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Jaylen Wells leads way as Memphis Grizzlies earn spot in NBA Summer League championship game
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- Jaylen Wells leads way as Memphis Grizzlies earn spot in NBA Summer League championship game
Despite entering with Jaylen Wells and GG Jackson as the only Grizzlies draftees in the lineup , the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angles Clippers 99-98 on Sunday in Las Vegas to advance to Monday's NBA Summer League championship game.
The Grizzlies were playing without Jake LaRavia , Cam Spencer and Zach Edey because of injuries. Memphis will play the Miami Heat in the championship game Monday (7 p.m., ESPN). With a win, the Grizzlies would claim their first Summer League title since 2019, when Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke played as rookies.
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Wells, a second-round pick of the Grizzlies last month, was 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. Jackson, a second-round pick in 2023, finished with 20 points.
Scotty Pippen Jr. , who finished with a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, went undrafted in 2022 and was signed off the waiver wire by the Grizzlies when injuries took a toll on the roster last season.
Here are a few takeaways from today's action.
Grizzlies injuries mounting
Per team officials, Laravia was out because of lingering knee soreness. That makes Laravia the third Grizzlies player to succumb to lower leg injuries during summer league. Memphis Hustle guard Dejon Jarreau replaced Laravia in the starting lineup. LaRavia exited in the first quarter of the Grizzlies' Thursday win over the Pelicans, the same game where Edey landed on an opponent's foot and injured his other ankle. While the injuries to Edey, Spencer and LaRavia appear to be serious, it isn't the best sign for a team that was derailed last season by injuries.
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Jaylen Wells impressive in spotlight
Wells hasn't gotten his full share of the spotlight with the noise surrounding Edey's injuries, Spencer's emergence and the impressive play of rotation pieces from last year in Jackson and Pippen Jr. However, Sunday's game might have been Wells' best and reveal why Memphis spent a top-40 pick on him coming out of Washington State.
Having spent two years at Division II Sonoma State before breaking out last year with the Cougars, Wells was critical in keeping the Grizzlies within striking distance at the end of the first half. He ended the half with 14 points, including a personal run of two 3-pointers and a midrange jumper, and he readily took the defensive assignment of a red-hot Jordan Miller down the stretch in the fouth quarter
Reach sports writer Josh Crawford at joshua.crawford@commercialappeal.com or on X @JCrawford5656
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Jaylen Wells leads Grizzlies to Summer League championship game
