Zach Edey misses another game while Scotty Pippen Jr. leads Memphis Grizzlies to 20-point win
The Memphis Grizzlies defense looked like a bunch of bees swarming around honey. Any time the Dallas Mavericks tried to generate offense early in the summer league game on Monday, the Grizzlies would wreck the play with ball pressure and intensity.
Impressive defense led to Memphis starting the game on a 13-0 run. At one point, the Grizzlies forced more than twice as many turnovers (seven) as Dallas had points (three) midway through the first quarter.
Memphis continued to dominate and ran away with a 108-88 win over the Mavericks at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
The defense led to easy offensive scoring opportunities. GG Jackson led the Grizzlies with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Memphis had a 36-16 advantage in points off turnovers.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
No Zach Edey for Memphis
First-round draft pick Zach Edey missed his fourth consecutive game due to ankle soreness. The Grizzlies have not shut Edey down, so the plan is still for him to play at some point this week. Memphis has looked good enough in both of its Las Vegas summer league games to dominate without Edey, but his presence should help.
Trey Jemison started for Edey and played well again. He finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jake LaRavia set the tone
Pippen and Jake LaRavia are in their third NBA and summer league seasons, and they look like it. Both players have separated themselves from the rest of the competition in large part because of their defense. Pippen is making it tough on opposing guards to penetrate or get by him, and LaRavia's hands have led to several deflections and steals.
It's not just defense, though. LaRavia and Pippen tied for the team lead with seven assists apiece. Pippen finished with 19 points and LaRavia added 14 of his own.
Cam Spencer's consistency
During the game's broadcast, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Cam Spencer will be an important player for Memphis this season and beyond. It's not hard to see how with the way Spencer is playing during summer league. For most players known as shooters, their true impact is determined by how they impact the game in other ways. Spencer is having no problems knocking down 3-pointers, but it's his effort with rebounding, defense and playmaking that have made him a good draft find for the Grizzlies. Even though Spencer hasn't had a bad shooting game yet, he is showing that he can still impact games positively when that time comes.
Spencer left the game early in the third quarter with ankle soreness and did not return.
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What's next
Memphis will be back in action on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic (6 p.m., ESPN+). Injury updates will be key storylines leading into the matchup. Edey's potential return looms large, plus Spencer's availability is something to monitor going forward.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: No Zach Edey, but Memphis Grizzlies dominate Mavericks in summer league