The Grizzlies and the Timberwolves Reach the NBA Summer League Finals

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves will meet in the finals of the NBA Summer League. These two respective teams have fought their way through a very tough competition, and have a chance to win a trophy and boost their morale before the more important challenges.

The Grizzlies had a fierce battle last night in the semifinals. Memphis managed to outplay the New Orleans Pelicans in a tight ending, 88-86, after overtime. It was the game which amused the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center.

A fantastic comeback in the final quarter erased a 10-point deficit and created a massive swing for the Grizzlies. They would eventually win the game thanks to Brandon Clarke, the 22-year old power forward from Gonzaga, who was selected 21st overall in this draft. With 10.7 until the end, he set the final result and was overall the best player on the court with 23 points and 14 boards. Clarke was shooting 7 of 10 from the field, and 9 of 11 from the free throw line.

He missed several opening games because the NBA had to validate the trade which brought him to Tennessee. When Grizzlies sent Mike Conley Jr. to Utah Jazz, among other things, they received the 21st pick which was OKC’s. They used it to take this fantastic big guy who is one of the most athletic players in his generation.

“Every time that I play basketball I want to win,” Clarke said after the match. “I think that we all just kind of feel that as a team. Even though this is not like a real NBA tournament versus the big NBA dudes, we also want to win.”

Tyler Harvey scored 13 for the Grizzlies, and his three tied the match in the regulations. Bruno Caboclo had 12 buckets.

Pelicans were led by Trevon Bluiett with 16 points. The 17th pick from this draft Nickell Alexander-Walker added 14, but was awful from the field, hitting just 5 shots in 23 tries. Louzada Silva, the second-rounder in this draft had the same number of points.

Once NO decided to shut down Zion, this team became much different and easier to handle, which is obvious at the moment.

In the second semifinals, Minnesota didn’t have that many troubles against the Brooklyn Nets. The Timberwolves won 85-77, with the note that they scored just 6 points in the final period. Previously, Pablo Prigioni’s guys created a huge advantage which went to +23 at one moment, 73-50.

“As coaches, we want to help them to become a championship team,” the Argentinian began his interview following the match. ” This is summer league, but at the end of the day 32 teams show up in Vegas, only two [can] compete for the championship.”

Prigioni became a part of Minnesota’s staff this June and was already given a chance to prove his worth during this Summer League. For now, the 42-year old is doing an excellent job.

Timberwolves are the only undefeated team in Las Vegas, with six straight victories. Their previous victims were Cleveland, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Miami, and Dallas.

Naz Ried dropped 20 on Nets’ defense playing just 19 minutes. The 19-year old power forward went undrafted back in June but showed here in Las Vegas that he has what it takes to earn a chance in the NBA. Besides him, Jordan McLaughlin scored 12 points for Minnesota.

Among the Nets, Jarrett Allen had a strong double-double, 15 points, and 14 boards in some 20 minutes on the floor. Many are in wonder why Brooklyn decided to take Allen to Las Vegas.

The finals are set for this Monday at 9 pm ET.