Author: Aimee Stiegemeyer

The Memphis Grizzlies took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night and came away with a 128-114 loss. It was Memphis’ second game in two nights, and they were without Ja Morant.

As has been the case with many games this season, turnovers and points scored off those turnovers proved to be a thorn in the Grizzlies’ side. Couple that with an off night offensively for Jaren Jackson Jr., and Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard having his second-highest-scoring game of the season, and this was the outcome.

It was a somewhat surprising outcome, given that Leonard has played just 15 games this season, and until last game, the Grizzlies were 7-1 in games with no rest this season.

Two-time all-star Jaren Jackson Jr. has been a dominant force on offense for Memphis, but foul trouble hindered his momentum Wednesday. Desmond Bane took on the role of leading scorer with a team-high 23 points, but sloppy ball handling and turnovers kept the game out of reach.

The Grizzlies held the lead briefly in the first quarter and for about half of the second quarter, but once the Clippers overtook them in the first half, they held onto their lead for the remainder of the game.

Turnovers. We need to talk about them. Memphis gave up 41 points off 22 turnovers. In contrast, Los Angeles only gave up 20 points off their 17 turnovers. Giving up that many points dug the Grizzlies into a hole they couldn’t claw their way out of.

Free throw shooting by the Grizzlies was also abysmal – 8 of 15 or 53.3%, with the Clippers shooting 21 of 22 or 95.5% from the charity stripe. Free throws were probably less of a factor in this match than the aforementioned turnovers, but they certainly didn’t help.

This Grizzlies team hasn’t figured out how to solve a problem like the Clippers or the Thunder, for that matter. But there is a chance that Memphis will face the Clippers in the first round, and based on their first two meetings this season, that could spell disaster for any hope of a deep playoff run.

By The Numbers:

Desmond Bane led the team in scoring with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists on 8 of 17 overall shooting and 6 of 11 from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Wells finished the night with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals while shooting 7 of 11 overall and 3 of 7 from three-point range.

Jaren Jackson Jr. closed out with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks on 5 of 12 overall shooting.

Luke Kennard was moved into the starting lineup and finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on 5 of 10 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

GG Jackson led the bench unit with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 6 of 11 overall and 2 of 4 from three-point range.

Santi Aldama added 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 block on 5 of 10 overall shooting and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will return after the All-Star break on February 20^th when they take on the Indiana Pacers. Tip-off will be at 6 PM CST.

Monday night, the Memphis Grizzlies faced off against the San Antonio Spurs and came away with a resounding 128-109 victory and moved up to second place in the Western Conference standings.

It was the second night of back-to-back games for Memphis, and Ja Morant returned to the lineup after missing Sunday’s matchup with the Bucks due to shoulder soreness.

Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke were sidelined with a left ankle strain and back soreness, respectively. But the Grizzlies are no stranger to adapting on the fly when a player is injured, having fostered a next-man-up mentality amongst the players.

The first quarter was a bit of a slog, but Memphis converted six San Antonio turnovers into 12 points in the period and carried that momentum and a six-point lead into the second quarter.

The Spurs had no answer for the Grizzlies when they went on a 19-point run in the second quarter, their biggest of the season. Memphis led by 12 points at halftime, and San Antonio never got within single digits the rest of the game.

And let’s not forget to give the Grizzlies their flowers for winning the turnover battle: Memphis converted 23 San Antonio turnovers into 34 points while holding the Spurs to just 8 points off their own 15 turnovers. This feels significant, given the struggles with turnovers that have plagued the Grizzlies all season.

By The Numbers:

Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks.

Ja Morant notched 25 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 steals in his return to action. Morant scored 14 of his 25 points in the first quarter.

Zach Edey finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block. This marks Edey’s seventh career double-double and his second in two games after Sunday night’s 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Bucks.

GG Jackson led the second unit with a season-high 27 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals on 11 of 20 overall shooting and 4 of 9 from beyond the arc.

Scotty Pippen Jr. added 11 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies are heading to Toronto on Wednesday night to take on the Raptors. Tip-off is at 6:30 PM CST.

The Grizzlies closed out their four-game homestand Saturday night with a decisive 125-103 victory over the Utah Jazz. Memphis swept the homestand and has now won six games in a row.

Any win is by definition a good win, but this one holds significance with all five starters in double figures and GG Jackson scoring his season-high off the bench.

The Grizzlies got off to a good start, taking a solid 65-57 lead into the second half. But it was the third quarter where Memphis really took over and asserted its dominance. They went on a 24-7 run and outscored the Jazz 36-17 in the period.

Some poor officiating in the second quarter benefited the Grizzlies, when Utah forward Drew Eubanks was ejected on a flagrant penalty two foul that looked much closer to a flagrant one. (A flagrant penalty one foul is unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent; a flagrant penalty two foul is contact that is unnecessary and excessive.)

Utah outscored Memphis 29-24 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Grizzlies’ sizeable lead, propelled by big performances from the starting five.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the team in scoring with 28 points, and added 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block while shooting 10 of 14 overall and 2 of 4 from three-point range.

Zach Edey put up 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 blocks on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

Desmond Bane added 17 points, a team-high 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 7 of 11 overall and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Wells finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 2 of 4 from three-point range.

Ja Morant closed out with 11 points, 1 rebound, 7 assists, and 1 steal on 4 of 9 overall shooting.

From the bench, GG Jackson scored a season-high 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Jackson made his season debut on January 20^th after recovering from surgery in September to repair a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies are heading to the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, to take on the New York Knicks on Monday night. Tip-off is at 6:30 PM CST.

The Memphis Grizzlies closed out their four-game road trip with a massive 140-112 win over the San Antonio Spurs and head home with a 3-1 record for the stretch.

Ja Morant was sidelined for this matchup with a sore foot, but that proved to be no problem at all for this Grizzlies team. Head coach Taylor Jenkins opted to move Luke Kennard into the starting lineup in Morant’s place, over Scotty Pippen Jr., a move which ultimately paid off for Memphis. Pippen Jr. has struggled offensively lately, averaging just 3.8 points over the past five games.

This was a bona-fide drag them into the mud and beat them there win for Memphis. After a rocky first half that had them trailing by one at the break, the Grizzlies found their offensive groove in the third quarter, outscoring San Antonio 40-22 in the period.

Once the Grizzlies took the lead in the third, the Spurs could not recover. Memphis closed the quarter with an 18-2 run.

The fourth quarter basically saw the Grizzlies running up the score, leading by as many as 31 points in the period.

There are many positive things to take away from this win: a career-scoring night from Santi Aldama, who had 29 points;, Luke Kennard thriving in the starting lineup, and improved ball-handling and offensive efficiency, and single-digit turnovers. For a team that has been plagued by turnovers all season long, that last one is a big deal.

By The Numbers:

Santi Aldama led all scorers with his career-high 29 points, adding 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal on 10 of 19 overall shooting and 5 of 12 from beyond the arc.

Desmond Bane closed out with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 14 assists, and 3 steals.

Jaylen Wells added another 22 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists on 8 of 11 overall shooting and 6 of 8 from three-point range.

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. Kennard put up 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Brandon Clarke added 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies return home Monday, January 20th, for their 23rd annual MLK Day game, facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This will be a nationally broadcast game; fans can watch it on TNT and FanDuel Sports Network. Tip-off is at 1:30 PM CST.

It’s become the tale of these two teams this season — a tight game ending in a loss for Memphis. Monday night, the Grizzlies battled and fell short against the Houston Rockets in a 120-118 loss. The loss comes less than a week after the Rockets defeated the Grizzlies 119-115 in Memphis.

After leading by as many as 13 points, the Grizzlies could not overcome Houston’s surging offense in the fourth quarter, led by Jalen Green and Amen Thompson. Green led all scorers with 42 points, and added 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Turnovers plagued both teams, with Memphis committing 18 turnovers, leading to 27 points, and Houston committing 23 turnovers, leading to 31 points. They were evenly matched in the paint, scoring 48 each, and the Grizzlies had the advantage in fast break points — 29 to 19.

Houston now leads the season series 3-0, and the two teams will meet for a final time on January 30^th in Memphis.

Ja Morant led the Grizzlies in scoring with 29 points, and added 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.

Desmond Bane added 25 points on 9 of 13 overall shooting and 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. He added 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Bane scored 15 of his 25 points in the third quarter, shooting 6 of 8 overall and 2 of 2 from three-point range.

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block while shooting 6 of 11 overall and 1 of 3 from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Wells added 14 points and 2 steals.

Jake LaRavia contributed 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies are headed to San Antonio for back-to-back games against the Spurs — Wednesday, January 15, at 7 PM CST and Friday, January 17, at 8:30 PM CST.

The Memphis Grizzlies got their star point guard back, but still lost to the Houston Rockets on Thursday, 119-115. Memphis is 0-2 against Houston this season, and with their win, the Rockets take a 1.5-game lead over the Grizzlies for the second seed in the Western Conference.

The highlight of the game was Ja Morant’s return to action after missing five games due to a right AC joint sprain he suffered against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 27^th. Morant led the Grizzlies with a team-high 27 points, and added 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Houston dominated throughout the first quarter, led by center Alperen Sengun’s 16 points. Memphis did themselves no favors in the first, committing four turnovers that led to eight points by the Rockets. If that sounds familiar, it’s because turnovers are the Grizzlies kryptonite this season.

Tightening up their ball handling and security would have made all the difference for Memphis, as most of their 20 turnovers were unforced — resulting from bad passes and sloppy ball handling. The Rockets converted those turnovers into 31 points, while limiting their own turnovers to 13, which led to 11 points by the Grizzlies. Houston had 12 more field goal attempts than Memphis, a product of the aforementioned turnovers.

Memphis did not lie down without a fight, and they were able to claw back and gain the lead from 17 points down in the third quarter.

The game also saw the return of Santi Aldama, who had missed six games due to a left ankle sprain. Aldama led the bench with 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Former Memphis Grizzly Dillon Brooks managed to commit a technical foul in the first 30 seconds of the game. Brooks, who was drafted by the Grizzlies in 2017 and played in Memphis for his first six seasons in the league, was not much help to Houston offensively, scoring just 5 points on 2 of 15 overall shooting and 1 of 8 from beyond the arc.

Neither team shot the long ball particularly well, with Memphis shooting a dismal 31.2% (10 of 32) from three-point range and Houston shooting 38.2% (13 of 34).

One small bright spot in this matchup was the Grizzlies dominating 62-48 in the paint.

By the numbers:

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a season-high 6 blocks.

Desmond Bane was the only other starter to score in double figures, finishing with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.

Santi Aldama led the bench, as mentioned, and Luke Kennard added 11 points and 2 assists.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies hit the road for the next four games, starting with Minnesota, where they will face off against Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves on Saturday night. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.

The Memphis Grizzlies come up short against the Golden State Warriors in their second-consecutive loss. With a final score of 121-113, the Grizzlies finished their five-game road trip at 2-3 and fell from from second- to third-place in the Western Conference.

Golden State was missing its star guard, Steph Curry, and backup guard, Gary Payton II.

The list of players on the injury report for Memphis was much longer: Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Santi Aldama, Luke Kennard, John Konchar, Yuki Kawamura, Vince Williams Jr., and GG Jackson II.

Kennard and Konchar were game-time decisions previously listed as doubtful and questionable. Desmond Bane was also previously listed as questionable, but he was able to play.

Turnovers and poor three-point shooting kept the Grizzlies just out of reach of the Warriors throughout most of the game, with Memphis never holding more than a two-point lead.

Every Grizzlies’ player aside from Brandon Clarke and Cam Spencer committed at least one live-ball turnover, with Bane committing a game-high eight turnovers. All in all, Memphis had 23 turnovers that converted to 28 points for Golden State.

The Warriors outshot the Grizzlies 53.5% (23 of 43) to 33.3% (9 of 27) from beyond the arc. The Grizzlies did have a 64 (32 of 49) to 32 (16 of 30) advantage in the paint, but it was not enough to overcome such a large disparity in three-point shooting.

Memphis won the free throw battle 75% (12 of 16) to 62.5% (10 of 16). Both teams had a total of 18 fouls, with Desmond Bane, Dennis Schroder, and Draymond Green all earning technical fouls. Green’s technical foul came less than a minute after he committed a flagrant foul against Zach Edey in the fourth quarter.

By The Numbers:

Jaren Jackson Jr. led with a team-high 23 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Desmond Bane finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, in addition to 8 turnovers.

Scottie Pippen Jr. put up 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block on 4 of 9 overall shooting and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Wells added 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.

From the second unit:

Jake LaRavia led with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 1 of 2 from three-point range.

Brandon Clarke added 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal while shooting 5 of 7 overall.

Jay Huff added 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 3 of 4 shooting from beyond the arc.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will return home to FedExForum on Monday, January 6th, to face off against the Dallas Mavericks in their first home game of 2025.

These two Southwest division rivals last met in Dallas during group play of the in-season tournament in December, when the Mavericks defeated the Grizzlies and advanced to the second round.

Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.

With just nine available players, the Memphis Grizzlies took on Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns to close out the year and came away with a 117-112 victory. Despite how close the game felt in the second half, the Grizzlies led wire-to-wire.

After getting dog-walked by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, the Grizzlies came into this matchup down another rotation player.

Jake LaRavia suffered a right ankle sprain during the game against the Thunder. He became the latest addition to the injury report, plus two-way guard Yuki Kawamura, who was sidelined due to left shoulder soreness.

That left the Grizzlies with nine healthy and available players, including two-way players Colin Castleton and Cam Spencer.

But as he has done so many times for this Grizzlies team, Jaren Jackson Jr. stepped up and put the team on his back, this time to secure the final win of 2024. He had a game-high 38 points total, with 19 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal during the first quarter, when Memphis built a 12-point lead.

Desmond Bane was the other half of the dynamic duo responsible for this victory, along with a few supporting characters: Jaylen Wells, Luke Kennard, and John Konchar.

Bane and Jackson Jr. combined for 69 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists.

There was a familiar face in Phoenix: former Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones is now the starting point guard for the Suns. Jones has led the league in assists to turnovers several seasons, including some of his years in Memphis. We’ve seen games where Jones doesn’t commit a single turnover, which makes the five turnovers he was forced into extra special, with three coming in the first quarter.

Notorious Grizz adversary Kevin Durant led the Suns offensively with 29 points, followed by Jones with 21 points, along with Devin Booker’s 16 points and Mason Plumlee’s 12 points.

Turnovers and missed free throws have been a particular thorn in the Grizzles’ side this season, and unfortunately, this game was no exception.

Collectively, Memphis committed 17 turnovers and shot an abysmal 66.7% (22 of 33) from the free-throw line, where Jackson Jr. uncharacteristically struggled, shooting just 10 of 17.

This was a wire-to-wire win for Memphis, but Phoenix cut the lead several times in the second half. A clutch three-point play from John Konchar with 1:05 remaining slammed the door on the Suns. Konchar finished with seven points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

Desmond Bane scored a season-high 31 points, and added five rebounds and seven assists.

Jaylen Wells added 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists.

Luke Kennard led the second unit with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.

I would like to wish all our readers a Happy New Year. Here’s to more Grizzlies dominance in 2025.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will continue their road trip on Friday when they visit Sacramento to take on the Kings. Tip-off is at 9 PM CST.