A back-and-forth affair didn’t wind up finishing in favor of the Memphis Grizzlies, as they have now fallen to 1-2 in the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League after an 83-74 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday afternoon.
The Grizzlies and Clippers traded runs and leads throughout the game, including a pair of 9-0 first-half runs by both teams and a 10-1 Memphis run to open the second half.
It’s safe to say each team had its fair share of typical Summer League rust and lack of chemistry, though what was rather eye-catching was the Grizzlies’ lack of ball security during the contest, getting beat 23-11 in total turnovers.
The lackluster ball-handling battle reared its ugly head late in the game, where four costly turnovers in the final five minutes of the contest gave the Clippers the opportunity to pull away from Memphis for good.
They surely took advantage.
Although wins and losses ultimately don’t matter in Summer League, losing a game by nearly double-digits when your team had a lead with three to go has to sting for the young Grizzlies, whose three-point shooting woes (22.6 percent on 31 attempts) and subpar free-throw shooting (68 percent on 25 attempts) were enough to allow L.A. to take the W.
Although the loss may sting, this youthful group responded well after the blowout loss to the Cavs in the team’s last appearance, displaying considerable effort and resilience while not letting previous mistakes deter them from working on particular elements of the game that may not be in an individual players’ arsenal.
Of the ten individuals that saw on-court action during the exhibition, there were many who shined and many who stunk with their performances. Today, we pinpoint one stud and one dud performer from the bunch.