Month: June 2021

Thank goodness for the TV gods, and I don’t say that lightly. Not only do we have a fictional god coming out way this month on the small screen, but quality shows have kept us as sane as possible during the past fifteen-or-so months. The schedule’s starting to roar toward full capacity again, which (fortunately) means that there’s more than enough shows out there to browse. The problem there, of course, is that it’s difficult to know where to begin, so we sifted through new June TV shows for the must-sees for you to fire up in your home theater.

There’s a trickster, a gentleman thief, skater ladies, zombies, a hybrid deer-boy and more. In other words, Disney+ will launch their third Marvel Cinematic Universe show, Netflix will unleash Omar Sy’s heisting ways again, HBO’s Betty ladies will give us more authentic summer vibes, and the perfect housewives will either kill their husbands or aerobicize the world. Also, Robert Downey Jr.’s adapting a DC Comic, and so far, I’ve only mentioned about half of the offerings on the below list. HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Netflix, AMC, and Adult Swim all represent here.

Here are the biggest shows worth noticing in June:

We Are Lady Parts: Season 1 (Peacock series streaming on 6/3)

A Muslim female post-punk band called Lady Parts looks for a lead guitarist in this subversive series, which follows the ups and downs of the group as they seek a real gig. A geeky, hard-sciences Ph.D. recruit named Amina Hussain ends up being the unlikely lucky lady to pick up the ax, and she’s soon swept up into the group’s anarchic energy. Naturally, Amina’s caught between two worlds, that of her conservative friends and the irresistible lure of the band’s joyful spirit. Together, they’re fearless, rowdy, and sexual and every ultra-religious family’s nightmare. As a show, it’s silly and irreverent and inspiring; for sure, you’ve never seen women like quite this on your TV screen.

Sweet Tooth: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming on 6/4)

Team Downey (Robert Jr. and Susan) brings us this awe-inspiring story based upon a comic-book (that ran under DC’s Vertigo imprint) by creator Jeff Lemire, who whipped up a post-apocalyptic fairytale about what happens when a great sickness (which is poorly dealt with by humans) ends with a miracle. In this case, this would be the appearance of “hybrids,” babies who are born half-human and half-animal, and we’ll meet a young deer-boy, Gus, (Christian Convery), who teams up with a reluctant protector, Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie), for a cross-country quest. The comic has been described as “Mad Max Meets Bambi,” and Will Forte also plays a pivotal role. You’re in for a real (sweet) treat if you surrender to this adventure.

Dom: Season 1 (Amazon Prime series streaming on 6/4)

This crime drama hails from Brazil with subtitles, but there’s a lot of Ozark and Sons of Anarchy vibes on display to make a non-dubbed effort worth the watch. Dom revolves around a middle-class Rio de Janeiro boy, Pedro, who falls into the lucrative realm of cocaine and eventually rises toward the top (or sinks toward the bottom, depending on one’s perspective) of the criminal underworld. It’s all based on a true story of the gang-related exploits that dominated the country’s aughts tabloids, given the juicy reality of Pedro’s father working for police intelligence, and yes, one should expect the lines of morality to go grey here. Dom‘s also a high-adrenaline adventure, so don’t watch this one while hoping to relax.

Loki: Season 1 (Disney+ series streaming on 6/9)

Tom Hiddleston has an absolute blast playing the mercurial trickster of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we shall reap the benefits while he helps (or hinders) the Time Variance Authority during the process of cleaning up the timeline. Yep, Loki’s gotta atone after snatching the Tesseract in Avengers Endgame, and we can expect plenty of theatrics (including a possible D.B. Cooper-type incarnation) from the God of Mischief. Loki’s chronically looking out for Number One, but Hiddleston did provide a catch-up course to refresh fans, although we still don’t know Loki’s true essence here — is he the somewhat reformed version of himself, or nah? Finding out will be part of the fun.

Fresh, Fried & Crispy: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming on 6/9)

You might gain 10 pounds while watching this show, which would fit right in with Guy Fieri’s adventures. The so-called Grandfather of Food Reviews on YouTube, Daym Drops, takes a cross-country trip across the United States to find the most decadent fried foods possible. There’s deep-fried Oreos (in San Diego), extra-crispy pork chops (in Birmingham), and more on the menu, and not only does he pop into actual restaurants, but home kitchens and food trucks are also part of the hunt. Get your appetites ready.

Lupin: Part 2 (Netflix series streaming 6/11)

This (the fancy French heist show starring Omar Sy) turned out to be a smash hit for Netflix in January. The overwhelming reaction even led the streamer to hustle fast to release Part 2, so that everyone could see how the beloved gentleman burglar would take revenge (against Hubert Pelligrini) for the abduction of his son, and by the way, we could probably use a lot more heisting as well? Give it to us. Of course, after that train station switcheroo in last season’s finale, we can expect police to redouble their efforts. So, Assane reenters as the most wanted man in France, and of course, he’ll tempt fate while executing a new plan that puts himself at risk. Along the way, black tie events, high-speed car chases, speeding motorboats, thrown punches, and a trip to the catacombs are in the cards. Everyone will eventually learn that they should never underestimate our protagonist because, my god, he never runs out of energy or ingenuity. “Nothing but magic,” as we hear Omar Sy say at the end of the trailer.

Betty: Season 2 (HBO series streaming on 6/11)

Like a breath of the most refreshing, free-wheeling air possible, HBO’s Betty will soon glide back into our lives. It’s what we really need to heal our pandemic-addled minds, and somehow, director Crystal Moselle managed to gather the Skate Kitchen crew back up for a second season and film on the streets of New York City. The main players are all back — Rachelle Vinberg as Camille, Ajani Russell as Indigo, Dede Lovelace as Janay, Moonbear as Honeybear, and Nina Moran as Kirt — and they’re still making the act of soaring through the streets look like the coolest thing on Earth. In their defense, Betty really is the coolest show on TV these days, and we could all stand to live vicariously right about now. Yes, they are very much gathering in these highlighted scenes, yet they’re even making masks look effortlessly hope. They’ll probably still even mop up the blood when you fall of your own skateboard.

Flack: Season 2 (Amazon Prime series streaming on 6/11)

This series began on Pop TV, and Amazon picked it up for a second season for good reason. This is some damn fine guilty-pleasure escapism, even if it feels like an amalgamation of many shows and movies (includingThe Devil Wears Prada, Scandal, Sex and the City) that you’ve seen before. Anna Paquin, who portrays Robyn, who’s part of a PR agency that’s ridiculously good at hiding the most outrageous celebrity scandals imaginable. The show’s dark but breezy, and this season will see more collisions between work and home life, and as always, there will be love affairs and shady dealings and drug-induced benders and, yes, almost much everyone on this show is a terrible person, but oh, the comeuppance is a blast to watch.

DAVE: Season 2 (FX series streaming on 6/16)

One of the most absurd shows on TV is back, and rapper and comedian Dave Burd, a.k.a. Lil Dicky (based upon his own life), has got an anteater in tow. Let’s hope the taco truck is just fine, but of course, expect Dave to keep shooting for rap superstardom while recording his debut album. He might have to give up everything that’s truly important to him (love, friendship, his sense of self) up in the process. Obviously, nothing is ever simple for Dave, so expect plenty of mayhem and dancing and general bizarreness to take over the most mundane-seeming tasks of his life. Last season brought Justin Bieber in as a guest star, so let’s see if the show can up the ante.

Black Summer: Season 2 (Netflix series streaming 6/17)

This zombie series’ sophomore season may as well be titled Black Winter, but that’s alright. The first season was a sleeper and ended up being the show that Fear The Walking Dead fans would have preferred before the AMC spinoff series improved dramatically this year. With that said, this is a quick-and-dirty crowd-pleaser of a series, which includes the obligatory “guy who tries to hide his flesh wound” moment while attempting to flee to safety within a crowd of survivors. How that’s handled is necessarily brutal, as is the rest of the series, and expect a new batch of episodes full of cold-blooded fresh challenges while violent militias get down with their bad selves.

Physical: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series streaming on 6/18)

Pull out the leg warmers, the Jane Fonda exercise videos, and the Rave hairspray, or maybe just turn on some Olivia Newton-John songs to get into the proper mood for this dramedy, which stars the always side-splittingly funny Rose Byrne. She portrays a 1980s California housewife, Shiela, who’s pushing toward empowerment and success while excising personal demons in the process. Her transformation’s inspired by aerobics, and soon, Shiela’s building an exercise empire. The pilot’s directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) and the rest of the season’s helmed by Liza Johnson (Dead To Me) and Stephanie Laing (Love Life), so expect the comedy to be of the biting variety.

Kevin Can Go F**k Himself: Season 1 (AMC+ series debuting on 6/20)

The title alone will reel people into sampling this series, at the very least, and also the fact that it rips apart a certain sitcom starring Kevin James and Leah Remini. Really, though, this show parodies all of those comedies with schlubby, burp-happy husbands and their often stunningly gorgeous wives who put up too many shenanigans. Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek) stars as a woman who realizes that she wasted a decade on being the perfect housewife in an awful marriage, and, well, she decides to get out of it by attempting to murder her husband. You definitely won’t be bored by this one, and here’s a heads up: this series will start the AMC+ early-streaming process on June 13

Rick and Morty: Season 5 (Adult Swim series streaming on 6/20)

The Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland-led project returns at long last (although the wait between seasons is growing shorter) with the show’s customary (and excessive) sci-fi strangeness as the title characters continue their intergalactic escapades. This season will bring some mech-parody elements and a Voltron-esque theme, and some “horny ocean man” appears to be involved while the genres will bend everywhere again. Don’t worry, the show’s habit of plentiful puns hasn’t dissipated one bit, and the episode titles indicate that there’s gonna be some dragging of the self-serious “mulitiverse” concept that’s so damn popular in comic-book worlds these days. Oh boy.

I’ll Be Gone In The Dark: Special Episode (HBO series streaming on 6/21)

The one-year anniversary of Joseph James DeAngelo’s guilty plea as the Golden State Killer fast approaches. To mark the occasion, HBO’s revisiting the dogged investigating efforts of true-crime blogger Michelle McNamara after the revolutionary docuseries of 2020. Original series director Liz Garbus will be back to produce alongside Patton Oswalt (McNamara’s husband at the time of her death) and true-crime writers Paul Haynes and Billy Jensen (who helped piece together McNamara’s research into the book) for a special episode, which contains revelations about another case that informed McNamara’s true-crime obsession. That would be the 1984 death of Kathleen Lombardo in Oak Park, Illinois. The case sparked McNamara’s initial interest (at age 14) in investigating murders; Lombardo’s murder remains unsolved to this day, and the episode highlights how important citizen sleuths are while continuing to pursue the truth.

Bosch: Season 7 (Amazon Prime series streaming on 6/25)

Everyone’s favorite loose-cannon detective (portrayed by Titus Welliver) who doesn’t shy away from extralegal tactics is back for one final lap, and hopefully, he’ll be weirdly eating pancakes again at some point before this show ends. Please let us see more crooked law enforcement members get their comeuppance, and maybe some mercenaries and drug rings here and there, and Bosch going further than he safely should to achieve justice in every instance. Oh, and after this season ends, there will (at some point) be a spinoff that will pretty much be more Bosch on the way. Welliver, Madison Lintz, and Mimi Rogers will all be on board, and Bosch will move onto some as-yet-detailed new phase of his career. Weird, right? Fans won’t be complaining.

Order up another round of Rolling Rocks: Mare of Easttown might be coming back for a second season. At least it could be if Kate Winslet has anything to say about it. Though the HBO “limited series” came to its shocking conclusion on Sunday (well, “shocking” if you were anyone but Stephen King, who annoyed Twitter when he correctly predicted the killer earlier in the day), Winslet isn’t ready to drop her Philly accent just yet.

When asked about the possibility of a second act for Mare by TVLine, Winslet didn’t mince words:

“I would absolutely love to play Mare again. I miss her. I really do. It’s the strangest thing. I feel like I’m in mourning. It was an absolutely wonderful role… There’s something very addictive about Mare, because she’s so outrageous and lovable and brilliant and real, you know? I loved playing her.”

Craig Zobel, Mare of Easttown’s executive producer and director, seems to share Winslet’s enthusiasm for continuing the character’s story. When asked to share his thoughts on a second go-around, he told TVLine that Mare Sheehan is “an amazing character, so I would be excited to see” a second 2. Of course, being a dutiful EP, he hedged his response by adding that “I also like it as a miniseries.” Good answer, Craig!

Churning out a second season of what was intended to be a limited series wouldn’t be new terrain for HBO. They did it with Big Little Lies, the 2017 “limited series” based on Liane Moriarty’s book that earned the network eight Emmy Awards. While some might argue that even that series was best left to a single chapter, asking a network to just move on from the kind of show that had enough people tuning into the finale to crash HBO Max is a big ask. Something tells us this won’t be the last we hear about Mare.

(Via TVLine)

After more than a year of delayed releases and sometimes-morbid predictions for what the future might look like, the movie theater as we know and love it (overpriced popcorn and all) seems to be bouncing back from the pandemic. Now, in an attempt to entice even more people back into cinemas, three of the country’s biggest theater chains—AMC, Regal, and Cinemark—have officially lifted their mask mandates for fully vaccinated moviegoers.

According to Variety:

“In line with CDC guidelines, masks will be optional for inoculated patrons and will be ‘strongly encouraged’ for all others. For non-vaccinated customers, masks can be removed when eating and drinking inside the auditorium. All employees at AMC, Regal, and Cinemark locations will still be required to sport a face mask.”

This is, of course, great news for Hollywood. Memorial Day weekend, which generally kicks off the summer blockbuster season, saw some record-breaking attendance numbers as John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II crept into theaters. Even Cruella, which arrived in theaters at the same time it was made available for purchase at home, scared up an impressive $28 million.

While each theater—even those within the same chain—could see slight differences in cinema sanitation procedures and seat blocking (largely based on local mandates), the general rule seems to be that everyone is welcome back… just as long as you promise to wear a mask if you’ve yet to be vaccinated. Which is where the key problem with this plan could lie. As none of these theaters have required proof of vaccination, all patrons will just have to trust that movie lovers with non-jabbed arms will abide by the honor system. And if that doesn’t work, maybe free screenings of Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion for all non-vaxxed people will.

(Via Variety)

Today is June 1, which means it’s officially the start of Pride Month. There are certainly many celebrations to come over the next few weeks, and Lil Nas X is getting the party started early on Twitter with his signature sense of humor.

He started the day by announcing an opportunity for his followers, although it seems unlikely he’ll actually follow through on his promise. He wrote, “happy pride month. i will be having sex with 100 lucky fans to celebrate.” Shortly after that, he offered some advice for allies, which their LGBTQ+ friends will certainly like: “for pride month if you have friends who are part of the lgbtq+ community let them know that they are loved. give them all of your money.”

He also responded to a Pride Month tweet from the NFL, writing, “unfollowing. this is sad that y’all support that lifestyle.” A couple minutes later, he did a 180, tweeting, “after further consideration, i changed my mind, i now support the community and am now too also a homosexual.”

It seems like there will be more to come from Lil Nas X aside from cracking jokes on Twitter: A couple weeks ago, he declared he wants to do “something special” for Pride Month.

Like many Americans, Donald Trump moved to Florida after “retiring” from his job. Unlike many Americans, he wasn’t ready to leave his old profession, but 81 million voters were ready to see him go. Now the former-president spends his days at his Mar-a-Lago resort, giving rambling speeches at weddings and ranting about the “stolen” election.

The Daily Show released a tidy 16-minute video summarizing what Trump has been up to since stomping his way out of the White House. “Donald J. Trump, former United States president and the reason America will be paying for decades of therapy. It has been five months since Trump was indefinitely suspended from Facebook for the minor infraction of trying to overthrow the government. I mean, who hasn’t done that?” host Trevor Noah said in the video, which uses segments from old Daily Show episodes.

He also covered Trump continuing to scam his supporters, taking credit for the vaccine, insisting he won the election, attacking Mitch McConnell, and breaking up with Fox News. “It’s no secret that Donald Trump’s transition out of office was a painful one. It caused a major rift in the GOP, but his relationship with the GOP isn’t the only one that’s been strained. You see, there was another organization that played an equally important role in Trump’s political rise: Fox News,” Noah said. “But sometime between Trump’s campaign for reelection and his campaign for insurrection, the relationship went south.” Trump is used to going south: it’s where his most loyal supporters live.

The first round matchup between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers was highly anticipated in most circles of the NBA world. Through four games, the best-of-seven series has lived up to the hype, with the Suns and Lakers each winning two games, and Game 5 arrives on Tuesday in Phoenix.

Beyond the general buzz, however, is the fact that injuries have played a significant role. For Phoenix, Chris Paul is clearly limited by a shoulder issue, particularly with his trademark ball-handling and issues when attempting long-range shots. Paul is listed as probable for Game 5, and it will be interesting to see how he fares. For the Lakers, Anthony Davis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are both listed as questionable for Game 5, with all eyes on Davis. The All-NBA big man missed the second half of Game 4 with a groin issue, and the Lakers are simply not the same team when he is unavailable to play.

Phoenix was able to grind out a 100-92 win in Game 4, winning a low-scoring battle that was both glacial in pace and suboptimal in offensive efficiency. The Suns may lean on that formula again in Game 5, particularly if Davis is unable to play, but the Lakers do have LeBron James on their side. James is not scoring at his normal playoff level, averaging only 21.0 points per game in the series, and Los Angeles will need his best effort on the road in order to avoid a potentially pivotal defeat.

From a betting standpoint, Game 4 went Under the total of 110 points and Phoenix covered the closing point spread of 6.5 points as an underdog.

Game 5 TV Info

Tip Time: Tuesday, June 1; 10 p.m. ET
TV Network: TNT

Game 5 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Suns (-180), Lakers (+145)
Spread: Suns -5.5 (-108), Lakers +5.5 (-114)
Total: Over 207 (-112), Under 207 (-109)
Money Line: Suns (-215), Lakers (+175)

Game 5 Player Scoring Props (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Devin Booker O/U 27.5 Points (Over -107/Under -120)
Dennis Schröder O/U 16.5 (+100/-127)
DeAndre Ayton O/U 14.5 (-121/-106)
Andre Drummond O/U 11.5 (-107/-120)
Kyle Kuzma O/U 11.5 (-107/-120)
LeBron James O/U 26.5 (-117/-109)
Jae Crowder O/U 10.5 (-122/-105)
Chris Paul O/U 15.5 (+100/-127)
Mikal Bridges O/U 15.5 (-121/-106)

The Portland Trail Blazers venture to Colorado to face the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of a best-of-seven matchup on Tuesday evening. With the series tied at 2-2 after four games, Game 5 could be pivotal, and the series is projected as a virtual coin flip to illustrate the hotly contested nature of the matchup.

Both teams failed to hold serve at home, with the Nuggets splitting the first two games on their home floor and the Blazers doing the same in Game 3 and Game 4. Portland’s bounce-back in Game 4 was badly need to even the series, however, as the Blazers zoomed to a 20-point home win in the last contest. Five players scored in double figures for Terry Stotts’ team but, beyond that, the Blazers managed to win by a lopsided margin even on a night in which Damian Lillard shot just 1-of-10 from the floor. Norman Powell’s 29-point explosion was partly responsible for the friendly result, but Portland also had their best defensive game of the series.

Some of that certainly should be credited to the Blazers’ defense, but Game 4 was also a shaky performance from Denver’s offense. Michael Porter Jr. inexplicably attempted only three shots in 23 minutes and, with the game slipping away quickly after halftime, MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic played just 27 minutes and Aaron Gordon saw the floor for only 18 minutes. Back at home, the Nuggets can take solace in that performance being a mere hiccup, and Denver is still facing what was a bottom-five defense in the NBA this season in Portland.

From a betting standpoint, Game 4 went Under the total of 227.5 points and Portland covered the closing point spread of 4.5 points as a favorite.

Game 5 TV Info

Tip Time: Tuesday, June 1; 9 p.m. ET
TV Network: NBA TV

Game 5 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Blazers (-129), Nuggets (+105)
Spread: Nuggets -1.5 (-112), Blazers +1.5 (-110)
Total: Over 226 (-112), Under 226 (-109)
Money Line: Nuggets (-120), Blazers (+100)

Game 5 Player Scoring Props (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Robert Covington O/U 7.5 Points (Over -107/Under -120)
Facundo Campazzo O/U 10.5 (-103/-125)
Jusuf Nurkic O/U 14.5 (-107/-120)
CJ McCollum O/U 22.5 (-103/-125)
Austin Rivers O/U 9.5 (-107/-120)
Norman Powell O/U 17.5 (-107/-120)
Damian Lillard O/U 31.5 (-113/-113)
Aaron Gordon O/U 11.5 (-113/-113)
Michael Porter Jr. O/U 20.5 (-107/-120)
Nikola Jokic O/U 31.5 (-107/-120)

The Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics get together for Game 5 of a first round series at Barclays Center on Tuesday evening. The Nets lead the series by a 3-1 margin on the heels of a dominant 141-126 victory on Sunday in Boston.

While Game 4 garnered the most attention for very unfortunate reasons after a fan threw a water bottle at Nets guard Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn was unbelievably impressive on the offensive end. The Nets scored 112 points through three quarters and, if not for garbage time, Brooklyn may have threatened the all-time record for offensive rating in a postseason game. Even with that fourth-quarter downturn, the Nets posted 73.3 percent true shooting in the game, with Kevin Durant scoring 42 points and Irving putting up 39 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

The Celtics will aim to stay alive, and Boston may have found an avenue for offensive success in Game 4. Though the Celtics weren’t able to slow Brooklyn’s high-powered offense, Brad Stevens’ team took a whopping 42 free throws, with Jayson Tatum getting to the line for 17 attempts of his own. Tatum has 90 points in the last two games, and he is carrying an obscenely large workload in the absence of Jaylen Brown. Boston is unquestionably fighting an uphill battle in the series, but Brooklyn’s potential for defensive lapses does leave the door open for a competitive environment in Game 5, even with a rather lofty point spread.

From a betting standpoint, Game 4 went Over the total of 229 points and Brooklyn covered the closing point spread of 8.5 points as a favorite.

Game 5 TV Info

Tip Time: Tuesday, June 1; 7:30 p.m. ET
TV Network: TNT

Game 5 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Spread: Nets -13 (-108), Celtics +13 (-113)
Total: Over 232 (-109), Under 232 (-112)
Money Line: Nets (-835), Celtics (+550)

Game 5 Player Scoring Props (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Joe Harris O/U 12.5 Points (Over -107/Under -120)
Jayson Tatum O/U 33.5 (-107/-120)
Kevin Durant O/U 30.5 (-107/-120)
Evan Fournier O/U 16.5 (-113/-113)
Blake Griffin O/U 6.5 (-105/-122)
Marcus Smart O/U 15.5 (-120/-107)
Tristan Thompson O/U 9.5 (-107/-120)
Kyrie Irving O/U 25.5 (-105/-122)
James Harden O/U 25.5 (-105/-122)

While fans are eager to see if TDE’s biggest stars like SZA and Kendrick Lamar are going to drop albums in 2021, it’s the label’s deep roster that has always made them such a beloved crew. Tonight, Isaiah Rashad helped tide listeners over by sharing a track that didn’t quite make the cut for his upcoming album, House Is Burning. The Tennessee native recently shared another new track, “Lay With Ya” featuring fellow Tennessean, rapper Duke Deuce of Memphis, and tonight’s new track is similarly influenced by southern rap sounds.

Broken into two parts, “200/Warning” showcases exactly why fans have been missing Rashad so much — his last album, The Sun’s Tirade was released all the way back in 2016. In the intervening five years, a lot has changed in the industry, but Rashad’s sound has only sharpened and the southern style he favors has moved farther into the mainstream. As much as he’s progressed, tonight’s casual release proves the Chattanooga-born artist isn’t above releasing a song on SoundCloud while he’s gearing up for the more formal album release.

While no date has officially been set yet, fans expect the long-awaited project, first teased in 2019, will finally be coming sometime this month. Check out “200/Warning” above and look for more from Rashad very soon.

As has been the case all series, Game 4 of the Jazz-Grizzlies first round series was an absolute battle, with Memphis refusing to get put away until the very end of the fourth quarter. Utah has shown an ability to open up double digit leads with haste, using their three-point shooting to put quick distance between themselves and the Grizzlies, but Memphis’ steady approach has allowed them to constantly close the gap with their never-ending energy and attacking style.

Game 4 looked nearly identical to Game 3, with the Jazz seemingly taking control on a few occasions only to find themselves in a dogfight in the fourth quarter against a Grizzlies team that just refuses to roll over at any point. Also like Game 3, the Jazz showed plenty of resolve in fending off those Memphis charges, eventually pulling away for a 120-113 win and a 3-1 series lead.

Early on it was a back-and-forth affair, with Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant leading the way for Memphis as they so often do, getting to the bucket and continuing to expose some issues with the Utah perimeter defense.

On the other side it was Donovan Mitchell, who seems to be getting more comfortable by the day, setting the tone followed by a spurt from Jordan Clarkson who had his best game of the series.

At the half, Utah held a five-point lead, as they found themselves in another battle. Like Game 3, they took control in the third as Clarkson and Gobert got rolling and they started to stretch things out to a 100-87 lead going into the fourth.

After Utah took a 13-point advantage into the fourth quarter, their offense stalled as they went to Donovan Mitchell isos too early, scoring just six points in the first six plus minutes of the quarter. On the other side, it was an unlikely hero for the Grizzlies who led them back into the mix, as De’Anthony Melton had 15 fourth quarter points (his only points of the game) to pull Memphis within as few as two of Utah with four minutes to play.

Following the same script as Game 3, after Melton helped the Grizzlies close the Jazz lead down to one possession, Utah slammed the door with a quick 10-2 run sparked by a strip of Morant by Mike Conley and a three from one of the Grizzlies all-time greats against his old team.

Mitchell finished the game with a game-high 30 points and eight assists in the win, as he saw his minutes extended to a more typical 35 after some apparent restrictions in Games 2 and 3, with Clarkson chipping in 24 and Gobert with 17 points. On the other side, it was a familiar refrain from Memphis, with Morant scoring 23 and dishing out 12 dimes, while getting 21 points from Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr., but they just could not hit enough shots from deep to keep up with the Jazz. Utah finished the night 17-of-34 from the three-point line, while Memphis was just 10-for-35.

Game 5 now sends the series back to Utah where the Jazz will look to close out the series at 4-1, although that wouldn’t really be indicative of how well Memphis has played and how close most every game has been.