Preview: Boston Celtics vs Memphis Grizzlies Vegas SL Game #4

The Celtics take on the Grizzlies in a matchup of two of the last 4 unbeaten teams in Las Vegas. Entering Wednesday’s action there were 5 teams still undefeated. The Pistons won on Wednesday to go up 4-0. The Heat and Timberwolves faced off with the Wolves coming out a 3 point winner to go up 4-0 and the Heat finished 3-1.

As the Celtics face the Grizzlies, one team will finish a perfect 4-0 while the other will join the Heat at 3-1. Both of these teams last played on Tuesday night with the Celtics beating the also undefeated Nuggets and the Grizzlies beating the Suns 79-69.

The Grizzlies top pick, Ja Morant is not playing for them in Summer League due to a knee injury. Grayson Allen, the 21st pick by the Jazz last season who came to Memphis in the Mike Conley trade, was expected to play for the Grizzlies in Vegas but was a scratch at the last minute and hasn’t played.

The Celtics have been without Romeo Langford who is recovering from off season thumb surgery. Rob Williams missed Tuesday’s game with a right hip bruise and is questionable for this game. Guerschon Yabusele, who missed the last game with a finger injury, has been waived by the Celtics.

The Celtics are mostly rookies and undrafted players while the Grizzlies have some more experienced players. Both teams have shown great chemistry and both teams are winning with defense. A win would guarantee a spot in the tournament going forward. This should be a fun game to watch.

Celtics Roster
Carsen Edwards G 6’1”
Jon Elmore G 6’3”
Tacko Fall C 7’6”
Javonte Green G 6’4”
Aaron Harrison G/F 6’4”
Romeo Langford G/F 6’6”
Chinanu Onuaku C 6’9”
Kendrick Ray G 6’2”
Max Strus G/F 6’6”
Tremont Waters G 5’11”
Grant Williams F 6’7”
Robert Williams III C 6’10”

Head Coach
Scott Morrison

Players to Watch
Carsen Edwards has been the star of the Celtics Summer League team so far. He leads the team with 19 points per game along with 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He is fun to watch and should be in the Celtics regular season rotation this season.
Grant Williams leads the Celtics in +/- in the three games so far. He has had +21,+20, and +16 in the three games so far. He is averaging 11.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. Above and beyond the stats, he played very good perimeter defense and he was talking all game, getting players in to the right spots.
Tacko Fall has been a fan favorite in Vegas, but more than that, he has been a solid player for the Celtics. He is averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks. He has changed countless shots and is much quicker than most expected him to be both on defense and getting up and down the floor. Most Celtics fans are hoping to see him in green this fall. Javonte Green is an athletic player who has been playing well on both ends of the court. He is averaging 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals. He is worth watching and will probably excite the crowd with a dunk or two as well.

Grizzlies Roster
Peyton Aldridge F 6’8”
Shaq Buchanan G 6’3”
Bruno Caboclo F 6’9”
Jevon Carter G 6’2”
Brandon Clarke F 6’8”
Keenan Evans G 6’3”
Dusty Hannahs G 6’3”
Tyler Harvey G 6’4”
Lyle Hexom F 6’8”
John Konchar G 6’5”
Ben Lawson C 7’1”
Paris Lee G 6’0”
Doral Moore C 7’1”
Ivan Rabb F/C 6’10”
Simsola Shittu F/C 6’10”
Julian Washburn F 6’8”Yuta Watanabe F 6’9”

Head Coach
Taylor Jenkins

Key Matchup

Grid View

• Grant Williams Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
• Brandon Clarke Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Grant Williams vs Brandon Clarke
This is a matchup between the 21st pick (Clarke) and the 22nd pick (Williams) from this year’s draft. Clarke is averaging 13.0 points, 1.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds for the Grizzlies while Williams is averaging 11.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.

Players to Watch
Brandon Clarke was the 21st pick of the Oklahoma Thunder and traded to the Grizzlies on draft night. Clarke is averaging 13.0 points, 1.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds for the Grizzlies in their 3 Summer League games so far.
Tyler Harvey was the 51st pick in the 2015 draft and played last season for the Memphis Hustle in the G-League. He was with the Magic for 3.5 years before being traded to the Grizzlies. He is averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds.
Bruno Caboclo was the 20th pick in the 2014 draft. He played 3.5 years for the Raptors and half a year for the Kings before joining the Grizzlies last year. He is averaging 12.5 points, 1.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds.
Yuta Watanabe went undrafted in 2018 and is a 2 way player with the Grizzlies. He is averaging 13.5 points, 1.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always the key to winning. Both of these teams have been playing good defense. The Grizzlies are allowing just 73 points per game. The Celtics need to match their defensive intensity to get a win in this one.

Energy and Effort - The Celtics need to play with energy and extra effort to get this win. The Grizzlies are the toughest team they have faced in Summer League so far and they need to play hard from start to finish. The Grizzlies have an experience advantage and the Celtics will need an effort advantage to counter that.

X-Factor
Experience - The Celtics have mostly rookies and players who have not been in the NBA while the Grizzlies have several players who have been on NBA teams for several years. Will the Celtics rookies be up to the matchup?