The Memphis Grizzlies opened their season Wednesday night with a 126-124 win over the Utah Jazz. After last season’s 0-9 start it was nice to see the Grizzlies come out strong.
It was the regular season debut of new draftees Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells and marked the return of star point guard Ja Morant to the court after suffering a labral tear last season.
One thing is clear already: Ja Morant remains one of the most explosive players in the league. He finished the night with 22 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds while shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line.
Edey put up 5 points and 5 rebounds in his debut but struggled to stay out of foul trouble, ultimately fouling out after playing just over 14 minutes.
Wells added 6 points off the bench, shooting 2 of 5 from three-point range. Both Edey and Wells struggled from the free throw line, with Edey shooting 1 of 5 and Wells 0 of 2.
After leading by as many as 17 points in the first half, the Grizzlies were outscored by the Jazz 74-65 in the second half. Both teams were foul-happy, with Memphis committing 35 fouls and Utah 24, resulting in 77 free throw attempts.
And while the Grizzlies did give up 13 points off of 13 turnovers, they were able to convert 17 Utah turnovers into 24 points.
Utah’s Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 35 points and 9 rebounds.
Santi Aldama led the Grizzlies with 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 10 of 16 overall and a game-high 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.
Three of Aldama’s five made three-pointers came in the first quarter, but his flashiest points came via a one-handed dunk off a lob from Ja Morant.
Desmond Bane closed the night with 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists on 8 of 20 overall shooting and 4 of 10 from three-point range. Marcus Smart had 11 points and 5 rebounds on 3 of 11 shooting from the field.
Jay Huff led the Grizzlies’ bench unit with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks while shooting 4 of 6 overall, 3 of 5 from three-point range, and 2 of 2 from the free throw line.
The night’s biggest loser was not either team on the court, but the local broadcast partner FanDuel Sports Network, formerly Bally Sports. Fans in the Memphis area experienced horrible audio and video quality, making the first half unwatchable. Here’s hoping this isn’t an ongoing issue.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are heading to Houston to face off against the Rockets on Friday night. Tip-off is at 7 PM CDT. They will open their home season on Saturday against the Orlando Magic.
