Author: Aimee Stiegemeyer

The Memphis Grizzlies are now down 0-3 in their playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder after a devastating 114-108 loss in Game 3.

The Grizzlies had a chance to extend the series with a win on their home court, and they opened the game like a team on a mission. The first quarter was an absolute master class of Grizzlies basketball. They outscored the Thunder 40-29 in the period and 24-3 from beyond the arc.

Props to Scotty Pippen Jr., who shot four of four from beyond the arc in the first quarter.

Memphis’ eight made three-pointers in the first quarter are more than they made in all of Game 1.

The second quarter was progressing in a similar fashion, and the Grizzlies built their lead up to 29 points.

Then, with just over two minutes remaining in the period, Oklahoma City guard Luguentz Dort crashed into Ja Morant while attempting to block his drive to the basket and sent Morant face-first into the ground.

Medical staff came immediately to evaluate Morant, who had to be helped off the court. The play was reviewed and ruled a common foul. I would argue that it met the definition of at least a flagrant foul 1 for unnecessary contact — a defender undercutting an airborne shooter is a dangerous play.

Morant would not return to play, and his injury shifted the whole mood of the game. Memphis led 77-51 at halftime, but the loss of their star player proved to be too much to overcome. And there is no way this comeback happens if Morant is on the court.  

The second half of the game looked a lot like the blowouts in Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies struggled to defend the perimeter in the third quarter, and the Thunder made them pay for it. Center Chet Holmgren shot 4 of 5 from beyond the arc in the period and 6 of 8 overall, making up 16 of the Thunder’s 36 points.

After giving up only two points off turnovers in the first half, Memphis gave up 15 points off seven turnovers in the third quarter.

Oklahoma City went on a 23-8 run, bridging the third and fourth quarters to tie the game at 99-99, and then overpowered the Grizzlies in the final minutes.

Stick a fork in it, because this series might be done.

By The Numbers:

Scotty Pippen Jr. led the team with 28 points on 8 of 16 overall shooting and 6 of 10 from beyond the arc, He added 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.

Jaren Jackson Jr. put up 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Before his injury, Morant scored 15 points, and had 1 rebound and 5 assists.

Desmond Bane added 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Santi Aldama led the second unit with 14 points, and added 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.

Who Got Next?

Game 4 of the series is on Saturday, April 26^th. Tip-off is at 2:30 PM CDT.

The Memphis Grizzlies were soundly defeated 131-80 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Woof.

This is a new low for the Grizzlies, in the most literal sense. Memphis was second in the league in scoring during the regular season, averaging 121.7 points per game.

It’s also the largest margin of victory for a Game 1 in NBA playoff history, so we have that going for us, too.

There was an expectation that this series would be a struggle for the Grizzlies — the Thunder beat them in all four regular-season games. A generous prediction for the series for Memphis would be a first-round exit that didn’t involve getting swept in four games.

After Sunday’s dismal performance, winning even one game in this series feels more unlikely than ever.

The Thunder exploited many of the same weaknesses that had plagued the Grizzlies during the regular season: getting into early foul trouble and giving up points off careless turnovers.

The Grizzlies dug themselves into an offensive hole in the first half that they couldn’t overcome. They were outscored by the Thunder 68-36 in the first half.

The second half was more brutal than the first.

If Memphis had any hopes of making a comeback, Oklahoma City put them firmly to rest in the third quarter by outscoring the Grizzlies 44-27 in the period and leading by as many as 52 points.

The outcome was so obvious that the Grizzlies pulled their big three of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Desmond Bane from the game and did not play them at all in the fourth quarter.

By The Numbers:

Memphis only had two players who finished the night in double-digits.

Ja Morant scored 17 points, three rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

Marvin Bagley III scored 17 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one block.

Who Got Next?

The series between the Grizzlies and the Thunder continues with Game 2 on Tuesday, April 22nd. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

In their next-to-last game of the season, the Memphis Grizzlies were defeated 117-109 by the Denver Nuggets.

The Grizzlies’ one remaining regular-season game, at home against Dallas on Sunday, will determine whether they finish the season as the seventh or eighth seed.

Either way, they will participate in the play-in tournament.

What a far cry from earlier this year when the Grizzlies were sitting comfortably in the second seed. But their overall record hides a deeper problem: they can’t beat good teams on a consistent basis.

Their record against teams over .500 is 14-25; for teams under .500, it is 33-9. They are better than last season, but not yet good enough against the teams they will need to defeat to win a championship.

This brings us back to Friday night’s game against the Nuggets in Denver. The Grizzlies were visibly fatigued, playing on the second night of back-to-back games in one of the toughest road arenas in the league. But that doesn’t excuse blowing a 15-point lead in a must-win game. Good defense is only good if you can defend without fouling.

Memphis allowed Denver to get in the bonus early in the third quarter, giving them six more free-throw attempts. Overall, the Nuggets had 31 free throw attempts to the Grizzlies’ 19. Giving your opponent 12 more opportunities to score with the clock stopped in a game you lost by eight is … less than ideal.

The Grizzlies got beaten at their own game: The Nuggets outscored them in the paint 72-52.

The Nuggets have a perennial MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic, who made the Grizzlies pay, to the tune of 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 13 assists. Nuggets’ forward Aaron Gordon led all scorers with 33 points and 5 rebounds.

Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 24 points, and adding 6 rebounds, and 1 steal.

Ja Morant put up 21 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal.

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 18 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.

Luke Kennard led the second unit with 12 points, and added 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

Scotty Pippen Jr. added 11 points, 1 rebound, and 7 assists.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will play their final game of the regular season at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks at FedExForum.

Tip-off is at 2:30 PM CDT.

The Memphis Grizzlies grabbed their third win in a row Tuesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, coming away with a 124-100 victory.

The playoff race in the Western Conference is extremely tight, and final seeding won’t be determined until all the regular season games have been played.

The Grizzlies have fallen from the second seed, where they spent most of the season before the all-star break, to the seventh seed with this win.

There are four teams, including Memphis, with a 47-32 record: the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Golden State Warriors.

The teams in seventh through tenth place at the end of the season will compete in the So-Fi Play-In Tournament to determine who ultimately takes the seventh and eighth seeds in the actual playoffs.

The Grizzlies took ownership of the game in the first quarter, outscoring the Hornets 33-18, and set the tone for the rest of the game. Memphis forced Charlotte into giving up 13 points off 7 turnovers in the opening stanza.

Turnovers again had a huge impact on a Grizzlies game, but this time in Memphis’ favor, as they cored 25 points off the Hornets’ 15 turnovers while only giving up 16 points off their own 14 turnovers.

The second quarter was marked by one of the scariest moments I have seen in a game. Rookie Jaylen Wells was driving to the basket for a dunk when he was crashed into from behind by Charlotte guard KJ Simpson, knocking him to the ground and forcing him to land on his head and neck.

Wells was immediately surrounded by medical personnel from both teams and was taken away via stretcher and transported to a nearby hospital.

Scary moment as the stretcher is out for Jaylen Wells. Went down hard after getting fouled on a dunk and didn't move very much. Very quiet in the arena. pic.twitter.com/AvzQdcTn9U

— Rod Boone (@rodboone) April 9, 2025

Per league policy, the game was delayed for roughly 25 minutes until another ambulance and paramedic crew arrived on site.

Simpson was ejected from the game for a flagrant foul, penalty 2, which is described as unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent.

It was later announced that Wells had a broken wrist and would miss the remainder of the season. Prior to this injury, he played in every game this season and has been invaluable for this Memphis team.

The Grizzlies continued to dominate for the rest of the game, led by their big three of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane.

TOUCH THE CLOUDS JA 😱💥@JaMorant | @FDSN_Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/3WzocXo2Th

— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) April 8, 2025

They led by as many as 29 points and outscored the Hornets 61-56 in the second half.

By The Numbers:

Ja Morant led all scorers with 28 points, and added 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 block.

Desmond Bane scored 19 points, plus 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Zach Edey put up 17 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and had 3 steals and 1 block.

big dawg. big dunk. @zach_edey | @FDSN_Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/aR3N64mhya

— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) April 9, 2025

Edey has had 40 rebounds in the past two games, a feat only achieved by a rookie one other time in league history: Shaquille O’Neal.

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished the night with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.

Santi Aldama led the bench with 11 points, adding 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Scotty Pippen Jr. put up 10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies are returning home on Thursday to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game is a must-win for the Grizzlies as they fight for playoff position. Tip-off is at 8:30 PM CDT.

Thursday night, the Memphis Grizzlies snapped a four-game losing streak with a 110-108 victory over the Miami Heat.

Itwas the Grizzlies’ first win since longtime head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired and replaced in the interim by lead assistant Tuomas Iisalo.

This might be one of the most important wins of the season for this Grizzlies team, which has been in a tailspin for the past few weeks. After spending most of the season in second place in the Western Conference, Memphis is now trying to avoid falling past the sixth seed and the play-in tournament.

This brings us to Thursday night’s game in Miami. The game started out with Heat big man, Bam Adebayo, torching the Grizzlies for 12 points in the first period, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

Memphis was able to cut Miami’s nine-point lead to one by midway but did themselves no favors by giving up 10 points off 12 turnovers in the first half. It was not a great matchup for Jaren Jackson Jr., as evidenced by his game-high five fouls and five turnovers.

The second half was a back-and-forth battle that saw Memphis barely snaring out a win, thanks to a pullup at the buzzer by Ja Morant.

PICK UP THE PHONE 📞

SEND EM HOME ‼️@JaMorant | @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/03BTO2u9lf

— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) April 4, 2025

But there is an elephant in the room: the ongoing controversy regarding what the league calls a “finger-gun” gesture made between Ja Morant and Golden State guard Buddy Hield during Tuesday’s game against the Warriors.

The league issued a warning yesterday afternoon to Morant and Hield regarding the gesture: It was determined “not intended to be violent in nature” but still inappropriate. It was a warning Morant opted not to heed.

Now the league is issuing a $75,000 fine to Morant after he made the same gesture during last night’s game.

Hopefully, he will heed that warning going forward because the Grizzlies desperately need him on the court.

By The Numbers:

Morant led the team in scoring with 30 points on 11 of 22 overall shooting and 3 of 7 from beyond the arc. He added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.

Desmond Bane finished with 17 points on 6 of 23 overall shooting and 1 of 9 from three-point range, plus 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal.

Jaylen Wells added 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 13 points, and added 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.

tap out for the offensive rebound
bucket thru the contact

pip on one 💪@spippenjr | @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/yOxGD1jaA5

— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) April 4, 2025

Scotty Pippen Jr. led the bench with 17 points on 6 of 9 overall shooting and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, plus 1 rebound, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will be in Detroit Saturday night to take on the Pistons. Tip-off is at 6 PM CDT.

The Memphis Grizzlies faced off against the Boston Celtics on Monday night and were defeated 117-103.

The Grizzlies’ downhill slide continues. They have now lost three games in a row, and they look like an entirely different team than the one that spent most of the season in second place in the Western Conference.

Certainly, it is different from the team that beat the reigning NBA champions on their home court back in December.

Father time was on the Celtics’ side as 17-year veteran Al Horford led Boston with a season-high 26 points off the bench on 9 of 18 overall shooting and 6 of 13 from beyond the arc, and Jayson Tatum put up 25 points and 14 rebounds.

Memphis came out strong in the first quarter, outscoring Boston 32-25 overall and 5-12 from three-point range. Memphis also picked up nine points off turnovers.

The Celtics responded in the second quarter when their three-point shooting heated up – 24 of their 41 points in the quarter came from beyond the arc. Boston leads the league in three-point attempts and makes, and their 32 attempted three-pointers in the first half set a franchise record from any Grizzlies opponent.

The Grizzlies entered the second half with a five-point deficit, which they briefly closed in the third quarter, only to be shut down offensively in the fourth quarter.

By The Numbers:

Ja Morant led the Grizzlies in scoring with 26 points, and added 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.

Jaren Jackson Jr. put up 20 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, plus 1 assist, and 1 block.

Desmond Bane finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.

Jaylen Wells added 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Santi Aldama led the second unit with 21 points, adding 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will close out their three-game homestand tonight against the Golden State Warriors. This is a must-win game for Memphis. Tip-off is at 7 PM CDT.

Shortly before noon on Friday, the Grizzlies announced that they were firing head coach Taylor Jenkins and assistant coaches Noah LaRoche and Patrick St. Andrews.

It comes on the heels of Thursday night’s brutal 125-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Here is the official release:

With only nine games left in the regular season, while your team is fighting for its life to stay out of the play-in tournament, it would not seem to be the optimal time to make a move such as firing your head coach, but here we are.

No interim coach has been officially named, but current Grizzlies’ lead assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo is the most likely choice.

Fans and critics of the team have called for Jenkins’ ouster at various points this season, and while this news might be unexpected for some, it really doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

The team has been in a noticeable slump since the all-star break, as evidenced by its 8-11 record. Jenkins appears to have lost the locker room’s confidence, and once the players lose faith in a coach, the relationship is nearly impossible to recover.

Jenkins was hired as part of the guard-change during the 2019 offseason, when longtime general manager Chris Wallace was replaced with Zach Kleiman. It was otherwise known as the end of the Grit and Grind era — marked by the trades of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, the last two remaining members of the Core Four that lifted the team to relevance.

Jenkins’ tenure has been mostly positive, but it’s been bolstered by the arrival of star-caliber talent and the drafting and development of solid, dependable role players — areas that are largely outside his control.

Would a Taylor Jenkins-coached team without the Grizzlies’ big three of Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, and Desmond Bane be as successful, or has his ability been masked by Kleiman’s prowess in drafting players?

Spoiler alert: probably not.

Keeping a head coach who appears to have reached his ceiling would hinder the team now and in the long run. Given all the injuries they have been dealing with, the Grizzlies were never going to win the championship this year. So, while the timing is inconvenient, making such a major personnel change so close to the playoffs won’t necessarily prevent the team from hanging a championship banner in the rafters of FedExForum in the future.

In the third game of a five-game road trip, the Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Los Angeles Clippers Friday Night, 128-108.

It’s the Grizzlies’ third loss in a row and their third loss to the Clippers this season, with Los Angeles sweeping the season series.

The Grizzlies are playing their worst basketball of the season at the worst possible time. They are hanging on in a stacked Western Conference as the fifth seed, with the Warriors one and a half games behind them as the sixth seed and the Lakers and the Nuggets one game ahead of them as the third and fourth seeds.

Ja Morant was sidelined for the fourth game in a row. Scotty Pippen Jr. took over the starting point guard role in his absence.

It is concerning that Morant was listed as out due to a left hamstring strain when two games back he was listed as being out due to right shoulder soreness.

Even more concerning is the medical update on Brandon Clarke, which was just released by the Grizzlies front office.

Per Grizzlies PR:

Brandon Clarke has been diagnosed with a high-grade PCL sprain in his right knee, which he sustained during a fall to the floor in the first quarter of the Grizzlies’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 19.

Clarke is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season, and further updates will be provided after a treatment plan and timeline are set.

This is bad news for Memphis.

As for this game, despite being shorthanded, the Grizzlies got off to a strong start in the first half, outscoreing the Clippers 66-60 through the first two quarters. The game broke an ongoing season trend for Memphis — they are now 29-6 when they lead at halftime.

It was the third quarter where everything fell apart for Memphis, with Los Angeles outscoring them 36-16 in the period and sealing their fate. The Clippers used the fourth quarter to push the lead to 20, their largest lead of the game.

This game was an aberration of sorts, with the Grizzlies outperforming their opponent in an area they typically struggle in. Turnovers have cost them multiple games this season, but in this matchup, they only gave up 10 points off 10 turnovers, and they picked up 30 points off 15 turnovers by the Clippers.

The Clippers had twice as many free-throw attempts as the Grizzlies, 26 to 13, easily outscoring Memphis 21-9 from the free-throw line.

James Harden led all scorers with 30 points on 8 of 14 overall shooting, 5 of 10 from beyond the arc, and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Harden was responsible for most of the disparity in free throws.

With only 11 games left in the regular season, it is do-or-die time for this Memphis Grizzlies team, and they may not have enough left in the tank to avoid a first-round exit in the postseason, provided they make it there.

By The Numbers:

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 23 points on 9 of 24 overall shooting and 3 of 9 from beyond the arc, adding 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Santi Aldama scored 16 points on 5 of 11 overall shooting and 3 of 8 from three-point range, to go with 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal.

santi with some SPICE 🌶️@santialdama | @FDSN_Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/BDVAAVdB96

— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) March 22, 2025

Scotty Pippen Jr. finished with 15 points on 6 of 9 overall shooting and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, and added 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Desmond Bane added 10 points on 3 of 7 overall shooting and 2 of 5 from three-point range, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

Luke Kennard led the bench with 15 points on 6 of 9 overall shooting and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, with 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Jay Huff added 13 points on 5 of 7 overall shooting and 3 of 5 from three-point range, and 1 rebound.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will face the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, March 25^th, giving them a few much-needed rest days. Tip-off is at 8 PM CDT.

The luck of the Irish was not with the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night, as they were defeated by the Sacramento Kings 132-122. With the loss, the Grizzlies drop to the fifth seed in the Western Conference standings.

The Grizzlies battled hard, and despite a breakout night from Desmond Bane, they were not able to overcome their poor defense and the Kings’ three-point shooting.

No point guard? That’s a problem, or it was Monday night. All three of the Grizzlies’ point guards were either injured or unavailable – Ja Morant and Scotty Pippen Jr. were both sidelined with injuries. Yuki Kawamura was on assignment with the Memphis Hustle.

Backup big man Santi Aldama was also on the injured list for the fifth game in a row. He is currently recovering from a right calf strain.

As mentioned, Desmond Bane had a breakout game, delivering a new season-high of 44 points and shooting a perfect 7 of 7 from beyond the arc. Bane tried to put the team on his back in the second half, to no avail.

Sacramento dominated throughout the game, and aside from a two-point lead in the first quarter, the Grizzlies trailed the rest of the way.

The Kings lost all-star Domantas Sabonis for the night after rolling an ankle in the third quarter, but they got a firepower boost from a familiar face: former Grizzly Jake LaRavia, who led Sacramento’s second unit to the tune of 12 points and a couple of well-timed three-point makes.

The elephant in the room is once again that the Grizzlies committed double-digit turnovers — they gave up 21 points off 18 turnovers. Even though the Kings gave up a similar amount (20 points off 14 turnovers), the Grizzlies giving up 21 points in turnovers in a game they lost by 10 points is, to put it mildly, less than ideal.

With only 13 games remaining in the season, this Memphis team is running out of time to right the ship, and turnovers may well cost them in the postseason.

By The Numbers:

Desmond Bane led all scorers and set a new season-high with 44 points on 15 of 25 overall shooting and 7 of 7 from beyond the arc. He added 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

Jaylen Wells scored 14 points on 4 of 11 overall shooting and 3 of 8 from three, to go along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

Jaren Jackson Jr. put up 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.

Zach Edey added 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 blocks.

Brandon Clarke led the second unit with 15 points, and had 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies’ west coast road trip continues. Wednesday night, they will be in Portland to face the Trailblazers. Tip-off is at 9 PM CDT.