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3 Takeaways From Grizzlies’ 136-105 Win Over Kings
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- 3 Takeaways From Grizzlies’ 136-105 Win Over Kings
(Petre Thomas-Imagn Images)
The Memphis Grizzlies moved to 6-0 on Saturday night with a 136-105 win over the Sacramento Kings at FedExForum. That matches the 2014-15 team for the best start in franchise history.
They did it without Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., and Quinten Post. Cameron Boozer scored a career-high 27 points, and 81 of the 136 came off the bench.
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1. Cameron Boozer Cleaned Up His Second Half
Boozer had 7 turnovers in 14:16 of first-half play. Three were traveling calls, one was a palming call, and three were steals by Sacramento.
Two of those steals came in the final 42 seconds of the first quarter. Jonathan Mogbo turned the first into a fast-break layup.
At halftime, Boozer had 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, and Memphis had been outscored by 12 in his minutes.
He did not commit a turnover in 11:43 after the break. Over the first 4:12 of the third quarter, he scored 10 points. The last 3 came on a fast-break layup and a free throw after Zach Edey blocked a De'Andre Hunter drive.
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By the end of the quarter, Boozer had 17 points in the period on 4-of-5 shooting and 8-of-8 at the line. He also found Edey on a cut for a layup with 8:08 left. Memphis was plus-9 in his third-quarter minutes.
Afterward, Boozer said he had been playing a little too fast. The 27 points topped the 25 he scored at Golden State on Oct. 23. Thursday in Portland, he had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, and he said he needed that game after the triple-double.
2. GG Jackson Went 5-of-5 From 3-Point Range
Jackson scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 20:56 off the bench. He took five 3-pointers and made all five.
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Cam Spencer assisted three of them, and Jackson went to halftime with 15 points. He finished plus-21 with 4 fouls.
With Jerome, Pippen, and Post out, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said Memphis had new guys on the floor.
"GG had his breakout game," Iisalo said. "That was great to see."
An ankle injury from the Oct. 9 preseason game in Chicago kept Jackson out of the preseason finale against Charlotte. He had 12 points and 7 rebounds Thursday in a 124-103 win at Portland .
As a team, Memphis went 19-of-38 from 3-point range. Sacramento went 11-of-38.
3. Karim López and Carson Cooper Scored Their First NBA Points
When four Grizzlies reserves checked in together with 4:15 left, Memphis led 119-97.
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Karim López, the No. 21 pick in June, was one of them. He blocked a Nique Clifford fadeaway with 37.9 seconds left, ran the floor, and finished a layup seven seconds later for his first NBA points. López is the first player born in Mexico to be drafted in the first round.
Carson Cooper, who signed with Memphis after going undrafted out of Michigan State , checked in with 3:13 left. He missed his first free throw with 2:58 left and made the second. He also had 2 rebounds and an assist on one of Taylor Hendricks' two 3-pointers.
From the 4:15 mark on, Memphis outscored Sacramento 17-8. Hendricks made both of his 3-point attempts, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Jahmai Mashack each scored a basket.
Iisalo heard somebody yelling for López in a quiet moment in the gym.
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"Just both him and Coop getting those basketballs, getting the game ball for first points in the NBA, that's something really unique," Iisalo explained. "One of the things, you see the joy in the locker room that other guys have, whether it's Coop scoring his first basket off a free throw or Karim scoring off that fast break or our whole young guy unit that was in the end, how they play, the type of effort they put in."
"And then you got the — we'll call them veterans, even though there's some 19-year-olds and 21-year-olds on the bench," Iisalo continued. "But their enthusiasm for those guys, because they know how hard everybody is working, and guys just wish the best for each other. So really cool moment there."
Memphis hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday at 7 p.m. CT.
