Report Card: The Memphis Grizzlies won their first preseason game in impressive fashion

The Memphis Grizzlies began their first preseason game of the 2022-2023 season without nine players, including Jay Morant, Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams and others. The Milwaukee Bucks’ starting lineup for this contest consisted of Kennedy Chandler, John Conchar, Zaire Williams, Santi Aldama and Brandon Clark.

The Grizzlies got off to a slow start with 2 turnovers in the first 3 minutes. Santi Aldama started the scoring by hitting a 3, followed by a Kennedy Chandler 3 to cut the deficit to 8-6. Santi Aldama showed off his playmaking style with impressive passes to John Konchar and Brandon Clarke on back-to-back passes leading to a layup.

After David Roddy punted, Bench’s scoring began at the 3, and the defense stepped up to get a transition bucket to give the Grizzlies their first lead, 13-12. Kenny Lofton continued his impressive summer league play in the preseason by knocking down a 3 to help extend the lead to 18-12.

The Bucs started the 2nd quarter forcing and scoring turnovers again to regain the lead 24-22. This time, the Bucs scored 11 points off the Grizzlies. Zaire Williams got the first bucket on offense to help the Griz regain the lead at 27-24. The rest of the first half was back and forth with the Bucs leading 48-45 at the half.

The Grizzlies outscored 29-18 in the first half, scoring 14 second-chance points for the Bucs, who were playing their main rotation of Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and Serge Ibaka. A mostly veteran Bucks squad (minus Giannis and Khris Middleton). Zaire Williams and Kenny Lofton led the way with 10 points each, while Santee Aldama scored 9 points in the first half.

The Bucks extended their lead to 10 points at 58-48, despite Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez sitting down to start the second half. Former Grizzly Grayson Allen led the Bucs with 15 points at that point. The Grizzlies battled back with the play of veterans John Konchar and Brandon Clark to cut the deficit to 58-54, but the Bucs used their defense to create transition opportunities and extend the lead to 10 midway through the 3rd quarter.

The Grizzlies’ first-round starters Jake Laravia and David Roddy showed some grit to keep the Grizzlies out of the zone, but after trailing by 12, the deficit was reduced to 10 to end the 3rd quarter with a 76-66 lead.

The deficit grew to 13 points to start the 4th quarter, but Grizzlies undrafted free agents Kenny Lofton and Justin Benn helped cut the deficit to 5-points midway through the 4th quarter. Milwaukee kept their lead close to double digits, but the Grizzlies eventually tied the game at 99 with 2 minutes remaining. Jake Laravia, David Roddy, Kennedy Chandler and Santi Aldama led the way as the Grizzlies regained the lead with less than a minute left in the game before Santi Aldama stole the win, 107-102.

This game featured an amazing performance by the young Grizzlies, keeping their composure and fighting until the end.

Now let’s rate the shows:

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Zaire Williams – B (11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, +1)

Zaire Williams looked out of sorts to start the first quarter, but helped half the scoring for the Grizzlies in the second quarter. His 2nd half was quiet as the Grizzlies leaned more on their starters to finish the game.

John Konchar – B (9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks)

John Conchar called it “GT,” a typically dirty game for the Grizzlies to help make up for slow starts in both the 1st and 2nd half. His 3-point shooting was gone, but he contributed in a variety of ways offensively and defensively to keep the Grizzlies competitive in this game.

Santi Aldama – A- (13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, +17)

Santi Aldama continued his impressive end to the Winter League into the pre-season by earning his first nod as the first power forward. He helped lead the offensive scoring in the first half and had a great 2-way performance to start the season. His 2nd half was mostly quiet until late in the 4th, when he played a key role in the Grizzlies’ comeback effort to steal the win.

David Roddy – B+ (18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, +8)

David Roddy made his debut off the bench scoring a quick 3, but was quiet in the first half. However, he helped the Grizzlies complete the comeback win in the 2nd half by playing defense and sparking with clutch baskets.

Jake Laravia – B (15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, +6)

Jake Laravia was underwhelming in the first half of the preseason, but by the time the 2nd half came around, he was starting to settle down and look a lot stronger. In the 4th quarter, he showed the type of tenacity on offense and defense expected of a player at the top of the draft to help give the Grizzlies a chance. All 15 points came in the 2nd half.

Team: A-

There are not many complaints about this. The young Grizzlies got their first taste of real NBA competition and rose to the occasion when it mattered most in the 4th quarter. Each starter overcame slow starts and inconsistent performances throughout the game to complete an 18-3 run and win.

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