It wasn't pretty (101-90), but the Memphis Grizzlies are moving on to the Summer League Finals on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors . Zach Edey watched from his courtside seat as the team had a rough time shooting on Saturday, yet they still made a huge dent scoring on second chances, and they blew up sets, making it ugly most of the game.
The Grizzlies were showing and recovering promptly, pressuring the ball up court, and going hard on the glass. To boot, the Houston Rockets were looking like a rec-league team in the first quarter as they were held to three field goals (15.8 percent shooting), but they later got within striking distance at the end of the third and then made seven 3-pointers in the fourth.
The Grizzlies' sloppiness continued then they held on and made up for some of their scoring issues by getting to the line.
Coward was almost omnipresent, pressuring the ball plus disrupting as a help defender. On top of that, he was their leading scorer with 28 points, which included four trifectas, and he was one of three players who didn't struggle against Houston's coverages. His best spurt as a scorer came on consecutive possessions in the third quarter, making two treys and a shot at the cup.
Coward's athleticism makes him a dangerous man and he naturally plays unselfishly. He moved the ball well, racking up five assists against one turnover. That turnover would not have been his if he did not try to reach into the ceiling to save a teammate's pass. Coward gets an A.
Small was the team's second-best player with an efficient all-around game that helped overwhelm the Rockets. He is a good connector while being a willing defender, which could make him an even bigger factor in 2026-27 now that the team has traded Ja Morant to Portland. He has a smooth-looking 3-point shot that he can hit on or off the dribble, and his athleticism makes him a threat on the ball, too.
One of his finest moments of the game was a transition alley-oop pass to Olivier-Maxence Prosper . The other one was being on the receiving end of a thunderous lob from Coward.
Small gets an A.
The good thing about Boozer is that he's still a high-impact player without the scoring because he can move his feet while being a long and agile body and was even used in full-court press. He shot poorly, logging 12 points on 23.1 percent shooting, yet was a madman on the offensive glass, picking up seven. One of those offensive rebounds turned into a 3-pointer for Coward, looking like a peak of something that Grizzlies fans will see every game.
He gets a C+.
Jahmai Mack was one of three players who shot well from 3-point range, and two of his three treys came in the fourth quarter. His second-half production helped ensure the Rockets didn't pull the rug out from under them. He gets an A.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/grizzlies/onsi as Small, Coward led Memphis Grizzlies to the summer league finals .
