it up at 109 for Minnesota with a 3 with 3.7 seconds left. That set up Morant for the final drive to the basket for the game-winner.
Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins was fined $15,000 Monday for criticizing the officiating after Game 4, a 119-118 win by Minnesota. On Tuesday, his Grizzlies got to the free-throw line more than Minnesota &mdash; they just didn&rsquo;t shoot well once there, making 26 of 39 compared to Minnesota's 21 of 24.
The Grizzlies opened the game on a 13-2 run and looked liked the team that earned the highest seed in franchise history.
Then Jackson got his second foul on Patrick Beverley&rsquo;s 3 and went to the bench. The Timberwolves, the NBA&rsquo;s best 3-point shooting team in the regular season, started knocking down shots, going 7 of 11 outside the arc and leading 31-28 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was a different story, with Minnesota hitting only 1 of 9 outside the arc and leading 55-53 at halftime.
Minnesota outscored Memphis 30-21 in the third, but <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1519128062952189952">Morant capped the quarter with a windmill dunk that helped give the Grizzlies some much-needed energy. </a>
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Russell came in 17 of 55 overall and 9 of 24 from beyond the arc in this series. He knocked down his first two shots Tuesday, a pair of back-to-back 3s, and finished 2 of 4 from 3 and 4 of 10 from the floor. ... Beverley had their first four-point play in the postseason at 8:14 of the first quarter.
Grizzlies: Bane got a technical in the second quarter for shoving Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. Bane also opened the game with his 20th 3-point in this series. ... Ziaire Williams played four minutes and did not finish the game with a sore right knee.
IN THE CROWD
Pau Gasol and Zach Randolph were former Grizzlies in attendance along with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Kentucky coach John Calipari sat near the Timberwolves' bench. Alex Rodriguez, a Minnesota co-owner, also was in attendance, and <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1519103401333866497">Usher was on hand</a> as well <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1519109240065040384">sitting next to Morant's father Tee</a>.

Ja Morant scored on a layup with a second left, and the Grizzlies rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to edge the Wolves.

Morant's last-second layup gives Grizzlies 3-2 series lead

Karl-Anthony Towns roared back from two rough games with a career playoff-best 33 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves move past their Game 3 collapse and pull out a 119-118 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night to even the first-round series at 2-2.
Anthony Edwards scored 24 points and backup Jordan McLaughlin went 4 for 4 from 3-point range to pitch in 16 points as the Timberwolves relentlessly attacked the basket and went 31 for 40 from the foul line.
The series shifts back to Memphis for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Desmond Bane, who hit his eighth 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with 34 points, and Dillon Brooks with 24 points kept the Grizzlies going on another quiet night for star point guard Ja Morant. Morant went 4 for 13 from the floor, and had 11 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds.
Jaren Jackson Jr. fouled out with seven points, and 25 of the Grizzlies' 33 fouls were called their starters.
Towns, who took four shots and had just eight points in Game 3, hit 14 of 17 free throws and was the catalyst down the stretch with 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Beverley missed two free throws with 43 seconds left. With the Wolves leading 115-110, Morant answered with a layup and Edwards missed a pull-up 3. But Tyus Jones had his 3-pointer fall short with 10.5 seconds to go, and Edwards grabbed the rebound. He sank both free throws as the crowd chanted, &ldquo;Wolves in six! Wolves in six!&rdquo;
McLaughlin's first 3 put Minnesota in front in the second quarter to start a 17-1 run that maxed out with a 50-35 lead &mdash; the largest of the night that quickly got whittled by the Grizzles back down to single digits.
The Wolves might have been better off playing a tighter game this time, after their pair of 25-point advantages in Game 3 went for naught.
AMPED UP
Game 3 was an anomaly, considering the Timberwolves were just the ninth NBA team in 389 situations over the past 25 postseasons to lead by 25-plus points and lose the game, <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1517325199611469824" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN.</a>
And while it fits right into the Minnesota sports scene that has been filled for decades with such disappointment, the crowd didn&rsquo;t quit on creating a raucous advantage Saturday.
Troy Hudson and Wally Szczerbiak, standouts on the last Timberwolves team that captivated the town in 2004, were courtside with an endless supply of high-fives for fans seated nearby.
When Towns swished a 3 from the top of the key on the first possession, a jet-like roar followed.
Towns knew how critical the game was and came out with a ferocity suggesting he knew precisely how much criticism he'd been dealt for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-chris-finch-f5eecbb956912af32863cd408990434d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his Game 3 dud</a>. When he hit his opening 3, he looked down at his hands and yelled to no one in particular about the importance of passing him the ball.
BUMPS AND BRUISES
Bodies crashed to the floor on almost every possession in what was perhaps the most physical game of the series to date. Morant, who has been playing through nagging leg injuries, took several hard landings after layup attempts.
Grizzlies backup Ziaire Williams sustained an eye injury in the second quarter, when Morant drew a flagrant foul on D&rsquo;Angelo Russell as he drove to the hoop and caught a hand to the face.
Edwards left for a bit in the first quarter with an injury to his right knee unrelated to any contact, but after having trouble walking to the locker room for further examination he returned less than 3 minutes later without any trouble.
PROTEST, INTERRUPTED
Two more animal rights protesters attempted to interrupt the game in the third quarter. One woman <a href="https://twitter.com/GrizzOnBally/status/1518074056339296256" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leaped over the courtside seats</a> of Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and his wife, Becky, before being tackled by security and carried away. Her companion remained behind the Taylors and next to the second row of Timberwolves assistant coaches, who helped security wrestle her out.
The group has been protesting the way that a chicken farm that's part of Taylor's enterprises has allegedly handled an avian flu outbreak. The highly contagious virus <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-iowa-animals-d76524dace2b34e2cb0dc25925cead65" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has killed roughly 28 million poultry</a>.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Xavier Tillman started at center, the fourth player in the series for the Grizzlies in an opening-half lineup to join Jaren Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt as coach Taylor Jenkins continued to employ a variety of methods for trying to take Towns out of his element. Brandon Clarke, Kyle Anderson and Steven Adams have all taken turns. ... Brooks, who was listed as questionable to play with a sore left foot, shot 10 for 20.
Timberwolves: Beverley had 17 points. ... Jarred Vanderbilt had 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Minnesota Timberwolves moved past their Game 3 collapse and pulled out a 119-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

Timberwolves beat Grizzlies 119-118 to even series at 2-2

Ja Morant scored 23 points and handed out 10 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies looked much more like the team that posted the NBA&rsquo;s second-best record, routing the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-96 on Tuesday night to even up their first-round Western Conference series at 1 apiece.
Morant went to the bench with 4:40 left to a huge ovation. He finished a rebound shy of a triple-double. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. each added 16 with Jackson hitting 4 of 7 from 3-point range as the Grizzlies finished with seven in double figures.
Brandon Clarke, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Ziaire Williams each had 13. Tyus Jones added 10.
Game 3 is Thursday night in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards, who scored 36 points in his playoff debut in Game 1, led Minnesota with 20. All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Naz Reid and Taurean Prince had 12 each off the bench, and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell added 11.
The Timberwolves dominated the series opener after scoring a franchise-record 41 points in the first quarter.&nbsp;
This time, officials stayed very busy calling 20 fouls in a very long first quarter. That kept the NBA&rsquo;s top scoring teams in the regular season from getting into any rhythm as they combined to shoot 33 free throws.
At one point, Memphis had Steven Adams, Jackson, Clarke and Dillon Brooks on the bench with two fouls. That forced coach Taylor Jenkins to turn to Tillman who didn&rsquo;t play in Game 1, and he turned in the best playoff game of his young career.
The Grizzlies grabbed their biggest lead of this short series at 30-23 on a floater by Jones with 2:11 left, and they led 33-32 after the first quarter when Morant&rsquo;s long buzzer-beater attempt hit off the rim and off.
Memphis started running in the second and opened the quarter with an 11-2 run and finished on an 11-5 run for a 60-49 lead at halftime with Morant not scoring a point. Patrick Beverley summed up Minnesota&rsquo;s struggles when his layup before the buzzer rolled off the rim.
The Grizzlies pushed that lead to as much as 27 with a 25-9 run in the third, and Morant scored 12 in the quarter hitting 5 of 7 shots, including both 3-pointers. His layup gave Memphis a 87-60 lead with 4:15 to go in the third, and the Grizzlies led 96-77 going into the fourth.
Minnesota was the NBA&rsquo;s best-shooting team outside the arc and outscored Memphis 48-21 in Game 1 as the Grizzlies shooting 26% outside the arc with only three knocking down a 3-pointer. This time, Memphis shot 11-of-34 with six Grizzlies knocking down at least one.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: The NBA&rsquo;s top scoring team shot 39.5%. They had 30 field goals, matching the season low against Toronto on Feb. 16. ... After knocking down 16 3s in Game 1, they were 11 of 38 (28.9%). ... Russell now is 5 of 22 in this series.
Grizzlies: Entering the game had lost four of their last five games including the series opener. &hellip;Jackson, who matched his career high with seven blocks in the opener, had one Tuesday night. But he knocked down four 3s ... D&rsquo;Anthony Melton came in 8 of 26 from 3-point range. He was 2 of 6. ... Adams played three minutes after picking up two early fouls. ... They had 29 assists and now are 29-1 when they have at least 28 assists.
TESTY EARLY
It didn&rsquo;t take long in the game for things to get a bit chippy. Officials called a foul on Towns early, then on the same play got Patrick Beverley for a technical after a swipe at Morant&rsquo;s head. Then Adams got called for a foul that was upgraded to a flagrant 1 after he smacked Jarred Vanderbilt across the face. And all that was in the first three minutes.
UP NEXT
Game 3 is Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Ja Morant scored 23 points with 10 assists as the Grizzlies looked much more like the team that posted the NBA’s second-best record.

Grizzlies rout Timberwolves 124-96 to tie series at one apiece

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Jaylen Brown added 18 and the Boston Celtics secured the second seed in the East with a 139-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Al Horford added 13 points as the Celtics shot close to 55% against the short-handed Grizzlies. With Milwaukee&rsquo;s loss to Cleveland earlier Sunday, Boston was able to move into second with the victory.
Santi Aldama led Memphis with 20 points, and Ziaire Williams finished with 18 points. John Konchar had his first career triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyle Anderson scored 16 points.
The teams took different approaches to the game based on their places in the standings. Memphis was playing out the regular season having secured the second seed in the Western Conference behind the Phoenix Suns.
Boston entered in a logjam for the Nos. 2-4 seeds, jockeying for postseason placement with Milwaukee and Philadelphia. That meant all of the Celtics' regulars were playing against the Grizzlies' reserves.
And the Memphis makeshift lineup couldn&rsquo;t keep pace with the Celtics' regular rotation.
The Celtics steadily built the lead in the first half by shooting 63%, including connecting on 11 of 22 from outside the arc. That, coupled with Memphis struggling at 34% provide the Celtics with a 72-49 lead at intermission &mdash; the most points given up by the Grizzlies in a first half this season.
The Celtics continued to maintain the lead in the third period, leading 104-79 as Boston coach Ime Udoka sat the starters for the final quarter.
TIP-INS:
Celtics: Nik Stauskas missed his fourth game with a right ankle sprain. &hellip; Tatum had 14 points in the first quarter.He converted a four-point play late in the first half. &hellip; The 72 points scored in the first half, matched the most scored by Boston in a first half this season. The Celtics also had 72 against Minnesota on March 27. &hellip; C Daniel Theis had 11 points and matched his season-high in rebounds with 10, the fourth time he has reached that mark.
Grizzlies: G Desmond Bane set a franchise record for free throw shooting percentage at 90.4. The previous record was by O.J. Mayo in 2008-09 campaign. &hellip; The injury list included Steven Adams (left ankle soreness), Dillon Brooks (right hip soreness), Jaren Jackson Jr. (left thigh soreness), Tyus Jones (left hand soreness) and Ja Morant (management of right knee soreness). &hellip;Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke were listed as questionable, and while not ruled out, they did not play.

With a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Boston Celtics have clinched the second seed in the East.

Celtics finish 2nd in East with 139-110 win over Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Ja Morant had 21 points and nine assists in his return from soreness in his right knee, Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the New Orleans Pelicans 141-114 on Saturday night to tie the 2012-13 franchise record for victories in a season at 56.
After missing nine games, Morant played almost 27 minutes as the second-seeded Grizzlies got their starting lineup back together in preparation for the postseason. They will close the regular season at home against Boston on Sunday night.
Morant had not played since he was injured in a loss at Atlanta on March 18.
&ldquo;Being out there with my team is something I&rsquo;ve been waiting on since March 19,&rdquo; Morant said, referring to the day after his injury. &ldquo;I was finally able to do that. Excited to be out there. Had a lot of fun. Just preparing for this stretch we&rsquo;re about to go on in the playoffs.&rdquo;
Brandon Clarke added 20 points for Memphis, making all 10 of his field goal attempts. Ziaire Williams had 19 points, and Desmond Bane had 18. Bane was 6 of 7 on the night, including making all four 3-point attempts. The Grizzlies shot better than 60% through three quarters. They snapped a two-game losing streak.
CJ McCollum led New Orleans with 16 points but was 6 of 17 from the field. Willy Hernangomez added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Jaxson Hayes had 13 points.
&ldquo;It was a tough night. Tough night for CJ. Tough night for me. Tough night for our group,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said.
&ldquo;It just felt like they were more ready than use,&rdquo; Hayes added. &ldquo;They came out aggressive. Got up into us and just kind of pressured us the whole game. It was hard to get anything going.&rdquo;
Trying to secure the ninth seed for the play-in tournament, the Pelicans played without scoring leader Brandon Ingram. He&rsquo;s missed his second straight game because of hamstring tightness.
Memphis dominated through the middle stages. By the end point of the third quarter, the lead had reached 39, and Memphis was shooting 64% overall and 60% from 3-point range, connecting on 15 of 25 from distance. Memphis scored a franchise-record 55 points in the third quarter, giving the Grizzlies a 119-80 lead heading into the fourth.
Memphis was 20 of 26 shooting in the third, making 7 of 10 from 3-point range and handing out 16 assists in the period alone. Pelicans coach. Green said the third quarter was a bad sign, but more of a continuation of problems for New Orleans throughout the night.
&ldquo;The whole game we could have been better,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;The third quarter was by far our worst.&rdquo;
For Memphis, which did not play well in a loss last Thursday to Denver, the performance was a return to style the Grizzlies played before the two-game losing streak. And with a full complement of starters
&ldquo;All we need to do is attention to detail, know player personnel and give effort,&rdquo; Brooks said.
GOOD DILLON THE VILLAIN
Brooks, who has been known to jaw with referees and opponents while playing his physical style of defense, seemed to play a little looser Saturday night, even smiling at times, particularly after the Grizzlies built the insurmountable lead. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to smile more so I don&rsquo;t get too upset out there and (officials) start T-ing me up,&rdquo; Brook said.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Started 0 of 7 from outside the arc. &hellip; G Devonte&rsquo; Graham did not grab a rebound and still needs one for 600 in his career. &hellip; Trey Murphy III, who leads rookies in 3-point shooting percentage at 38.4%, was 1 of 3 from outside the arc. &hellip; C Jonas Valanciunas, who was in foul trouble most of the game, was limited to six minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing only one rebound. &hellip; McCollum who was 2 for 11 midway through the third, had 10 points in the period.
Grizzlies: Entered the game second in scoring at 115.4 a game. The franchise has never finished in the top 5 in scoring. &hellip; Are 30-0 when reaching 120 points. &hellip; While setting the franchise record for points in a quarter with 55 in the third, Memphis also set franchise marks for field goals in a period (20) and assists (16).
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Host Golden State on Sunday night.
Grizzlies: Host Boston on Sunday night.
&nbsp;

Ja Morant had 21 points and nine assists in his return and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the New Orleans Pelicans 141-114.

Ja Morant returns to help Grizzlies rout Pelicans, 141-114

In the NBA Playoffs, stars often shine the brightest, with the biggest names often delivering on the biggest stage. That's to be expected, but truthfully, games are often won and lost because of the production from key role players.
Throughout the regular season, coaches may roll out a 10- or 11-man rotation consistently, providing ample rest for everybody as the season goes, as well as ensuring the development of younger players. But as the postseason kicks off, that rotation shrinks down to about eight guys playing significant minutes.&nbsp;
For the Memphis Grizzlies, De'Anthony Melton is one of those essential bench pieces that has helped Memphis lock up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. In fact, Memphis is now 22-4 when Melton scores 10 or more points off the bench; last season, Memphis was 16-5 in the games Melton scored double digits. So that's a pretty good indicator of the impact he has on the team's success.
The 23-year-old guard has earned a couple of nicknames over his time in Memphis. Bally Sports Southeast analyst Brevin Knight calls him "Mr. Do Something" because Melton is always contributing, even when he is not scoring. But when he is scoring, Melton has become known as "Microwave Melt."
Melton is the prime example of a binge scorer.
From November through January, De'Anthony shot 29.5% from deep on 169 attempts. He began to turn it around in February, shooting 43.8% on 48 attempts. During the month of March, Melton was on an absolute heater, shooting 47.1% on 87 attempts.
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De&rsquo;Anthony is only the 8th NBA player since the 83-84 season to have 5 straight games with 4+ 3s without starting a a game during the streak. His 26 total 3s are one of the five highest totals by a bench player over any five game span since 83-84 as well.
&mdash; Shawn Coleman (@StatsSAC) <a href="https://twitter.com/StatsSAC/status/1508628215673368581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Melton extended this 4-triple streak off the bench to six straight against the San Antonio Spurs on March 30. Even more impressive about this stretch is that he's shot 50% or better from deep in seven straight games and in eight of his last 10.&nbsp;
His ability to knock down the deep ball is crucial to the Grizzlies' spacing. With Steven Adams providing no ability to stretch the floor, and Ja Morant needing space to get downhill and continue his unbelievable paint scoring, Memphis needs someone other than Desmond Bane to make defenders think twice about helping.
Currently, this is how the team's three-point shooting lines up without its top two snipers (Bane and John Konchar).
<ul>
<li>Tyus Jones: 39.3%</li>
<li>Kyle Anderson: 32.4%</li>
<li>Jaren Jackson Jr.: 31.9%</li>
<li>Dillon Brooks: 30.3%</li>
<li>Ziaire Williams: 30.1%</li>
</ul>
Jones and Morant do not share the floor together often; however, their success in a small sample size this season may lead to Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins playing them together in the postseason to take pressure off Morant and provide that aforementioned spacing. (Williams is likely to have his minutes diminished in the playoffs as well.) Come playoff time, Memphis is poised to run a nine-man rotation with Jones, Melton, Anderson and Brandon Clarke coming off the bench.
As the numbers suggest, the Grizzlies struggle to shoot the ball. They lead the league in a lot of categories, but simply cannot convert from downtown outside of Bane. So, quite frankly, Memphis needs Microwave Melt to carry over into the playoffs.&nbsp;
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Last season, Melton fell into one of his cold spells as the playoffs started. After winning the 9/10 game, and subsequently knocking off the Golden Warriors for the No. 8 seed, Memphis ran into a historically efficient Utah Jazz offense and simply could not keep up. Melton, at times, was unplayable due to his poor shooting in the series. Outside of Game 4 in Memphis, in which he went 3 of 6 from distance, Melton made just 3 of his 14 shots from deep and went 6 of 22 overall.
It was unexpected and certainly the worst case for the Grizzlies. In the months of March and April 2021, Melton shot 46.7% from deep on 107 attempts. But his frigid stretch hit right after. In the 10 games in May, Melton shot 30.8% on 3.9 attempts per game, and his streakiness reared its head at the wrong time.&nbsp;
For Melton, his shooting woes are almost always mechanical issues. Balance is crucial for jump shots. The ability to have a balanced base and rise straight up increases the likelihood of a made shot, so any lean towards the left or right then has to be accounted for on the trajectory of the ball.&nbsp;
Say your weight is evenly distributed (50-50 on each leg), and you rise straight up on the shot; no other adjustments on the shot must be made. If a right-handed shooter has a tendency to distribute his/her weight 60-40 in favor of the left leg &mdash; that slight lean left &mdash; it means the trajectory has to have a counter-adjustment to the right to compensate.&nbsp;
In an interview with DaMichael Cole of the Mempis Commercial Appeal, Melton <a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2022/03/30/memphis-grizzlies-guard-deanthony-melton-nbas-hottest-shooter/7184297001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke about his own adjustment</a>. "I would say for me just making sure my base is wide. Make sure I got a solid, good foundation to start there because I used to bring my feet in too close," Melton <a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2022/03/30/memphis-grizzlies-guard-deanthony-melton-nbas-hottest-shooter/7184297001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
A shoulder-width base is almost a sure-fire way to get as close to a 50-50 weight distribution as possible.
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There are a couple of things to look for on this first clip. In regards to his feet, this is what Melton had been doing for much of his career, bringing his right foot in too close to his left and fighting his own body for balance. Then, he receives the pass shoulder-high, but brings it below his waist to load, adding more action than needed. Finally, though his release does not seem to have the hitch it did in 2020-21, his timing at the apex of his jump is off a tick.
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This is another catch-and-shoot opportunity here for Melton, but it's in transition, so his momentum is carrying him forward. He overcompensates for the positive momentum, missing it on the front of the rim, attempting to take a little off of the shot. The timing of the release is better here, as he releases it just before the apex, but his knees are almost touching as he brings his right foot in too far once again.
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Fast forward to March 23 when Melton hit a career-high 6 threes against the Brooklyn Nets. This angle gives you a great picture of what his mechanics are focused on. Many coaches at the youth levels teach their players to have their "toes pointed towards the basket," or to be square. That actually complicates the shooting motion. Notice the slight left turn of the feet. This small mechanical adjustment allows for the shooting elbow to be more comfortably and naturally aligned with the rim.&nbsp;
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The adjustments with his feet are noticeable. Rather than having his left foot planted on the catch and bringing his right foot in to initiate the shooting motion, Melton receives the pass with a slight two-footed hop that centers his weight on a more even stance. This allows for him to rise straight up with a fluid release that is on time.
The playoffs are around the corner, and the Grizzlies should not expect 50% shooting on 6 to 8 attempts per game, but even 36% on 4 to 5 triple tries would go a long way throughout the gauntlet in the Western Conference.
De'Anthony Melton is an X-factor to watch when the postseason begins on April 16.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis breaks down De'Anthony Melton's hot offensive stretch and why he'll be an X-factor for the Grizzlies this postseason.

What to make of De'Anthony Melton's recent play with the Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored 30 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns 122-114 on Friday night in a matchup of the NBA's top two teams, extending their winning streak to seven. 
Brooks converted a three-point play with 32 seconds left for an eight-point lead and the short-handed Grizzlies held on to snap the Suns' nine-game winning streak. Ziaire Williams scored 19 points for Memphis and De’Anthony Melton added 17, including six straight free throws in the final 20 seconds.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 41 points, while Mikal Bridges added 18. Cameron Payne finished with 11 for Phoenix.
The game settled into an exchange of leads early in the fourth until Memphis went on a 17-2 run to give the Grizzlies a 101-87 lead just before the midway point of the period. 
The Suns have clinched the top seed and the Grizzlies the second spot in the Western Conference. Memphis secured its seed with Wednesday’s win at San Antonio and took the opportunity Friday to let some players relieve soreness or manage previous injuries. 
In addition to leading scorer Ja Morant, who has missed the last seven games with a sore right knee, guard Desmond Bane (left ankle soreness), center Steven Adams (left calf soreness), Tyus Jones (left hand soreness) and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (right thigh injury management), all took the night off.
Meanwhile, the Suns came with their full complement of starters, plus JaVale McGee and Cameron Johnson, the latter missing the 13 previous games with a right quad contusion.
At the start, the Grizzlies came out fast, building the lead to as many as 16 in the first quarter as the Suns missed all four of their 3-pointers in the first quarter. But Phoenix was able to cut into the lead, eventually shooting 51% in the half, although the Grizzlies never relinquished the advantage and were ahead 54-50 at the break.
Phoenix moved into the lead in the third before but Memphis carried an 84-83 lead into the fourth.
TIP-INS: 
Suns: Had an eight-game road winning streak snapped … Had not lost a road game to a Western Conference opponent since Dec. 13 at the Clippers. … Chris Paul had 11 assists. DeAndre Ayton grabbed 12 rebounds.
Grizzlies: Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins got two quick technicals and was ejected with 4:12 left in the second quarter, courtesy of official Natalie Sago. Before things settled completely, Brooks also got a tech. … Need two wins to set a new franchise mark for wins in a season. The 2012-13 team finished 56-26. …With Adams taking the night off, Xavier Tillman started his first game of the season.
UP NEXT: 
Suns: Travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Sunday
Grizzlies: At Utah on Tuesday.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

Dillon Brooks scores 30 points to lift the Memphis Grizzlies over the scorching-hot Phoenix Suns.

Brooks leads short-handed Grizzlies past Suns, 122-114

The NBA Draft is a thrilling and captivating night for everyone interested in basketball. From players rising and dropping from their projected slots to the blindsiding blockbuster trades, the variables of the night are intoxicating each and every year.
Leading up to the big night, there are numerous mock drafts and big boards created by several draft experts. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock is our resident draft expert who puts together a phenomenal draft preview each season.
Prior to the 2021 NBA Draft, Babcock and his team had Ziaire Williams being selected at No. 18 by the Oklahoma City Thunder, which was one pick behind the Memphis Grizzlies' original draft position before their trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Here was Babcock's analysis of Williams:
<blockquote>
Having struggled with his consistency at Stanford, Ziaire Williams has become a somewhat polarizing prospect. Overall, his freshman season was underwhelming. Although his slim build and ability to finish at the rim have drawn concerns, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ziaire-williams-eager-to-take-his-next-developmental-steps-in-the-nba-2021-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his upside is worth noting</a>. A 6-foot-8 wing who is capable of creating space and hitting tough, contested shots, Williams has the potential to be a versatile scoring wing at the next level.
</blockquote>
Babcock obviously goes beyond the numbers and dives into every aspect of a prospect with his evaluations, but if you were to just look at the box scores from Williams' freshman season at Stanford, you would probably be scratching your head as to why the Grizzlies moved up to take him at No. 10.
(Memphis dealt the No. 17 pick, No. 51 pick and Jonas Valanciunas to the Pelicans for the No. 10 pick, No. 40 pick, a top-10-protected 2022 first-rounder, Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams.)
Needless to say, Williams struggled in his lone collegiate season with the Cardinal. Most believed he would have been available at No. 17 and that Memphis gave up too much in order to get him. There is a sense that the Grizzlies had some intel that Ziaire could have been taken anywhere from 13th to 15th, and in order to get him, they felt they needed to jump ahead of the field. Other rumblings indicated Memphis actually moved up to snag Josh Giddey at the 10th spot and settled on Williams as its Plan B.
As draft night played out, most in Memphis were in love with the idea of Moses Moody from Arkansas, and before the 10th pick was announced, the expectation was that the Grizzlies were choosing between Moody and James Bouknight.
However, it turned out to be Williams.&nbsp;
"Who?" echoed around the city of Memphis, but the quiet California kid had a new basketball home. Little did Grizzlies fans know, Williams was the player that Memphis executive president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman wanted all along &mdash; Plan A.
So why did Kleiman move up to get a prospect that many believed would be there at No. 17?
What did the Grizzlies see?
Who is Ziaire Williams?
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Stanford associate head coach Adam Cohen knows quite a bit about the young man who calls LeBron James his uncle. When asked about who Williams is as a person, Cohen said the magic words that make prospect evaluators grin from ear to ear.
"Ziaire is a high-character individual who is going to do the right thing on the court and off the court," Cohen told BasketballNews.com in a Zoom interview. "He is going to work hard and wants to be a part of a great culture, which is obviously being developed in Memphis. He is the type of person that you want around your team, your families and your community."
Furthermore, he spoke about how difficult it was for the Cardinal to integrate Williams into the team due to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the nation.
"Ziaire was the highest-ranked recruit we ever had come in, and it was a unique situation where we thought we could bring a young guy along with some older guys and have a great situation, but unfortunately COVID put us all in a bad spot," Cohen said. "Schools not in California were able to have their players on campus the summer before to train, but we never had them on campus prior to Ziaire's freshman year. We did not get our players until Sep. 15. When they got here, they could not be in a gym; we had to practice and shoot on outdoor courts."
Cohen shared that the team took off for the Maui Invitational &mdash; which was moved to Asheville, NC, due to the ongoing pandemic &mdash; and had everybody returned to campus, they would have had to quarantine for two weeks. So the team stayed in North Carolina and practiced at Chapel Hill for a few weeks before flying to Los Angeles to face off with Southern California. The game against the USC Trojans was canceled due to COVID, but Stanford's team was not allowed to return to campus until Christmas.
Unable to see their families or return home, members of the team set up shop in a Santa Cruz hotel. The Cardinal had access to a high-school gym for about an hour per day.&nbsp;
Just imagine going from living in the gym and working to perfect your craft to being granted a measly hour-a-day access as you attempt to prepare for Division I basketball games and the possibility of playing at the next level. That kind of disruption would certainly carry over to games.
"For Ziaire, being a young guy, not being able to spend as much time as he usually did in the gym, the weight room, treatment, the whole deal... it wasn't great for his development while at the same time, [he] made the best of the situation and did what he could," Cohen said.
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Transitioning from the college experience, Cohen discussed how Williams has been able to adapt to the NBA game with Memphis trusting him to learn and grow as a part of the rotation.
"The question about Ziaire is his strength because, physically, he is just not that strong. However, his IQ is super-high and he has been put in a perfect position," Cohen said. "He is not a guy on that team that has to go make plays for everyone else; he has Ja [Morant] who can do that for him, so he can just go out there and do his job and fill his role. In a lot of ways, I am not surprised [at how he has adjusted to the league] because his IQ is really high and he is being put in a position to suceed."
The Grizzlies handled Desmond Bane similarly last season by not handing him a heavy load during his rookie year, allowing him to adjust and grow his game. Bane stepped in and played his role in his first season, and now, has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/desmond-bane-cementing-himself-as-essential-part-of-nextgen-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exploded in his second season</a>. Perhaps Kleiman has found a formula for player development that works while his team still competes at a high level.
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Perseverance must coexist with patience, and that patience not only comes from Williams, but his coaching staff, teammates and fans.
Coach Cohen absolutely nailed what's been taking place in Memphis in regards to the rookie's development: Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is putting him in a situation to succeed. Dillon Brooks has only played 21 games this season due to injury, and Jenkins has opted to start Williams in his place, forcing the rookie to learn on the job.
Williams looked every part the project early on this season, shooting an abysmal 24.6% from deep on 3.8 attempts, which ranked 37th among qualifying rookies through the end of January; he was also 25th in Net Rating at minus-1.6. His lack of physical strength and loss of a developmental year were clear with an occasional flash of upside at times.
Down one point against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 31, Morant drove to the rim looking for a game-winner only to be met by a wall of defenders. Rather than forcing up a tough shot, he found Williams in the corner, wide open. He trusted the rookie to knock down the shot. When asked about the decision to pass it, Ja had this to say:
"[Ziaire was] open. His man came to help. It was the right play. I wouldn&rsquo;t change it. If it happens again, I&rsquo;ll make the same pass. I passed because I believe in him and know he is capable of making that shot. If that play comes again, I&rsquo;ll pass it again," Morant said.
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Since this shot, Williams leads all qualifying rookies in three-point percentage at 45.6%. In fact, among all NBA players since Feb. 1 who have played 15 games and attempted 3.0 or more threes per game, Ziaire has the eighth-best shooting clip from deep. For a month-and-a-half, he has been a top-10 shooter in the NBA. He has also improved to third among rookies in NET at plus-9.6, trailing only Jose Alvarado and Dalano Blanton.&nbsp;
For now, Williams is filling his role as a spot-up shooter and lengthy defender who disrupts passing lanes. What the Grizzlies have not unleashed is the Z who can facilitate as well as put someone on a poster at any given moment. Memphis is simply building his confidence now, just to unleash him in the future.&nbsp;
For years, the Grizzlies have sought the missing piece on the wing. They looked for it in Rudy Gay and Chandler Parsons to name a couple, but the search has always come up empty. But now, the organization has identified Williams as a high-character, high-IQ player with plenty of length and skill to fit between Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. As the rookie continues to work and progress, growing with this young Grizzlies core, the sky could actually be the limit for both Williams and his team.&nbsp;
Ziaire Williams may not be the flashy name in his draft class and likely won't go down as a top-five talent, but the Grizzlies snuck up and stole a gem who was overlooked due to specific circumstances &mdash; and they will reap the rewards for years to come.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis speaks with Stanford associate head coach Adam Cohen about Ziaire Williams and breaks down his recent success.

Quiet perseverance of Ziaire Williams paying off for the Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Ja Morant keyed a fourth-quarter rally by scoring 15 of his 37 points in the period to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 118-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Ziaire Williams and Jaren Jackson Jr. each finished with 13 points, with Jackson adding five blocks as part of a season-high 16 for Memphis, which won its second straight.
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 36 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while RJ Barrett finished with 23 points. Alec Burks added with 18 points for New York, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.
In a game that featured plenty of lead changes and ties, the teams were still swapping advantages midway through the fourth. With Memphis trailing 106-105 with 3:54 left, Morant scored 10 straight points for Memphis to put the Grizzlies up 115-108 with less than a minute to play. The Grizzlies held on despite foul shooting issues at the end.
The Grizzlies, who defeated New York 120-108 at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 2, are trying to keep pace with Golden State for the second spot in the West. The win put Memphis up a half-game on the Warriors, who were idle Friday night.
New York, which had shooting troubles in the first half, immediately turned that around at the break by hitting nine of its first 12 shots in the second half. That contributed to a 14-1 run, erasing Memphis' advantage. The Knicks would eventually outscore the Grizzlies 40-26 in the period, carrying an 96-87 lead into the final frame.
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TIP-INS
Knicks: New York played without a number of players, including Nerlens Noel, Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish. Obi Toppin, who was listed as questionable earlier Friday, sat out his fifth straight game with a left hamstring strain. ... Barrett and Randle were a combined 10 of 27 in the first half.
Grizzlies: The win gave Memphis a sweep of the Knicks for first time since 2015-16 season. ..... G/F Dillon Brooks, who has missed the past 26 games with a left ankle sprain, appears close to returning. He has gone through some 5-on-5 sessions and should return &ldquo;sometime in this upcoming road trip,&rdquo; coach Taylor Jenkins said Friday.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Play at Brooklyn on Sunday.
Grizzlies: Open a four-game road trip in Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Ja Morant keyed a fourth-quarter rally by scoring 15 of his 37 points in the period to lead the Grizz to a 118-114 victory over the Knicks.

Morant scores 37 points, Grizzlies turn back Knicks 118-114

The 2021-22 season is entering the homestretch, with roughly 20 games to go per team and the playoffs slated to start in less than two months (What?!).
Maybe it's just from the extended break, but the last few weeks have felt particularly rife with frustration and criticism from all parties in the league. It's important, for instance, to be critical, think in-depth and discuss the ins and outs of award voting. That's part of the media job and part of talking about the NBA! However, I've felt routinely bogged down by some of the discussions lately.
When it comes down to it, I just want to enjoy the league, get myself down into the minutiae, bask in the fleeting moments of this season and appreciate some of the things that have consistently brought a smile to my face or warmth to my heart this season.
So, without further ado, here are some things I've really enjoyed throughout the season that I want to give some shine!
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Isaac Okoro's quiet assertion
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the darlings of the NBA this season, stunning the majority of analysts and league personnel with their stellar play. Evan Mobley is going to be a star. Jarrett Allen rightfully earned an All-Star nod after some massive improvements across the board. Darius Garland stirs the drank like few in the league. Kevin Love has a claim to Sixth Man of the Year!
This team just jibes in so many ways. They've kept their heads above water through rough stretches with injury and difficult patches in their schedule. A good team!
Isaac Okoro, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, does not grab the headlines. His box score is roughly the same as last season.
Yet he is central to what the Cavs do. He papers over so much for Cleveland in a way that isn't always palpable, but when he's not on court, it's just kind of like "ohhh ok, I get it now."
Okoro isn't treated like a shooter, and rightfully so &mdash; he's shooting 30.2% from deep in his young career. Earlier in the season, he tried to gun his way through it at times, hoisting up open threes. At other times, he'd immediately drive an open look from the perimeter towards the rim. The balance never felt right. However, in 2022, he seems to have found that groove &mdash; becoming more comfortable toggling between driving and keeping defenses guessing. He's hitting 33% of his threes in 2022, on slightly over two per game. For where he's at right now, it's good enough.
To supplement that, he's been incredibly assertive as an off-ball player, timing cuts well when the defense helps off of him.
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He's a menace floating baseline, either off 45 cuts when the nail defender ball-watches, or flying in from the key to snag offensive rebounds.
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Isaac Okoro is so good at just being in the right place at the right time. He's really found his place in Cleveland's offense in spite of some limitations he has rn Quick screens, floating baseline, connective passing, a better balance in taking shots <a href="https://t.co/73ppW8SDoS">pic.twitter.com/73ppW8SDoS</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1497303529022763014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Okoro has such a great nose for the ball. He never seems to pause once the ball goes into action, and uses that advantageous extra split-second against the defense.
He's pushed the issue more in transition off of defensive rebounds to bring a different dynamic to the Cavs' offense (21st in transition frequency per Cleaning the Glass) and self-create easier baskets.
He's found ways to meaningfully impact winning as a second-year player in a way that most upper lottery picks aren't asked to do so early. I don't know what to think about his trajectory (a future article!), but it's clear that right now he's a vital cog in Cleveland's present and future. The playoffs will be a huge test for him and the Cavaliers, but I see it going well for him, as a guy who just makes it work.
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Dallas' rotation players
I really didn't enjoy watching the Dallas Mavericks play early in the season. I found their offense pretty drab, the defense was blah, and execution all-around felt off.
I was way too unfair and overly critical. Jason Kidd has really impressed me this season &mdash; the Mavs are a top notch defensive unit, and Luka continues to be one of the brightest stars in basketball. Jalen Brunson has taken another step and remains an absolute joy with his footwork and craft.
Often, it seems as though that's where the conversation ends (especially with Kristaps Porzingis now gone), and that's a shame!
Dallas does lack a true second star, but man, they have some incredibly effective and endearing role players &mdash; Dorian Finney-Smith is having a fantastic season! He's a very solid defender, both on and off the ball, but I've been more impressed with his offensive growth this season.
When he came out of Florida, he was a relatively shaky shooter and didn't shoot around league average until his fourth NBA season (38.1% on around 5 per game over the last three seasons). He started to put together more drives last season, attacking off the catch. Possessions could occasionally die if he was closed out on and then forced to put the ball on the deck.
Not the case anymore!&nbsp;
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He can hit the corner if the tagger comes, or find the dunker spot if the defender steps up. He's not going to ignite the offense, but he can keep it circulating.
Meanwhile, Maxi Kleber is always a delight as a defensive player &mdash; probably the best individual defender on the Mavs and a fringe All-Defense candidate.
He just defends everyone,&nbsp;and he does it with conviction. Per Basketball Index, he rates in the top 5% of their defensive role versatility metric and top 7% in positional versatility, a testament to his utility.
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He possesses great lateral quickness for his size, but his timing stands out even more. Kleber is adept at contesting shots, disrupting windows with gumption. He's solid on rotations and as a help side shot-blocker.
Jason Kidd has utilized Josh Green as a screener and more of a turnkey in the team's offense, letting him thrive on the margins rather than forcing him into a smaller role as a theoretical spacer just for the sake of theoretical spacing. He's brought a vertical element the team really lacks and his rugby background pops with his physicality. Small screeners can still screen effectively, and Green is living proof!
He has good court vision and ability to get off passes on the short-roll. He has decent touch on floaters, and while his jumpshot is mostly a pipe dream at the moment, I see the vision. Buy Green stock!
Dwight Powell has found some of the lift he lost and has been more serviceable in Dallas' revamped defensive system.&nbsp;
Reggie Bullock is such a quality defender and, after one of the worst shooting slumps I've witnessed in some time, he's shot 43% from deep in 2022.
The Mavs are certainly built around Luka Doncic, but the players around him are more than they tend to get credit for.
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Oshae Brissett: Off-ball savant
There are few players in the league I enjoy watching operate more than Oshae Brissett of the Indiana Pacers.
This one play may be the best 14 second summarization you'll ever find of a player.
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Brissett is a tremendous opportunistic scorer, always opening himself up to easy looks and as an outlet for teammates (The Haliburton-Brissett combo is ENTICING).&nbsp;
He times the cut as soon as help is committed, but Patrick Beverley makes a late rotation and recovers to tip the ball.
But wait, there's more!
Brissett tosses himself out of bounds to secure the ball and throw a mid-air pass back to Buddy Hield, who's wide open in the corner. Many a player makes this play and then floats under the rim, but Oshae immediately relocates to the corner.
The ball keeps moving around the perimeter. Swing-swing, and Oshae hits a wide-open three on a possession that wouldn't have already been over if he hadn't made an extra effort.
Keep him in mind when thinking about Indiana's future.
An appreciation of facial wear
Lu Dort is already one of the most revered point of attack defenders in basketball. Add on the mask and I'd like to think he gets a +4 to all defensive attributes, like when you put on new armor in a Bethesda game.
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Dort can never take the mask off ever again man, this is freakin sick <a href="https://t.co/08zAiZA3IA">pic.twitter.com/08zAiZA3IA</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1491090347380060160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Wendell Carter Jr. donned the goggles and hasn't looked back, ascending like the hybrid combo big that was promised.
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&ldquo;I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but BLINDING! The shadows betray you, because they belong to me!&rdquo; Wendell is now the chief member of goggle gang. <a href="https://t.co/YEVXzmOUYt">pic.twitter.com/YEVXzmOUYt</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1460616373558812676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Reggie Jackson: Starting point guard
I don't care what his true-shooting percentage is, he has literally never missed a jumper when he has glasses on.
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Pretty sure Reggie Jackson knew he wasn't gonna miss the game-winner 🚨 Clippers foil the Lakers comeback with a 1-point WIN 💯<a href="https://t.co/9NhHrvHBaK">pic.twitter.com/9NhHrvHBaK</a>
&mdash; ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1489471751767560193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I'm all in on eyewear, and players who feel the same have profited heavily this year!
Jeff Green, still dunking
Jeff Green is in the midst of his 14th NBA season, which is an absolute trip to type. Fun fact: he has never played less than 20 minutes per game in a season, and that doesn't look like it'll change this year. He's started the majority of the season with the Nuggets, and has continued to be a pretty darn solid pro.
His defense has ... uhh ... been lacking, but he continues to do what made me fall in love with his game as a kid: ripping the rim with dunks.
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He's second on the Nuggets this season in dunks with 48, his highest total mark since the 2017-18 season with the Cavs. His career dunk reel is insanely underrated if you have 10 minutes to kill.
Green has thrived in Denver's offense, playing off of Nikola Jokic as a cutter and roller.
The bounce he still has, the consistency with which he exhibits it, and some of the contact finishes he continues to put on tape are just absurd at this point. I've really enjoyed his season and the stability he's found as a role player later in his career.&nbsp;
Quentin Grimes sliding
I really liked Quentin Grimes at Houston and thought he had a real place in the NBA. That being said, I am routinely taken aback by his on-court impact in this, his rookie year.
On a team that's struggled to meet expectations, he's surpassed all of mine. The shot from deep has been money. He's intrigued attacking off the catch with some interesting flashes of live-dribble passing. 
The defense, oh man the defense.
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Obligatory tweet about Quentin Grimes' footwork and quickness <a href="https://t.co/31qIx3Fbqa">pic.twitter.com/31qIx3Fbqa</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1490035885089374216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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There just are not many players in the world who can move their feet the way Quentin Grimes does when he's sliding at the point of attack.&nbsp;
He sheds screens like mad, seemingly refusing to let the ball leave his area of effect. The way his feet move is rhythmic, a controlled-yet-maniacal pace that I find mesmerizing.
One of my favorite things to do at night is take a few minutes to tune into a Knicks game just to watch Grimes muck it up on the perimeter.&nbsp;
Fun and awesome things are happening all around us in the NBA. Sometimes, I really need to take a step back and go "hey, it's pretty cool the way Ziaire Williams just sprints to the corner," acknowledge the absurdity that is DeMar DeRozan's season without taking stock of his MVP odds, and appreciate the other great things that may have become commonplace. Basketball is a special sport. Reminding myself why I love it everyday makes me appreciate it even more.
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The regular season can be as log, and countless things big and small can get lost in the mix - so Mark highlights the little things.