SAN FRANCISCO — Memphis Grizzlies players were communicating at a high level. They were talking and running full sprints on defense to stay in front of the Golden State Warriors‘ lethal shooters.
The high level of defense forced missed shots, but the rebounds often found the hands of Kevon Looney. When Looney kicked it out, the Warriors made the Grizzlies pay.
The Grizzlies’ biggest strength this season was a weakness Friday night as their season ended in a 110-96 loss in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Dillon Brooks finished with 30 points and Desmond Bane added 25, but it wasn’t enough to force a Game 7.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 30 points and Stephen Curry added 29. Ultimately, Looney’s 11 offensive rebounds were more than any Grizzlies player had total. That led to Golden State’s 21 second-chance points, and 13 of those came in the fourth quarter.
Klay Thompson scored a team-high 30 points for the Warriors.
Here are three key takeaways from Game 6:
Warriors’ new lineup changes rebounding
Golden State played a bigger lineup for the first time in the series. Looney started at center, which moved Draymond Green to power forward. This impacted the Grizzlies because Green started the game on Jaren Jackson Jr., who looked unstoppable in Game 5. The Grizzlies called the first play of the game for Jackson, and Green was right with him, bulldozing through a couple of screens to get back in front of Jackson and contest the shot. Jackson shot 3-for-11 in the first half.
The big lineup meant that the Warriors’ offense was losing another weapon, but Looney’s presence shifted the rebounding advantage back in their direction. The Grizzlies outrebounded Golden State for the first time in Game 5 (55-37), but the Warriors regained the advantage on Friday and won the game due to the opportunities off offensive rebounds. The Warriors finished with a 70-44 rebounding advantage.
Game 6 Klay
Klay Thompson has a history of showing up big in Game 6s, to the point where he’s earned the nickname “Game 6 Klay.”
Thompson came out hot Friday by making his first four 3-pointers. He continued his hot play well into the third quarter, when the Grizzlies put Dillon Brooks on Thompson. Earlier in the series, Brooks said Stephen Curry was his top priority even if another Warriors player got hot.
Brooks’ impact was immediately felt as he prioritized taking away Thompson’s space and forced him into a turnover. Thompson made eight 3-pointers, and his 3 with 2:58 remaining gave the Warriors a 13-point lead and felt like the dagger.
Brooks makes an impact
With Green limiting Jackson’s scoring, the Grizzlies needed other scorers to step up. Brooks took on the challenge by surpassing his shot total from Game 5 in the first half of Game 6. Brooks carried the Grizzlies’ offense in stretches with his ability to create shots. Brooks got help from Desmond Bane.
Brooks got help from Bane, but Jackson was limited to 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting, and no other Grizzlies player scored in double figures
Along with Thompson’s hot shooting, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins scored 10 points in the fourth after scoring just eight in the first three quarters. His baskets often came after the Grizzlies executed great defense for 20 seconds, only for him to knock down long 2s or 3s.
The Mets said on May 10 that deGrom had started throwing, with GM Billy Eppler specifying that deGrom was “out to 60 feet at light intensity.”
If the news after deGrom’s follow-up MRI is good, the expectation is that he’ll be able to ramp up further.
The news that deGrom was throwing followed positive MRI results on his right shoulder that were revealed on April 25, and the Mets said on the 25th that deGrom would receive a follow-up MRI in approximately three weeks.
At the time, deGrom’s MRI and CT scans showed “considerable healing” of his stress reaction, which led to him being cleared to “begin loading and strengthening of the shoulder.”
DeGrom has been out since April 1 and was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 10 — the same day Eppler said he had started throwing. The 60-day move had no bearing on deGrom’s timeline since he was never returning before the second week of June anyway.
Mar 27, 2022; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) throws a pitch in the first inning during spring training against the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park.
On March 31, with spring training nearing a close, deGrom reported shoulder tightness. He was placed on the IL the next day, after an initial MRI revealed the injury.
“Most scapula stress fractures that are caught early heal relatively reliably if the player strictly adheres to the rest and rehab protocol,” Deepak Chona, MD, a Stanford-trained orthopedic sports surgeon and founder of SportsMedAnalytics who does not personally treat deGrom, told SNY in April when discussing deGrom’s injury. “Any time there is an extended period off followed by a ramp back up, there is an accompanying risk of overdoing it and having a setback. However, as long as deGrom progresses slowly, you should expect a full recovery of his prior pitching performance with respect to both velocity and control.
“Furthermore, once he’s back, I wouldn’t expect this to act up again midseason. DeGrom at age 33 is not exactly young for an MLB pitcher, but he’s shown the ability to bounce back before. We have no reason to expect this to be much different.”
Golf legend Tom Watson is engaged to marry a longtime CBS Sports executive. The eight-time major champion became formally engaged to LeslieAnne Wade on May 7 while on a visit to the University of Notre Dame, where Ms. Wade was attending a reunion with her college roommates.
The couple plans to marry on July 9 in New Jersey before traveling to the Open Championship in St. Andrews. Ms. Wade confirmed the engagement and wedding date to Golfweek but declined further comment. The pair have known each other for 15 years.
Watson, 72, is a Hall of Famer and 39-time winner on the PGA Tour. His eight major titles include five Open victories, two Masters and a U.S. Open. His late wife, Hilary, died after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer in 2019.
Ms. Wade has been a widely respected fixture in the golf world for decades. She served as a Senior Vice President of Communications at CBS Sports and currently works with the Endeavor agency and for White Tee Partners, a women-owned marketing agency she co-founded. Her first marriage ended in divorce some years ago.
Watson retired from competitive golf in 2019 after an almost 50-year career during which he won 70 titles and twice captained the United States in the Ryder Cup.
White hit leadoff over the final two games of the weekend series and is up to seven steals over just 38 at bats this season. White is a 28-year-old without much long-term upside but hit well in Triple-A last season, and his current .237 batting average hides a .370 OBP and a 129 wRC+. Moreover, White’s strong defense should lead to a continued everyday role, and Texas is giving the green light, as the Rangers have the third-most SBs this year. Only seven players have more steals than White this season, and all of them have 100+ ABs (White has 38).
Mateo is tied for the MLB lead with 10 steals, so he shouldn’t still be available in so many Yahoo leagues. The new left field dimensions have transformed Camden Yards from arguably the best park in baseball for power into arguably the worst park in baseball for homers, but Mateo possesses “80” speed and should continue to run wild on the base paths. With Adalberto Mondesi out for the season, Mateo has a real chance to lead baseball in steals.
Jorge Mateo should be rostered in more fantasy baseball leagues based on his ability to help in the steals category. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Bruján has struggled badly over a limited MLB sample, but he should get an opportunity now with Manuel Margot and Brandon Lowe on the IL. Bruján swiped 44 bags (with 12 homers) over just 103 games at Triple-A last season, and he had attempted a whopping 11 stolen bases over just 16 games there this year. Moreover, Tampa Bay is leading MLB by a wide margin in SB attempts, as they are the only team in baseball attempting more than one per game. In other words, Bruján’s SB upside is massive, which would be extra helpful in such a scarce category given how many other later speed options like Jonathan Villar, Akil Baddoo, Garrett Hampson and Victor Robles (among others) have been busts.
Senzel is expected to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday and should be back in Cincinnati soon. He’s been a major disappointment with the Reds (and is without a steal this season), but this is still a former No. 2 pick entering his prime with a strong enough minor league resume that THE BAT X projects a .272 BA (109 wRC+) with nine homers and 11 stolen bases over 360 ABs rest of season. Senzel is 2B/OF eligible, swiped 14 bases over just 375 ABs as a rookie (and his Sprint Speed is in the 83rd percentile) and gets to play in the second-best hitter’s park in baseball, so he’s well worth stashing in fantasy leagues.
Velazquez is quietly up to six steals on the year, and his elite defense at shortstop should help keep his bat in LA’s lineup. He swiped 29 bags over just 264 at bats in Triple-A last season, and the Angels are among the league leaders in SBs this season. Velazquez is more of a deep league option, but he’s a middle infielder getting regular playing time who’s running. And his .190 batting average comes with an average exit velocity that’s actually in the 72nd percentile. Velazquez is another option for those desperate for speed.