NBA Scrimmage Result: Ja Morant's unstoppable performance powers Grizzlies past the Heat, Suns throttle Raptors 117-106
On the last day (Day 7) of the NBA pre-restart scrimmage, the Heat came up against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first matchup of the night, while the Suns matched up with the Raptors in the following game. Take a look at the game summaries for both NBA games:
NBA Scrimmage: Grizzlies dominate the Heat
The Heat handed a first start to Bam Adebayo in the NBA scrimmage. The first-time NBA All Star had gone missing due to a right ankle injury that has been bothering him since March. Jimmy Butler moved back to the starting lineup as well, with Duncan Robinson, Meyers Leonard and Kendrick Nunn rounding it out.
The Grizzlies started with Jaren Jackson Jr, Kyle Anderson and Jonas Valanciunas in their frontcourt. Probable NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks brought up their backcourt.
The game was played at the relatively young Grizzlies' pace from the jump. While the Heat held the lead early in the first quarter, the Grizzlies found their range from 3-point territory and finished the period with a 41-33 lead. They went from strength to strength from that point, holding a lead as big as 25 points at times in the 3rd quarter.
Ja ended up as the best performer of the game, bagging 12 dimes and racking up 22 points on 15 shots. Butler and Bam had good outings for the Heat.
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NBA Scrimmage: Suns upstage Raptors
The Phoenix Suns trotted out their usual starting lineup of Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio, Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges and DeAndre Ayton. The Raptors also fielded their full-strength big man lineup featuring Lowry and van Vleet in the backcourt, with Siakam, Ibaka and Marc Gasol in the frontcourt.
The Suns took an early lead in the game, and barring a short period in the 3rd quarter, were in total control of the game. Mikal Bridges went for a game-high 26 points to go with 5 assists, while Ricky Rubio complemented him with 22 points on 13 shots. Booker largely played a facilitator's role, with 7 assists and 9 points.
Ayton's amazing paint defense led to very few buckets for the Raptors' bigs. Siakam was their top scorer on 17 points, mainly getting his points from the 4 3-point shots he made on 5 attempts. Lowry had 7 assists and made 3 of his 7 3-pointers. The rest of the game was largely forgettable for both teams.
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