Bane, Brooks rally Grizzlies in Game 6 to beat Minnesota
Desmond Bane and Dil- lon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied yet again to eliminate the Minnesota Timberwolves, win- ning 114-106 in Game 6 on Friday night.
Brandon Clarke added 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Grizzlies, who withstood another quiet night by star Ja Morant and another double-digit deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies advanced in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, this time to meet Golden State. They’ll host Game 1 in Memphis.
Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter for Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels had 24 points off the bench, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 10 re- bounds.
Morant went 4 for 14 from the field and had 17 points and 11 assists.
With the Grizzlies already the first team in NBA history to win multiple games in the same playoff series by erasing a doubledigit-point fourth-quarter deficit, the here-we-go- again feeling was palpable in the building as an 84-74 lead for the Wolves at the third-quarter break quickly vanished.
SUNS, PAUL LOOK FOR PLAYOFF PERFECTION » Chris Paul is still looking for his perfect ending.
A perfect entry to Round 2 will have to suffice for now.
Paul and the Phoenix Suns — the team with the best record in the NBA this season — have moved on to the Western Conference semifinals, where a matchup with fourthseeded Dallas awaits. It’ll start in Phoenix on Monday night.
And Paul is coming off the perfect game: 14 for 14 from the field, 4 for 4 from the foul line, 33 points in the 115-109 Game 6 firstround series-clincher for Phoenix at New Orleans on Thursday night. It was the most field goals without a miss in NBA playoff history and matched the fourthmost in any NBA game. The three better showings all belong to Wilt Chamberlain — who had games of 15, 16 and 18 makes without a single miss.
“Nobody’s seen this, 14 for 14,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “This is the first time for all of us.”
Paul and the Suns got to the NBA Finals last season, winning the first two games against the Milwaukee Bucks before dropping the next four and watching Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates celebrating a title.
All Phoenix did this season for an encore was win 64 games, earn home-court for the entirety of the NBA playoffs and now moves into Round 2. The Suns ousted eighth-seeded New Orleans in six games to advance, saw Paul make history and got Booker back from a hamstring strain for the clincher..
76ERS EMBIID OUT FOR FORESEEABLE FUTURE » Joel Embiid has a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion and the Philadelphia 76ers said Friday night that the MVP finalist is out for the foreseeable future.
Embiid was injured late in Philadelphia’s victory at Toronto on Thursday night, when the 76ers were closing out the Raptors and finishing off a six-game win in an Eastern Conference first-round series.
That win sent fourthseeded Philadelphia into the East semifinals against top-seeded Miami, a matchup that begins Monday night.