The Memphis Grizzlies handed the Miami Heat their seventh consecutive loss, cruising to a 125-91 victory Saturday at FedExForum.
Rebounding from a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, the Grizzlies surged ahead with a 21-9 second-quarter run, establishing a 63-48 halftime lead. Their momentum continued into the fourth quarter, where they expanded their advantage to as many as 32 points with 10:51 remaining.
Memphis shot an impressive 55% from the field and dominated the paint, scoring a season-high-allowed 72 points against the Heat. This marked the most points in the paint conceded by the Heat since 2008, when they allowed 76.
The Grizzlies moved to 24-10 when recording 60+ paint points.
Following the convincing win, Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins expressed pride in his team’s well-rounded performance.
He said, “I told the guys afterwards, this is the urgency we have to play with on both sides of the floor, not just defensively. I thought we executed our game plan for the most part, really, really well. Guys were active, they were disciplined. And then I thought our quick decision making was there on the offensive side, we played with a little bit of pace, ball movement, and multiple guys with multiple assists. Definitely an impressive win.”
Jenkins added, “The bench guys coming in, Scotty (Pippen Jr.giving us a boost — Lamar (Stevens) gave us a boost. BC, (Brandon Clarke) Cam (Spencer) those guys did a phenomenal job.”
“Obviously, Des (Desmond Bane) was high level, almost a triple double,” Jenkins continued. “I thought he set a tone, with his defensive rebounding, defensive activity. And obviously it’s unselfish play-making on top of his scoring. So definitely the version that we’re going to need more consistently. And the challenge is can we take it on the road for the longest road trip of the season.”
The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant due to shoulder soreness on a second night of a back-to-back.
Following the Grizzlies’ loss to Cleveland on Friday, Jaren Jackson Jr., who is working his way back from an ankle injury indicated that it would likely take a few games for him to get back to form.
Just one day later, Jackson Jr. turned in a resounding performance, leading the Grizzlies with 31 points on an impressive 72.2% shooting (13-of-18), to go along with six rebounds and two blocked shots.
Bane stated that Jackson Jr.’s strong work ethic allows him to bounce back so quickly.
After a disappointing showing against the Cavaliers, Bane delivered a standout effort, falling just shy of a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals, while connecting on 4-of-5 three-point attempts.
Bane downplayed his poor outing on Friday, saying “it’s basketball” expressing confidence in his work and that he made no adjustments.
Up Next
Memphis is set to begin a five-game road swing, visiting Sacramento, Portland, the LA Clippers, Utah, and Oklahoma City from March 17 to 27.
