Memphis Grizzlies Keep Summer League Title Hopes Alive With 106–85 Win
· Yahoo Sports
The Memphis Grizzlies handed the Golden State Warriors their first loss of Las Vegas Summer League play on Tuesday and improved to 2-1 in the process.
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The win keeps Memphis in the mix to make the Summer League playoffs, though there is still some work to do, and a little luck may be needed.
The Grizzlies cruised to a 106-85 win over the Warriors. They were able to do so despite some iffy showings from No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer and rising sophomore Cedric Coward, who have otherwise been quite good in Summer League play.
Boozer finished Tuesday's game with 12 points and wasn't very efficient, as he went a mere 4-for-12 from the field. But he did add seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, and he finished the game +35, the best of anyone who saw action for Memphis.
Coward, meanwhile, was held to 10 points on 2-for-7 shooting. He did have five rebounds and three assists.
The stars of the game for the Grizzlies were rising sophomore Javon Small and rookie Brendan Hausen.
Small had a game-high 26 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. He also had four rebounds, seven assists and three "stocks." He has had some solid showings this summer, but his 26-point effort on Tuesday was his best so far.
As for Hausen, he finished the game with 20 points off the bench behind some hot 3-point shooting. He went 6-for-8 from deep in 19 minutes of run. This was his first appearance since Memphis' last game in Salt Lake City Summer League, which was another brilliant performance in which he scored 21 points behind a 5-for-11 effort from deep.
Hausen didn't even start a game for the Iowa Hawkeyes this past season, but he's giving the Grizzlies something to think about now.
The next step for Memphis is a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. If the Grizzlies win that one, they will move to 3-1 and may have a chance to advance to the semifinals of Las Vegas Summer League. But with so many one-loss teams currently in the mix, it's hard to predict exactly how everything is going to unfold.
If the Grizzlies miss the playoffs, one more game will be added to their schedule after the Hawks matchup. If they make the playoffs, they'll control their destiny the rest of the way in Vegas.
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