Memphis Grizzlies fall to Portland but Dillon Brooks shines

The Memphis Grizzlies rolled into Portland hoping to catch the Trail Blazers off guard once more. Though they came up short, rookie Dillon Brooks stood out.

For a little bit, it looked like the Memphis Grizzlies were going to do it on the Blazers again. Wayne Selden and Dillon Brooks were playing great basketball. The defense actually looked good, and the reserves outplayed Portland’s bench.

Though they fell down by as many as 15 in the first quarter, the Grizzlies roared back to cut the first-quarter deficit to eight after a Dillon Brooks buzzer-beater. They outscored the Blazers in the second quarter and went into halftime only down four points.

Were the Grizzlies going to spoil yet another playoff hopeful?

Quick answer: nope.

The Blazers came out guns blazing in the third quarter, dropping 43 points and extending the lead to 23. From there, the Grizzlies tried to make a comeback — cutting the lead down to 10 — but they couldn’t pull it off once Portland’s starters came back in.

What were some standout takeaways from this game?

DILLON BROOKS!!!!

Dillon Brooks must have missed Oregon.

Brooks was definitely the best player in this one for the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored in a variety of ways and did a solid job defending CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard.

Brooks found himself in the paint and finished with poise and finesse. Given his lack of elite athleticism, using such craft around the rim will only make him a more potent scorer.

In addition, an intriguing development in Brooks’ game is his efficiency from deep despite the uptick in attempts. In this game, he finished 4-9 from deep, which included this first quarter buzzer-beater:

Brooks also flashed a nice in-between game, finding his spots from the mid-range and hitting difficult shots.

Though he’s had his up-and-downs (13.5 PPG since the All-Star break on 41.4 percent shooting; 11-26 in this game), it’s important for the Grizzlies to continue putting Brooks into uncomfortable scoring situations. The Grizzlies need more scorers and playmakers aside from Conley and Gasol, and they could easily morph Dillon Brooks into one with time and reps.

Wayne Selden showin’ out

The Grizzlies’ other promising wing, Wayne Selden, also put on a splendid performance. He finished with 17 points on 7-14 shooting (2-4 from deep). He also threw down a thunderous dunk:

One exciting development from this game is the insertion of Wayne Selden into the starting 5 alongside Dillon Brooks. It’s something any Grizzly fan should want to see both immediately and in the future.

Next: Looking back at preseason predictions

Both players played great basketball and nearly willed the Grizzlies into another victory over Portland. These two players are definitely the best wings on the Grizzlies right now, and they need to play them together for lots of minutes in the last five games of the season.