Your browser does not support iframes.
Memphis guard Josh Selby came into Sunday’s Summer League finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves riding a wave of offensive good fortune that helped him snag co-Summer League MVP honors with Portland’s Damian Lillard. He averaged 27.5 points per game and shot 70 percent from 3-point range coming in. Things changed on Sunday. Selby finished with 11 points but didn’t score in the first half, while Minnesota limited its turnovers and propelled itself to a 97-91 win over the Grizzlies at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion. The Wolves ended the Summer League season 4-1 with the win, thanks in large part to Selby not getting a chance to run the floor with ease.
“Limiting his transition buckets. He’s one of the guys who thrives off the break,” Wolves forward Mike Harris said. “At the end of the game he showed a spurt of what he can do, but we limited those transition points. Didn’t allow him an opportunity to make multiple 3s in a row in the first half and in the third quarter, and I think that got him a little frustrated.” Harris led the way for the Wolves on Sunday, putting up 22 points and adding 12 rebounds in a breakout game at the power forward position. Summer League coach David Adelman said it was no surprise what Harris could do, given his experience level overseas and past tenure in the NBA, but on Sunday Harris was in his element and really showing an aggressiveness getting to the basket. He, along with forward Luke Sikma and center Paulo Prestes, were keys to Minnesota’s 46-33 advantage on the boards. Prestes finished with four points and 10 rebounds, while Sikma finished up with eight points and nine boards. The Wolves had five players finish in double figures against the Grizzlies, led by Harris’ 22. Guard Kammron Taylor put up an efficient 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Wes Johnson poured in 14 points, Corey Fisher had 12 points and Zabian Dowdell had 11. Overall the Wolves shot 50.0 percent from the floor and again forced Memphis to send them to the free throw line with their aggressiveness. Minnesota shot 16-of-23 from the stripe. For the Grizzlies, Tony Wroten finished with 17 points, Matt Janning had 16 points and was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and Deon Thompson had 15. Selby finished with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Built Ford Tough Leader of the Pack Mike Harris got off to a fast start and never looked back on Sunday, finishing with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Harris is one of the oldest players on the Wolves’ Summer League roster and is familiar with the team’s system dating back to his days playing for coach Rick Adelman in Houston. He added 12 rebounds to collect a double-double, and David Adelman said such a performance was no surprise to him or the coaching staff. “To be honest, he’s shown it for years,” Adelman said. “This year it’s good to see him come out and put up a stat line like this. But we’ve all seen him do it for years, not only here but overseas, here, there and everywhere, Mike’s been a great player.” Highlight of the Night With one minute remaining in the second quarter, the Timberwolves’ most athletic players teamed up for a highlight-reel play that could be the flashiest score of the week. Wes Johnson got the ball in transition on the right sideline and lofted an alley-oop toss to Derrick Williams, who soared above the rim and threw down a jam that put the Timberwolves up 47-37 nearing the end of the first half.
Your browser does not support iframes.
The Numbers Game
- The Grizzlies were known this week for their fast-break points, and they did hold the advantage on Sunday against the Wolves 19-8. But one thing Memphis did not get during the game was a lot of transition baskets by Josh Selby, who spent much of the week picking opponents’ pockets and going in for the score. He did finish with 11 points but did not score in the first half. Coming in, Selby averaged 27.5 points per game in Las Vegas.
- The Timberwolves owned a 16-9 second chance points advantage in the first half and finished with a 22-17 advantage overall. Much of that has to do with the team’s rebounding—Minnesota won the boards battle 46-33 and collected 17 offensive rebounds. Luke Sikma and Paulo Prestes each had five offensive boards.
- The Timberwolves finished the Summer League season 4-1 and are 15-15 overall in team history during Summer League. In the previous two seasons playing in Las Vegas—2009 and 2010—the team went 1-4 in each year. There was no Summer League last season due to the lockout.
Quote of the Night “We’ve been waiting for it. I think Mike has been doing a lot of stuff I think covering up for other people, guarding bigger guys, playing the wing sometimes so we get other people inside. I thought tonight he got to play in his element, and you saw what he is. The coaching staff over here know how good Mike is and how valuable he can be for a team.” --Wolves Summer League coach David Adelman on Mike Harris’ breakout performance