Grizzlies Hold Off Bulls as Javon Small Seals Preseason Win

Javon Small made both free throws with 0.7 seconds left Friday night at the United Center, and the Memphis Grizzlies held off the Chicago Bulls, 104-100, in their third preseason game.

Caleb Wilson had pulled Chicago within 102-100 on a 3-pointer with 55 seconds remaining. The Bulls missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer before Small went to the line.

Memphis is 2-1 in the preseason. The Grizzlies beat the Atlanta Hawks 132-123 on Oct. 5 in Atlanta, then lost 122-118 to the Orlando Magic two nights later at FedExForum, where former Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane scored nine points in his first game back in Memphis.

Ty Jerome led the Grizzlies with 16 points in 14 minutes, all of them in the first half. He shot 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. He had four assists and did not commit a turnover.

Cameron Boozer, the third overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, also sat the second half. In 12 minutes, he had 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists on 3-of-5 shooting, a line that included a second-quarter dunk.

Against Orlando, Boozer scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Jerome has praised Boozer and the Grizzlies' pace during the preseason.

Wilson, a 2026 lottery pick, went into halftime with one point on 0-of-2 shooting. He scored 12 points in the third quarter, nine of them on 3-pointers.

Wilson finished with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-11 from deep, with four rebounds in 32 minutes.

In July, Wilson scored 35 points in a Summer League loss to Memphis.

GG Jackson scored 14 points off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting.

Zach Edey played 16 minutes in his second preseason game. Before tip-off, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said Edey would play more than the 10 minutes he logged in his preseason debut against Orlando on Oct. 7.

Edey had 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 at the free-throw line. He added five rebounds, two steals, and one block, along with three turnovers and no assists.

After he was cleared to make his preseason debut, Edey finished the Orlando game with two points and four rebounds.

He appeared in 11 games last season.

Small, who closed it at the line, finished with nine points, five rebounds, three assists, and four steals.

Memphis scored 30 points in each of the first two quarters and led 60-50 at halftime. The lead reached 14 before Chicago answered with 32 points in the third quarter.

For the game, the Grizzlies shot 47% from the field and 10-of-31 from 3-point range. They had 25 assists and 21 turnovers.

Chicago shot 37.5% and outrebounded Memphis 43-40.

Norman Powell scored 17 points for the Bulls and went 10-of-12 at the free-throw line. Josh Giddey had 13 points and three assists. Leonard Miller had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Isaiah Stewart, who left the Oct. 5 opener in Atlanta, is dealing with a moderate left ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, Iisalo said before Friday's game.

Memphis has one preseason game left, against the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 16 at FedExForum.

The Grizzlies open the regular season at home against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 21, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT.