Jake LaRavia bounced back as the Grizzlies take down OKC

The Memphis Grizzlies returned to the court after the 4th of July holiday to play their second Summer League Game in Salt Lake City against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This bout marks their first of back-to-back games to finish Summer League play in Salt Lake City before they leave for the Las Vegas Summer League this weekend.

The Grizzlies kept the same starting five from Tuesday’s last-second victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, deploying Jacob Gilyard, Vince Williams Jr., David Roddy, Jake LaRavia, and Kenny Lofton Jr.

First Half

Jake LaRavia got things started for the Grizzlies by connecting from three after struggling with his shot on Tuesday. After a couple of drives to the rim and getting to the free throw line, LaRavia led the charge scoring eight points in less than four minutes to help the Grizzlies lead 21-10 at the first timeout break.

Jake LaRavia continued his hot start, connecting on two more threes, and a post-touch basket on the way to 16 first-quarter points. The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points before Oklahoma City cut the lead to eight points at 39-31 to end the first quarter. The Grizzlies had excellent ball movement, which led to great shooting in the first quarter as they shot 11-22 overall, including 8-16 from three and 9-11 at the free throw line on nine assists.

The Grizzlies began the second quarter on the prowl as they pushed their lead back into the double-digit column with five quick points to lead 44-31. After trading baskets for the next three minutes, the Grizzlies went into the next timeout leading 49-38.

After a quick burst to lead 54-38, the Grizzlies cooled off as Oklahoma City went on a 16-2 run to cut their lead to two points at 56-54 at the half. Jake LaRavia led the Grizzlies with 18 points, followed by Vince Williams Jr. with 12 points, and an awe-inspiring chase-down block, as he carried over his solid performance from Tuesday night.

Second Half

The Grizzlies’ cold streak continued into the second half, as they scored merely two points in the first four minutes; the Thunder tied the game at 58 points. Jacob Gilyard broke the Thunder’s run with a three, but Oklahoma City scored back-to-back baskets to take their first lead of the game at 62-61.

After several lead changes, the Grizzlies retook, and maintained, the lead to end the third quarter at 75-70. The bench stepped up as GG Jackson and Matthew Hurt combined to score the Grizzlies’ final ten points of that quarter.

The Grizzlies returned to their roots, using their defense to generate offense. Their play on that end of the floor helped them get back into a rhythm, leading to a 13-5 run, which gave them an 88-75 advantage with 6:14 remaining in the game. This run was topped off with a 9-0 stretch, consistenting entirely of three-pointers from Gilyard, Lofton Jr., and LaRavia.

Oklahoma City wouldn’t cut the lead closer than eight points the rest of the way, as the Grizzlies remain undefeated in 2023 Summer League action with a 94-86 victory. The Grizzlies had five players reach double-digits scoring, led by Jake LaRavia with 25 points. Jacob Gilyard was “Mr. Do Something” with seven steals, six assists, and four rebounds to go along with ten points. Vince Williams Jr. fell just one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.

The Grizzlies made a Summer League record 17 threes after setting the previous record of 16 threes on Tuesday night. Memphis returns to Summer League action tomorrow night against the Utah Jazz.

Next game: Tomorrow, July 6th at 7p CST vs Utah Jazz | NBATV