Dillon Brooks Leads Grizzlies Past Spurs in Play-in Tournament
Dillon Brooks continues to flourish in the NBA after another impressive performance Wednesday.
This time it was against the Spurs in the NBA play-in tournament. No. 9-seeded Memphis held on for a thrilling 100-96 win over No. 10-seeded San Antonio.
Brooks finished the game with 24 points on 10 of 21 shooting. He did his damage in a variety of areas, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing three assists.
One of his flashiest highlights of the night came early in the first quarter, when he took a rebound all the way to the other end of the floor and rose up for a slam dunk over Spurs guard Dejounte Murray, extending Memphis' early lead 18-4.
Brooks was particularly effective in the mid-range game, frequently using screens to navigate his way through the defense and find his spot before pulling up for jumpers. He also excelled in the paint, side-stepping defenders and muscling through the teeth of the defense to convert tough layups.
Brooks contributed a bit on the defensive end as well, snagging two steals and blocking a shot. It wasn't a strong night for him from behind the arc, as he went 0 for 3 from distance.
A third of his scoring came in the fourth quarter, scoring 8 of his 24 points to hold off a Spurs' comeback.
"That's what I do. I score in crunch in time," Brooks said in a post game press conference. "I'm just ready for any situation or whatever comes at me. I'm just ready to go whenever my teammates call on me or my coach calls on me."
Brooks' first-quarter dunk certainly fired his team up, which is something he prides himself on, calling his energy "contagious."
"I go hard every single night, I show emotion. Somehow, you know, it's just contagious," Brooks said of his energy and what he brings to the table.
The Grizzlies will now head to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors for the eighth seed in the NBA playoffs.
As a player who watches loads of film, Brooks is already forming a game plan.
"We gotta figure out how to stop Steph (Curry) and limit their threes--continue to rebound and continue to defend," he said. "That's the recipe."
Brooks is averaging 17.2 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists on the season.
The game against the Warriors is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. PST on ESPN.
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