Memphis Grizzlies Blog – Page 5 – NBA Blog

Celtics squeeze out close win vs. Grizzlies

Per the Boston Herald:

As chaos hit its climax in the final seconds, Kristaps Porzingis kept his cool. With the Celtics leading the Grizzlies by two during a wild sequence, the ball found Ziaire Williams, whose desperation game-tying shot found Porzingis’ hand.

Porzingis stood in satisfaction of the moment and seemed to send some trash talk in Williams’ direction as he lay on the court. His Celtics teammates swarmed him. And they all stood there for a moment to ensure the victory was secured.

Somehow, the Celtics survived.

For a second consecutive game, the Celtics were not at their best. Against an inferior Grizzlies team missing eight players, they were caught in another rockfight. It was emotional, physical, frustrating and sloppy, a game deserving of Marcus Smart, who was sitting on the Memphis bench all night due to an injury. But once again, the C’s found a way. Porzingis’ sixth block of the game clinched a gutsy 102-100 victory in Memphis.

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Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart injured, out 3-5 weeks

Per the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

Marcus Smart’s first mini-homecoming with the Boston Celtics won’t come on Sunday. The Memphis Grizzlies guard is expected to miss three to five weeks because of a left foot sprain, the team announced Friday.

Smart suffered the injury in the first quarter of the 134-107 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He has played in all 11 games this season, but he also dealt with abdominal soreness in the preseason.

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Grizzlies sign Adonis Arms and David Johnson, waive Jason Preston and Timmy Allen

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed wing Adonis Arms and guard David Johnson.

In addition, the Grizzlies waived guard Jason Preston and wing Timmy Allen.

Arms (6-6, 205) competed in 46 games (28 starts) for the Memphis Hustle and Grand Rapids Gold during the 2022-23 NBA G League Showcase and regular season and averaged 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals in 25.1 minutes. The 25-year-old Milwaukee native went unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft following his senior year at Texas Tech, where he was named 2021-22 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

Johnson (6-4, 205) appeared in 41 games (17 starts) for Raptors 905 during the 2022-23 NBA G League Showcase and regular season and averaged 9.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 20.1 minutes. The 22-year-old also played 32 games for Raptors 905 and two games for the Toronto Raptors during the 2021-22 season. A native of Louisville, Johnson played two years collegiately with the Cardinals before going unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Preston (6-3, 181), who signed with Memphis on Oct. 16, appeared in 37 NBA G League games for the Ontario Clippers and 14 NBA games for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. The 24-year-old Orlando native was selected 33rd overall in the 2021 NBA Draft following his junior year at Ohio.

Allen (6-6, 210), who also signed with Memphis on Oct. 16, started all of his 35 appearances last season as a redshirt senior at Texas. The 23-year-old Arizona native, who was a member of the Grizzlies’ 2023 summer league team, went unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Grizzlies sign Jason Preston and Timmy Allen, waive Matthew Hurt and Mychal Mulder

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Jason Preston and wing Timmy Allen.

In addition, the Grizzlies waived forward Matthew Hurt and guard Mychal Mulder.

Preston (6-3, 181) appeared in 37 games (33 starts) for the Ontario Clippers last season during the NBA G League Showcase and regular season and averaged 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 32.8 minutes. The Orlando native also saw action in 14 games during his NBA rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers and averaged 2.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 8.8 minutes. Selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the 24-year-old was named to the 2020-21 All-MAC First Team as a junior at Ohio.

Allen (6-6, 210) started all 35 games and averaged 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 28.4 minutes last season as a redshirt senior at Texas. The Arizona native was named to the 2021-22 All-Big 12 Second Team and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team the previous season with the Longhorns following three years at Utah, where he was selected to the 2020-21 All-Pac 12 First Team. Undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, the 23-year-old competed for the Grizzlies during the 2023 Salt Lake Summer League and NBA Summer League 2023 in Las Vegas.

Hurt (6-9, 235), who signed with Memphis on Sept. 30, appeared in two preseason games and totaled three points, three rebounds and one assist. The 23-year-old Minnesota native appeared in 45 games (13 starts) for the Memphis Hustle last season and averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.0 minutes during the NBA G League Showcase and regular season.

Mulder (6-3, 184), who also signed with Memphis on Sept. 30, competed in two preseason games and recorded three points and two rebounds. The 29-year-old native of Canada has played three NBA seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat and five NBA G League seasons with the Windy City Bulls and Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Grizzlies sign Shaquille Harrison

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Shaquille Harrison.

Harrison (6-4, 195), who signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies during the 2021-22 season, has competed in 180 regular season games (23 starts) over six NBA seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers and has averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.4 minutes. Last season, he averaged 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 24.0 minutes in five regular season games for the Trail Blazers before appearing in eight playoff games for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 29-year-old Kansas City, Mo., native also started all 50 of his NBA G League appearances with the South Bay Lakers during the 2022-23 regular season and G League Showcase and averaged 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in 33.1 minutes. He was named the 2021-22 NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year as a member of the Delaware Blue Coats.

Harrison went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at the University of Tulsa.

Grizzlies sign GG Jackson II to Two-Way contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed forward GG Jackson II to a Two-Way contract.

Jackson II (6-9, 215), the No. 45 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was named to the 2023 SEC All-Freshman Team after appearing in 32 games (29 starts) and averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 31.9 minutes for the University of South Carolina.

The 18-year-old South Carolina native averaged 10.6 points, including 1.9 3-pointers made per game and 4.8 rebounds in 20.9 minutes in eight games (two starts) during the 2023 Salt Lake City Summer League and NBA2K24 Summer League 2023 in Las Vegas.

Grizzlies sign Derrick Rose

The Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, July 3 signed guard Derrick Rose.

A 14-year NBA veteran, Rose (6-3, 200) has appeared in 699 regular season games (511 starts) and has averaged 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 31.0 minutes for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons. Last season, the 34-year-old recorded 5.6 points in 12.5 minutes over 27 games with the Knicks.

Rose also has competed in 52 playoff games (44 starts) over eight trips to the postseason and has averaged 21.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 37.7 minutes.

A native of Chicago, Rose was selected by the Bulls with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft out of the University of Memphis. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2011. His other career highlights include a selection to the 2010-11 All-NBA First Team, three consecutive NBA All-Star appearances (2010, 2011, 2012) and 2008-09 All-Rookie First Team honors.

Memphis Grizzlies exercise contract option Xavier Tillman Sr.

The Memphis Grizzlies recently exercised their 2023-24 contract option on forward/center Xavier Tillman Sr.

Tillman Sr. (6-8, 245) has appeared in 173 games (43 starts) and has averaged 6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.1 minutes while shooting 55.2% from the field over three seasons in Memphis. He set career highs across the board last season with averages of 7.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.3 minutes while shooting 61.4% from the field.

The 24-year-old also has competed in 18 playoff games (12 starts) for the Grizzlies and has averaged 5.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 18.9 minutes while shooting 57.3% from the field.

A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Tillman Sr. was acquired by the Grizzlies with the 35th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft following his junior year at Michigan State University, where he was named the 2020 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Three-team NBA trade sends Kristaps Porzingis to Celtics, Marcus Smart to Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, June 23 acquired guard Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade also including the Washington Wizards.

As part of the deal, the Grizzlies traded guard Tyus Jones to the Wizards and traded the draft rights to guard Marcus Sasser (25th overall) and a future first round draft pick to the Celtics.

Washington traded center Kristaps Porzingis to Boston for forward Danilo Gallinari, center Mike Muscala and the draft rights to forward Julian Phillips (35th overall).

A nine-year NBA veteran, Smart (6-3, 220) has competed in 581 regular season games (360 starts) and has averaged 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.0 minutes since he was selected by the Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State. The 29-year-old Texas native holds career playoff averages of 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.1 minutes in 108 games (73 starts), helping the Celtics make three trips to the conference finals and advance to the 2022 NBA Finals.

“Tyus, Danilo and Mike are talented players accustomed to winning,” said Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins. “They bring professionalism, high basketball intelligence, and a team-first mentality. We are delighted they are Wizards.”

Jones, an eight-year NBA guard, is coming off a career season with Memphis, where he set career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (2.5) and assists (5.2) per game in 80 games played (22 starts). On the season, Jones dished 417 assists, the second-most for Memphis, to just 74 turnovers, giving him the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA last season at 5.63. He has appeared in 535 career games with Minnesota and Memphis and holds career averages of 6.8 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.

Gallinari was drafted sixth overall by the New York Knicks in 2008 and has also played with Denver, the L.A. Clippers, Oklahoma City and Atlanta in his 13-year NBA career. He signed with the Celtics during the 2022 offseason before suffering a season-ending left ACL injury while playing for the Italian national team in a FIBA World Cup qualifier in August. Gallinari last appeared during the 2021-22 season with the Atlanta Hawks, where he averaged 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 66 games. He holds career averages of 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds over 728 games while shooting .382 from three-point range.

Muscala is a 10-year NBA veteran that has played for Atlanta, Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City and Boston. He holds career averages of 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting .457 from the field and .379 from three-point range. Muscala was traded from Oklahoma City to Boston at the 2023 trade deadline and played 20 games for the Celtics to close the season, shooting .472 from the field and .385 from beyond the arc in 16.2 minutes per game.

Porzingis, who was originally acquired by Washington at the 2022 trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks, averaged 22.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in 82 total games with the Wizards.

“Kristaps is a true professional and an exceptionally talented player who established a lasting reputation during his time with the organization,” said Dawkins. “We thank him for his meaningful contributions and we wish him great success in Boston.”

Three-team trade will reportedly send Kristaps Porzingis to Celtics, Marcus Smart to Grizzlies

Via ESPN.com:

The Washington Wizards are completing a three-way deal with the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies that will send Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics and Tyus Jones to the Wizards, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Grizzlies are sending the No. 25 pick on Thursday night and a 2024 first-round pick to the Celtics, sources told Wojnarowski.

The Celtics are sending the 35th pick on Thursday to the Wizards in the deal, sources told Wojnarowski.