Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry combined for 75 points in the Warriors’ thrilling 121-116 win over the Grizzlies. Butler scored 21 of his 38 points in the first half, and Curry finished with 37, including two consecutive threes in the last two …
Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry combined for 75 points in the Warriors’ thrilling 121-116 win over the Grizzlies. Butler scored 21 of his 38 points in the first half, and Curry finished with 37, including two consecutive threes in the last two minutes and scoring the final 10 points for his team.
Ja Morant, who sprained his right ankle in the third quarter, scored 22 points, while Desmond Bane led Memphis with 30 points. Santiago Aldama had 14 points and eight rebounds but couldn’t inbound the ball against Curry before a five-second violation that sealed the fate for his team. The Grizzlies will now face the winner of the Kings-Mavericks play-in game.
Jake LaRavia does all of the little things that impact winning. Even if they don’t show up in the box score.
NEW YORK — The Memphis Grizzlies are running out of time on a decision they may have assumed was no longer a priority: What should they do with Jake LaRavia?
Now in his third year with the franchise — and set to hit unrestricted free agency at its conclusion — LaRavia is healthier and having by far his best campaign yet. He hired a chef to improve his diet, he is spending more time in the weight room, doing more yoga, and he feels limber. It’s everything Memphis believed possible for LaRavia when it acquired his draft rights and made him a first-round pick in 2022.
By November 2024, though, the Grizzlies were seemingly ready to give up on him ever reaching these heights. Following two injury-plagued years to start his career, Memphis already made the first move in determining LaRavia’s fate by declining his fourth-year team option. Initial reporting, however, suggested the front office remained interested in working on a new deal for LaRavia this offseason.
Now all 30 teams will have an equal opportunity to sign the 6-foot-7, 23-year-old forward shooting 44.4 percent on his 3-pointers, meaning a new contract could cost more than expected. All the while, LaRavia developed into an ideal fit for the exact style of basketball that has the Grizzlies fighting atop the Western Conference this season.
This comes back to the question Memphis can no longer avoid: Should the Grizzlies keep giving valuable rotation minutes to LaRavia, knowing that he has played a legitimate role in the team’s success despite his lack of a long-term contract? Or should Memphis make LaRavia expendable before Thursday’s trade deadline and thus offer even more minutes to a player like G.G. Jackson, a more natural scorer?
Jackson, 20, might need a bit more time developing before he can impact games like LaRavia. But he still has multiple years left on his contract. It might seem like an easy decision looking at their box scores. In the Memphis locker room, however, LaRavia’s true value has never been more apparent.
“Some stuff might not even be in the stat sheet,” Grizzlies star Ja Morant told For The Win about LaRavia. “But it leads to winning.”
HUSTLE HIS WAY INTO MINUTES
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When Jake LaRavia was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, it was immediately obvious how the Grizzlies intended to use him.
Memphis was acquiring players who could complement Morant by providing other ways of impacting winning that did not necessarily involve scoring. The versatility LaRavia showed in college at Wake Forest and Indiana State made him an instantly attractive prospect.
Then the injuries cropped up. A back issue during his rookie season, then an ailing ankle as a sophomore, left LaRavia with fewer chances to prove himself. LaRavia is now earning those minutes back on the court for Memphis in a big way.
“For the most part, when I’m out on the court, my main goal is to do all the little things: The dirty work, the 50-50 balls, the one-more passes,” LaRavia said. “Just making the right play pretty much every time.”
The analytics back this up, too. LaRavia is averaging 3.6 deflections per 36 minutes (third-best on the team) along with a team-high 0.8 defensive loose balls recovered per 36 minutes, helping create momentum and advantages — or “winning plays” in the words of teammate Scotty Pippen Jr.
These things matter considerably for a team that is looking to make a postseason run.
“He is an active body,” Memphis forward Santi Aldama said. “That is a point of growth for him, and that is why he has been so successful.”
PLAYING FAST OFF THE BENCH
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Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins tends to favor using a deeper rotation. So for now, there is enough playing time to go around for almost everyone.
“[LaRavia] has just taken off since the start of the season with his opportunity [of us] playing 10 guys, playing 11 guys,” Jenkins explained. “His net rating, his impact, it’s been really good for us and something we’ve leaned on a lot, especially in those bench units.”
Among the three-man lineups that have logged at least 160 minutes together so far this season, one involving LaRavia is tied for having the best overall net rating in the league. Memphis has outscored its opponents by 27.0 points per 100 possessions when he has appeared alongside Aldama and Luke Kennard.
“We want to keep killing the team,” Aldama said. “Make sure they don’t score. Run as fast as possible for 48 minutes. Teams are not willing to not do that normally.”
This is all part of the plan and identity for the Grizzlies, a team that moves around a ton and stays running as often as possible. They lead the league in pace (by a wide margin) as well as distance traveled and average speed both offensively and defensively.
LaRavia’s buy-in of this philosophy has especially caught the attention of teammate Desmond Bane. While admiring LaRavia’s defensive abilities and rebounding, Bane noted that “running the floor” is a major source of LaRavia’s positive impact.
“I wouldn’t consider myself fast in short distances,” LaRavia said. “But I’m hustling. I’m playing hard every time I’m on the court. I’m not really taking plays off. If there is a fastbreak opportunity for the other team, some guys might get out of the way. I’m sprinting back to try to make a play on the ball. Whenever I’m off the ball, I’m sprinting.”
LaRavia isn’t just running hard relative to his other Memphis teammates. Among all NBA players with at least 900 minutes played this season, he leads the entire league in average speed (5.10 miles per hour) while on offense.
He has also increased his paint touches from 1.5 per 36 minutes as a rookie all the way up to 3.6 so far this season. Once he is near the rim, he has shown an ability to finish plays efficiently, which Jenkins appreciates.
LaRavia is currently 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) when cutting to the basket, which has helped earn him the trust of his teammates.
“He is one of the guys who, when we thought about adopting a new offensive philosophy, [we thought] he was going to thrive because he’s got great cutting awareness and offensive rebounding,” Jenkins said.
IMPACTFUL IMPROVEMENTS
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Perhaps most noticeable are the strides that LaRavia has made as a playmaker. He has increased his passes made per 36 minutes from 32.3 as a rookie and 35.4 as a second-year player to 50.6 this season. He has also increased his potential assists per 36 minutes from 3.9 as a rookie and then 4.5 during his second professional campaign to 7.4 in 2024-25.
LaRavia describes this as nothing more than knowing when to play unselfish basketball — making the right play, committing to making the extra pass — and knowing when to go after his own opportunities.
“I think his playmaking has taken a step up, the way he is able to find others,” Pippen explained. “I feel like his overall game is helping us a lot and his ability to stay aggressive while also finding others.”
Likewise, Brandon Clarke praised LaRavia’s passing and IQ. Jenkins, too, has taken note of the overall progress from LaRavia and feels he is a good fit in the new-look Memphis offense. And the advanced metrics behind those wins continue to spotlight LaRavia’s play.
Among all players who have logged at least 800 minutes both this season and last season, his year-over-year improvement in Box Plus-Minus (BPM) ranks fifth-best in the NBA, trailing only those like Most Improved Player candidate Norman Powell. Among all players who have not started a game, LaRavia currently ranks second-best in Win Shares (2.7), behind only Sixth Man of the Year favorite Payton Pritchard.
“He’s just been locked in,” Bane said. “He’s been continuing to grow. His process is continuing to get better. He has a good process and a lot of work and the confidence comes from that. He’s been playing well and it’s a big addition for us.”
Eventually, though, this may all reach a tipping point. The looming trade deadline could make the Grizzlies force their hand and try to return some value for LaRavia if they feel they are not able to re-sign him to a new contract this summer.
Would he provide similar value to a team that plays a different style from Memphis? Any contender could certainly use someone who doesn’t need the ball and provides hustle plays off the bench. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see LaRavia included in a larger deal if Memphis is able to take a big swing.
Until then, there is a lot to appreciate about what he has finally provided this season. LaRavia is appreciating the ride, too, and has kept his goals fairly simple no matter what happens.
“At the end of the day, I want to compete and play for a team that competes,” LaRavia emphasized. “Be healthy. Be in the rotation for as long as I can for whatever team that is competing for a championship every year.”
Meanwhile, In Memphis, the clock continues ticking. Both on the Grizzlies’ championship window and LaRavia’s place in it.
Desmond Bane was willing to risk the foul to get in the trolling.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane risked a technical foul to troll one of his old teammates in Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks.
During Friday night’s Grizzlies home game against the Rockets, Bane got right next to Brooks on the court and seemingly told him that he couldn’t dribble, which got him immediately t’d up by one of the referees.
Bane looked a bit bewildered by the call, but he kept chirping at Brooks as he was walking away. There is clearly no love lost between these two, and Bane didn’t let a technical foul keep him from trying to get in Brooks’ head.
"You can't dribble" -Desmond Bane to Dillon Brooks
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) December 16, 2023
The Grizzlies lost the game to the Rockets, 103-96, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Bane got his best verbal jab in at Brooks, who is known for messing with his opponents as it is.
We’re absolutely going to be glued to this NBA rivalry in the years to come.
In his first return to Memphis as a visitor, Dillon Brooks (team-high 26 points) hit a dagger 3-pointer in the final minute and led Houston (13-9) to a fifth straight win.
In his first return to Memphis since playing six seasons for the Grizzlies, Dillon Brooks scored a team-high 26 points for the Rockets — including 24 in the second half — as Houston stormed back from an early 17-point deficit to win Friday’s game, 103-96 (box score).
Brooks hit 10-of-20 shots from the field (50.0%) and 3-of-9 from 3-point range (33.3%), including a dagger in the game’s final minute. With the win, Houston (13-9) has now won five straight, overall.
That was enough to withstand a spirited effort by the Grizzlies (6-18), who were led by 28 points and 13 rebounds from Desmond Bane. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points and 4 blocked shots.
Beyond Brooks, other Houston players who scored in double figures versus the Grizzlies included:
Fred VanVleet: 16 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals; 5-of-12 shooting (41.7%), 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50.0%)
Jeff Green: 12 points, 4 rebounds in 19 minutes; 3-of-9 shooting (33.3%), 6-of-7 on free throws (85.7%)
Tari Eason: 11 points, 8 rebounds 2 steals in 23 minutes; 4-of-8 shooting (50.0%), 1-of-1 on 3-pointers
The Rockets were without a pair of reserves in Amen Thompson and Jae’Sean Tate, with each sitting out due to an illness.
Here’s our look at highlights and postgame interviews after Friday’s game, along with reaction by media members and fans. Next up for the Rockets, as a three-game road trip continues, is Sunday’s tough matchup at Milwaukee (17-7). Tipoff is at 6:00 p.m. Central.
You need a lot of star power on your roster in order to win a championship in the NBA and several teams just added significant talent.
As the offseason ended, the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard while the Celtics added Jrue Holiday. Earlier this offseason, meanwhile, the Suns added Bradley Beal to a lineup that already had Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. But how do these revamped contenders stack up with the league’s top three-man lineups?
Many publications have ranked the best duos in the NBA — which you can read here, here, here or here. But we wanted to look at the best star trios in the league right now. Here is what we concluded:
Note: Net rating is how many points per 100 possession each team has outscored opponents when these three players are on the court at the same time.
The Grizzlies say that they plan to be “very aggressive” on the trade market, and a recent tweet from Jaren Jackson Jr. had some Memphis fans convinced that the big man was also on his way out.
Jackson, who won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, tweeted that he was “forever grateful” for Memphis.
While that made it seem like his time with the Grizzlies had potentially concluded, almost exactly 24 hours later, he clarified that he was grateful “to be here” with the franchise. He may have just been feeling introspective.
Grizzlies teammate Desmond Bane tweeted that Jackson “bout broke the internet” with his tweet on Monday.
Fortunately, the big man provided some clarity so that fans could briefly stop firing up fake trade ideas and editing photos of him wearing jerseys for rival teams.
The Lakers need to take care of these three things in order to put the Grizzlies away in Game 6 on Friday.
Hours after the Los Angeles Lakers had the opportunity to make relatively quick work of the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, they now find themselves in an extended series that could become more of a dogfight.
They dropped Game 5 by the score of 116-99, despite having a window of opportunity in the third quarter to take control of the contest and put Ja Morant and company away for the summer.
Now L.A. has given the Grizzlies life and confidence, and it will take more effort and energy to advance to the second round. However, if it takes care of these three areas, Game 6 may not be too strenuous.
Waiting for them in the playoffs are the Memphis Grizzlies, who finished the season as the No. 2 seed in the West. LeBron, who clearly has a great mind for the game, was asked his thoughts about the upcoming opponent.
I asked LeBron for his early thoughts on the Memphis matchup. After listing out his scouting report for most of their rotation, he deadpanned, “Obviously, I haven’t thought about Memphis one minute.” pic.twitter.com/PeUJ4sXJYs
“Really good team. Very well-coached. Very well-balanced. Obviously, the head of the snake is Ja Morant. But another All-Star in Jaren Jackson who is up there as one of the Defensive Player of the Year [candidates], he’s been able to block shots and offensively he’s very dynamic as well. Tyus Jones, the point guard off the bench, has led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, like, the last six years. So he complements them very well. Desmond Bane, I think in his second or third year, but he plays like a veteran. His ability to shoot the ball from the 3-point line, also his ability to attack in early transition. Dillon Brooks … you can’t disrespect him because he makes shots. Xavier Tillman has been playing good basketball. Obviously, he’s been well-coached all the way from [his] college days with Coach Izzo to now. They got Luke Kennard who broke my scoring record in high school. He passed me in high school. There is a reason why. He is a laser from the 3-point line. His ability to shoot the ball is uncanny. They’ve got some other guys off the bench that you just can’t disrespect because they will make you pay.”‘
After rattling off that incredibly detailed scouting report on the entire roster from top to bottom, LeBron proceeded to mention that he obviously hasn’t thought for even “one minute” about Memphis.
I’m not sure if LeBron watched Mad Men, but this was an utterly fantastic Don Draper impression from the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
#Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. (20 points, 8 rebounds) continued his strong month and shot very well, but it wasn’t nearly enough versus Luke Kennard and the red-hot Grizzlies.
Two nights earlier in the FedExForum, the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets took the vaunted Memphis Grizzlies down to the wire in a closer-than-expected loss, 130-125. Friday’s rematch, however, was a much different story.
Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. (20 points, 8 rebounds) continued the strongest month of his career by making 9-of-16 shots (56.3%), including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50.0%). But that wasn’t anywhere near enough in a 151-114 loss (box score). Off the bench, fellow rookie Tari Eason chipped in with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 9-of-13 shooting (69.2%), tying his career scoring high.
The Grizzlies sliced open Houston’s defense, repeatedly, shooting an astonishing 25-of-42 on 3-pointers (59.5%). Luke Kennard scored 30 points off the bench on 10-of-11 shooting from 3-point range (90.9%), while Desmond Bane added 25 points with five 3-pointers. Ja Morant had 18 points and 8 assists in just 19 minutes off the bench in his second game since returning from suspension.
For Kennard, it was the most 3-pointers made in a single game of his career, and it was the most by any player in Grizzlies history. Memphis’ 151 points was tied for the most allowed in Rockets history.
Kevin Porter Jr. added 20 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds for Houston on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3%). Jalen Green added 13 points and 5 assists on 6-of-14 shooting (42.9%). Houston’s backcourt duo combined to make only 1-of-5 on 3-pointers (20%), representing an unusually low volume total, and that wasn’t nearly enough to keep up on a night where the Grizzlies were red hot throughout.
With the win, Memphis (46-27) retains its spot at No. 2 in the Western Conference standings. Houston (18-56) remains in last place and has lost four straight since its recent three-game winning streak.
Scroll on for highlights, postgame interviews, and reaction by Houston’s fans and media members. Next up is a tough back-to-back on Sunday and Monday in Cleveland and New York, respectively, with tipoff of the opener versus the Cavaliers at 5 p.m. Central.
In his second game back from injury, Jalen Green scored 20 points in 29 minutes while hitting 4-of-7 from 3-point range (57.1%). It still wasn’t nearly enough to beat Memphis. #Rockets
The losing streak for the young and rebuilding Rockets is 11 games after Wednesday’s 113-99 loss (box score) to visiting Memphis. It was the second straight night Houston played one of the two top teams in the Western Conference. As one might expect, the team with the NBA’s worst record wasn’t close in either.
The Grizzlies (37-23), who are No. 2 in the West standings, were led by sharpshooting guard Desmond Bane, who had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists on 12-of-17 shooting (70.6%), including 6-of-9 on 3-pointers (66.7%). The Rockets, on their second double-digit losing streak of the 2022-23 season, fell to 13-49 with the loss.
Kevin Porter Jr. returned from a seven-week injury absence, posting 11 points and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes. However, he shot just 3-of-11 from the field (27.3%) and was occasionally seen limping. Head coach Stephen Silas acknowledged postgame that Porter’s toe would likely be somewhat of a problem for the rest of the season.
In his second game back from a groin injury, Jalen Green led the Rockets with 20 points and 3 assists in 29 minutes, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range (57.1%). KJ Martin added 19 points and 6 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting (66.7%) and 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40%).
Second-year center Alperen Sengun tallied 11 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 31 minutes while making 5-of-6 shots (83.3%).
Scroll on for highlights, analysis and postgame interviews. Next up for Houston is a weekend back-to-back versus the Spurs, with part one in San Antonio on Saturday night. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Central.
(@big_business_) 
