Author: Sharon Brown

Sharon Brown is a University of Memphis graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies with a concentration in Legal Studies. Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, Sharon is one of the Memphis Grizzlies beat writers for the Memphis Flyer. She has created a niche in the industry by co-founding All Heart in Hoop City — a unique community of women sportswriters.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Playoff Preview: Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies

The Grizzlies just keep celebrating in this historic season. (Photo cred: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

As the Western Conference’s second-place finisher, the Memphis Grizzlies finished the season 56-26, led by a dynamic young core that plays at an exciting tempo.

On Tuesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 109-104 in the Play-In Tournament to secure the seventh seed in the Western Conference as they ended the season 46-36. 

The first game of the best-of-seven series between the two teams will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at FedExForum and be broadcast on Bally Sports Southeast and ESPN.

The regular season head-to-head matchups between the two teams resulted in a 2-2 season series split, with each team winning at home. In contrast, Dillon Brooks did not appear in any of the four games.

During the regular season, the Grizzlies went 30-11 at home and 26-15 away from the FedExForum. While the Wolves went 20-21 on the road, they went 26-15 at home.

The NBA’s two top-scoring teams square off in this series — the Timberwolves averaged an NBA-best 115.9 points per game, while the Grizzlies set a franchise mark with 115.6. For the first time in Grizzlies history, the team finished in the NBA’s top five in scoring in the 2021-22 season.

It has been a record-breaking season for Memphis. On the strength of stingy defense, the Grizzlies became the first team to lead the NBA in rebounds, steals, and blocks since steals and blocks became official stats in 1973-74. The team also led the league in fast break points, offensive rebounds, points in the paint, and second chance points. 

Grizzlies writers Sharon Brown and Aimee Stiegemeyer preview this series by answering questions that could determine whether Memphis advances to the second round.

In the season series, many have pointed out that the Wolves have held Ja Morant to an average of 20 points per game. Will the Wolves be able to hold Morant at bay?

Sharon Brown: The regular season is over, so forget about it. Morant is going to be all in on this one. He watches film and knows exactly what he needs to do. This is a player who will take advantage of any opportunity presented to him by the defense, and he can count on his teammates to step up when times get tough, just like they’ve done all season. Morant will put this team on his back if he needs to. I assume that Jenkins will have multiple ball-handlers in at times to take pressure off Morant.

Aimee Stiegemeyer: Not a chance. I have complete faith in Morant’s ability to switch into a higher gear, and I expect Playoff Ja to be next level. He takes winning very personally and plays with a chip on his shoulder, which will serve him well during the postseason.

Which matchup are you looking forward to seeing — Anthony Edwards against Morant or Karl-Anthony Towns against Jaren Jackson Jr.?

SB: It will be easy to say Morant vs. Edwards but I’m interested to see how well KAT and JJJ will match up. Will JJJ be able to disrupt KAT on defense? Jackson Jr. led the league in blocks per game (2.3), total blocks (177), and stocks, steals and blocks (250). Will JJJ be able to avoid being in foul trouble? Will he be able to get anything he wants on the offensive end? Jackson has to avoid getting into foul trouble since he’s the anchor on defense. If the Grizzlies are to advance past the first round, they will need to rely on his consistency on offense, his impeccable defense, and his availability to be on the floor. 

AS: Ja Morant vs. Anthony Edwards, and Dillon Brooks vs. everybody. 

When it comes to Memphis, who will be the team’s “x-factor”?

SB: One — The two-way play of Dillon Brooks is exemplary. He’s getting better at creating his own shots and finding open teammates when he passes the ball. In the Utah Jazz series last year, we saw that Brooks is a natural for the playoffs. Brooks scored 25.8 points per game.

Two — The impact of the Grizzlies bench. All year long the bench has stepped up when players have been in and out of the lineup. It can be either Tyus Jones, De’Anthony Melton, Ziaire Williams, Kyle Anderson, or even John Konchar.

AS: It will be a combination of Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks rather than a single player. This is the kind of matchup that Dillon the Villain thrives in.

Dillon Brooks (Photo cred: Grizzlies Twitter)

Who do you think will have the biggest impact off the bench for the Grizzlies?

SB: Jones — he has been so aggressive this season scoring the ball. He’s the best back-up point guard in the league and recorded the best single season assist-to-turnover ratio (7.04) in NBA history. Jones has the ability to slow things down when need be and make the right plays. He’s the anchor for that second unit. 

AS: If I have to pick one individual player it would be Brandon Clarke. His stats against the Timberwolves are slightly higher than his regular season stats, and his style of play matches up well against them. But the bench unit as a whole will continue to be a key point to success. This is the deepest Grizzlies team in history and the second unit has proven they can show up and fill in spots when the starters are resting. 

(statmuse link : https://statm.us/e/BaZnMUiXy) 

What do you think will be the outcome of the series?

SB: Grizzlies in 5 or 6.

AS: Grizzlies in 5. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies “Looked Damn Good” in Ja Morant’s Return

Dillon Brooks goes up for a layup against the New Orleans Pelicans. (Photo cred: Grizzlies PR on Twitter)

Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant returned to action Saturday, and he didn’t disappoint as his team walloped the New Orleans Pelicans 141-114. 

A sore right knee has kept him out of action since March 18th, but he returned to the court on Saturday to get some work in before the postseason starts. 

Grizzlies presumptive playoff starters Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Steven Adams started together only nine times this season.

In his first game back after an eight-game absence, Morant tallied 21 points, nine assists and four rebounds in 26 minutes. Plus a magnificent block against Larry Nance Jr. 

Morant said “That block was tough, I felt like Jaren [Jackson Jr.]. They might have to put me on the defensive team after that.” Jackson Jr. leads the league in blocks shot with 177 after recording four blocks on Saturday night.

Morant was ecstatic to be back on the court with his brothers. “Being back out there with my team — I’ve been waiting on since March 19th, I got hurt on the 18th,” the 22-year old said. “I finally was able to lock in on my rehab recovery each and every day, doing all type of stuff. Shout out to Eric, my trainer, for getting me back on the floor but, just excited to be out there.”

 “I’ve had a lot of fun just preparing for this stretch we’re about to go on and its playoff,” Morant added. “I felt like I needed a game or two to get my legs back under me, to get the game type feel. Obviously, nothing compares to a game whether it’s practice or whatever. I just wanted to be ready to go and obviously I’ve been in and out of the lineup, my teammates were playing a lot of basketball without me, so just going out there to adapt and to make sure everybody, gets a feel playing with each other now that we’re kind of healthy.” 

The All-Star guard acknowledged things the team needed clean-up before the postseason begins. “Obviously some stuff we still have to correct,” Morant said. “Early on in the game, we were all like Ja [Morant] is back — even me. I actually had a time in the game where I told my teammates, look man, ‘I’ve watching a lot of film on y’all, and when I’ve been out, I’ve seen how y’all have been playing.’ And my job just coming in is not trying to change that. Passing is my favorite thing to do. So, if teams want to double, pack the paint to force me to pass and I’ve got shooters all over the floor that are making you pay for it. That was my message to them.”

Morant continued, “Early on in that first half, I was struggling, I’m used to going and seeing one man at the rim — I’m going finish that and then in the second half I changed that to making the pass to the man and I feel like that’s what led to that 55-point quarter. My teammates seeing me share the ball and they started doing the same thing and we were getting wide open shots. And that fueled a big quarter for us. And once we get going, we’re a tough team to stop on offense, and I feel like it fuels our defense and once our defense locked in, it’s rebounding the ball and back to scoring on the other end. It’s a good thing to see. I know you know, we’re all proud of you know how we played tonight but we still got some things to correct and four turnovers for me is unacceptable. I get jealous of Tyus [Jones] a lot.”

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins had no worries about Morant’s return. He said after the win, “As we said before the game, we wanted Ja to be full throttle. I thought he was doing that. Just didn’t get the ball to bounce his way, or just a couple moves here or there, but then just started spreading the ball around.” 

Jenkins added, “Great job moving at nine assists. And then, obviously, in the second half, I thought he did a great job. Continued to play full throttle, finishes, shooting it with great confidence from the 3-point line, getting to the free throw line a number of times throughout the game. I thought he played great, and then obviously he capped it off with that huge block at the end. I thought his defensive intensity was really good too.”

Brooks was delighted with Morant’s return. “It went great, said Brooks after the game. “You got to see everything you need to see. Double teams in the screen-and-roll, getting downhill and making his plays, and finally I get to see a wide-open, spot-up shot, which I’ve been missing. I feel like it was great.” 

Brooks was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points, five assists and three rebounds in 23 minutes of action. 

Brandon Clarke led the bench with 20 points off a perfect 10-of-10 shooting along with five rebounds and three assists. As the only other player in franchise history to score 20 points on a perfect shooting night, Clarke joins Tony Allen, Vince Carter, JaMychal Green, Stromile Swift, and Lorenzen Wright on that list.

After Allen, the Gonzaga alum is the only other player to accomplish this feat while making at least 10 field goals.

Records are meant to be broken

With 55 points in the third quarter, the Grizzlies blew the game wide open and set a franchise record for points in a single period. 

Memphis also set a single-quarter record for field goals made and assists with 20-of-26 (.769) and 16 assists in the third quarter. They also tied a franchise record with 41 assists for the game.

The Grizzlies matched their 2012-2013 record of 56 wins in a season with this victory. 

Also it was the team’s 14th win with a margin of 25 points or more this season. 

Memphis will have the opportunity to break a franchise record when it plays the Boston Celtics in its last regular season game of the season inside FedExForum. Tip off at 6 p.m. CT. 

Morant cited the team’s performance in the third quarter as proof that the team “looked damn good.” And indeed they did. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports Uncategorized

Dillon Brooks and a Deep Bench Lead Grizzlies to Victory Over the Suns

Grizzlies players rush Ziaire Williams before his walk-off interview (Photo cred: Grizzlies Twitter)

Without key players, the Grizzlies defeated the Phoenix Suns, 122-114, with lone regular starter Dillon Brooks and a deep bench squad on Friday night before a sellout crowd of 17,794 at FedExForum, aka the Grindhouse. 

No Ja Morant ☑

No Jaren Jackson Jr. ☑

No Desmond Bane ☑

No Steven Adams ☑

No Tyus Jones ☑

Now, imagine a win against the NBA’s best team without four starters, a key reserve, no point guard, and a head coach who was tossed in the first half.

Conventional wisdom would believe a full-squad for the Suns would blow out the short-handed Grizzlies. But this Memphis squad had other plans and grinded it out to take down the Suns. 

This has to go down as the best win of the season. Honestly, who expected the team to win the game? 

The mentality and culture of the Grizzlies is the reason the team is 20-2 with its leading scorer and star player, Morant.

“Every day we work; every day we instill confidence in each other,” said Dillon Brooks who finished the game with 30 points.

“We feel like, regardless of who it is on the floor, we can get the job done,” Brooks added. “Because we play hard. We play together and we compete, regardless of who’s on the floor. So that’s our mentality. That’s our motto and we live by it from one to 12.”

Brooks says it’s like a college atmosphere and that they are family. 

The Grizzlies’ head coach Taylor Jenkins had this to say following the thrilling victory: “Tonight’s a night where you can put your stamp and say, ‘This is who we are and we’re going to be here for a really long time.’”

Yes, Memphis is “here” as said by Desmond Bane before a national audience on ESPN a few weeks ago. The Grizzlies are no longer a surprise or an afterthought. 

“Everybody just stays locked in during practice. I mean people watch the game and everybody just stays locked in,” said Grizzlies forward John Konchar. “We move the ball really well side-to-side and get open shots and just play hard no matter what.”

“It’s just a next man up mentality really — just go in, get your work done,” Konchar added. “And just play hard no matter what. The system works for everybody, honestly. So just move the ball and it’s great.”

Jenkins said games like that are culture wins and it exemplifies the next man up mindset. 

The mindset was truly on display against the Suns. Brooks and Xavier Tillman each tallied seven assists, despite the absence of a true point guard, to lead Memphis to 30 assists. The Grizzlies are 17-0 this season when they record 30 or more assists. 

Former Grizzlies legend Tony Allen had a mantra, “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” And that’s what Tillman and rookie Santi Aldama did on Friday night against the Suns. The rookie forward finished with 12 points and five rebounds plus a highlight dunk that made the Grizzlies bench and the crowd inside FedExForum go bananas.

Jenkins said he tried to stay in coaching mode after his early exit from the game but after the Aldama dunk he said he dropped a hell yeah and two hand slap on the table as he watched from the monitors.  

“This year I came in and everybody was cheering me on every day … talking to me every day,” Aldama recalled. “I just felt part of the family since day one. It’s just having these good vibes, obviously great players, but great people. From the staff, players, everybody. It’s just contagious. I think you don’t get that everywhere and it’s like a really good experience, especially my first year having something like this is very, very special.”

He went on to say, “It’s really looking for the best shot we can take. I think we’re all capable. We all play really well and we play for each other without egos. We don’t have egos here. It’s just about the team. We just get the best shot, move the ball, and we have fun with it. That’s the most important thing.”

The 6-foot-11 Spaniard credits his time with the Memphis Hustle for improvement in his game and that is a confidence builder. The game against the Suns helped his confidence as well. 

“This game will for sure help,” he said. “This season is my rookie year and a learning season. I’m in and out of the rotation so it’s all about gaining confidence and learning every day. This team is very, very deep so we have to keep doing this.

A foundation of consistency and synergy has been laid for the Grizzlies, who are poised for success now and in the future.

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Beyond the Arc Sports Uncategorized

Grizzlies Splash Past Warriors

Desmond Bane goes up for a jumper against the Warriors. (Photo cred: Memphis Grizzlies Twitter)

With a 123-95 win over the Golden State Warriors at FedexForum Monday night, the Memphis Grizzlies improved to 53-23 on the season. Memphis now has a five-game lead over the Warriors for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with six games left in the regular season, and are primed to make noise in the 2022 NBA playoffs. The team currently is on a five-game winning streak.

The Grizzlies are 18-2 without All-Star guard Ja Morant this season. Onlookers outside of Memphis keep saying the team is better without Morant. Which is far from the truth. This is a complete team that has a great coaching staff, led by Taylor Jenkins.

Meanwhile, Morant doesn’t care about the noise. He supports his teammates and loves to see them shine. He’s the best player on the team, and his enthusiasm makes everyone better. 

The Grizzlies have been blowing teams out by large margins this season. In their four-game home stand, Memphis won by an average of 23.8 points, extending their home winning streak to a season-high eight games. Clinching the 2-seed in the Western Conference will give the Grizzlies home court advantage throughout most of the playoffs if the team makes a deep run. 

By the Numbers

Desmond Bane finished with 22 points and made 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Bane has scored 20+ points in five consecutive games and tied the franchise record (Mike Miller and Jaren Jackson Jr.) with his 13th straight game with multiple 3-pointers made.

“You know, it all starts with our mentality,” Bane said about his team after the win.” Being aggressive but playing the right way, moving the ball. It’s everybody eats. I mean we got a bunch of dudes playing well right now and I think it’s because the ball is moving and everybody’s making their plays.”

Everyone has been eating for sure. 

De’Anthony Melton had 21 points as a reserve, and has averaged 20.6 points during the Grizzlies’ five-game winning streak. Melton also has broken franchise records in 3-point makes. The 23-year old made 5+ 3-pointers in four straight games and 4+ 3-pointers in five straight games. 

Oh and he can dunk too. 

Bane said he knew the Melton dunk would happen. He said, “He was doing it all day. I was making jokes in the locker room like, shoot threes, dunking on people getting steals. What’s next? You rapping? He does it all, so they call ‘Mr. Do Something’.”

Both Bane and Melton have been lights-out from three lately.

“We talked about it on the bench, when both of us are out there and we’re running — it’s tough, because if he’s bringing the ball up the floor, he’s a threat to shoot it,” Bane said about Melton’s hot shooting. “If I’m bringing the ball to floor, I’m a threat to shoot it, and we just kind of balance off each other and play off each other. He’s playing great basketball. I’m really happy for him. He’s put the work and put the time in and the results are showing.”

To round it out, Dillon Brooks ended with 21 points, 15 of which were in the second period, when Memphis outscored the Warriors 43-21. 

After the game, Brooks talked about the Grizzlies playing as a team. He said, “It’s great. (De’Anthony Melton) has always been a good shooter. His form looks like it’s perfect. And he’s finally getting arc on his shots so it’s just dropping in. And (Desmond Bane), both those guys work on their craft, come every single day with a positive attitude and work hard and you can see in the games it’s coming in fruition.

Brooks continued, “And we all tell both those guys keep shooting because they open up the floor for us and you get driving angles and able to work in space. So that’s where we’re built and it’s fun to play. It’s fun to watch as well. 

“We always get up for those games — the games like Indiana and like one of those trap games that, last year, we couldn’t get done,” the Oregon alum revealed about the four game home-stand. “This year, we’re finally growing and taking care of business. And like on our last road trip against Atlanta, we let one slip but then we come back on this home stand and not let the Indiana game slip, not the Milwaukee game slip, so it’s just coming in every single day — locked in and trying to get each other better, because we want to go into the playoffs with momentum.” 

Brooks said it’s difficult to enjoy the ride at the moment. “It’s very hard to because when you when you start talking about it, gets you relaxed. But it’s an amazing feeling, to keep making history, like Des getting the most 3-pointers in a season and (Steven Adams) the most (offensive) rebounds, it’s an amazing feeling to be a part of that. And then you keep winning and you make history in Memphis and it just goes to show that we’re here to build something great. Our fans see it and you can see — it’s getting thicker in there every single night and we play for our fans and especially [they] play for us as well.”

Who Got Next 

The Grizzlies head to San Antonio to take on Southwest Division rivals San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grit ’N Grind Plus Swagger Lift Grizzlies Past Nets

The Grizzlies just keep celebrating in this historic season. (Photo cred: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

On Wednesday night, the Grizzlies’ star guard was sidelined for the second straight game with knee soreness as Memphis took on the Nets. Still, the Grizzlies showed they are a complete team with the next man up mentality. 

Ja Morant is by far the best player on the team, but his teammates are solid players as well. Their skill was on full display in front of a packed FedExForum — and a national TV audience on ESPN. The Grizzlies beat the Nets 132-120.

Nets head coach Steve Nash had some interesting and telling words after the game about the Grizzlies ability to win without Ja Morant. He said, “Talent — they have a talented, balanced roster. Our roster is built on three stars. When they’re out it makes it very difficult and puts a big strain on guys to play roles that they haven’t played before.”

Kevin Durant also spoke about Memphis’ ability to win without Morant. “I mean look down the line, they got solid players all the way down the line, just good players, you know. De’Anthony Melton came in and changed the game. I think that’s what won them the game. I think our starting five, pretty much match them. You know, then you know you got guys off the bench that came in and play well, so they got a deep team. They got a lot of athletic guys and they run fast, and he played [with] a lot of confidence.”

Durant continued, “I think one through 10 in their rotation are just solid players. You know Ja [Morant] is the superstar on this team, but they got guys that can start with pretty much a lot of teams in the league. Their front office did a great job putting this team together.”

De’Anthony Melton led the charge off the bench with a season-high 23 points, including a career-high six 3-pointers. 

The Memphis bench outscored the Nets reserves 52-11.

“We are nothing to play with — one man goes down, two men go down — we are so deep you know we have a lot of depth in our team,” said Melton after the statement win before a national TV audience. “We have a lot of guys that work on their game and want to win from the top to the bottom no matter what. So, we understand what we need to do to go out there and get the victory. We’re going to do that no matter what. Each guy understands that and is willing to put their body on the line for it.”

In Morant’s absence, Melton had his own highlight dunk that surely will be featured on SportsCenter. 

Dillon Brooks also has a special message about the Grizzlies. “We still got the grit — we still got the grind,” Brooks proclaimed. “I feel like we just got a lot of swagger to us. It doesn’t matter who it is on the floor. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against. We just have that different type of swagger. It shouldn’t matter if we’re playing Brooklyn or if we’re playing Atlanta. We have to figure out how to keep this same energy, the same grit, the same attention to detail so we can finish out the season and go into the playoffs with some momentum.” Brooks ended the night with 21 points, three rebounds and two assists. 

Desmond Bane had 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, including 3 three-pointers in the game’s final frame to help give Memphis a 132-120 victory over the Nets as “Whoop That Trick” blasted loudly on ESPN. 

Bane also made Grizzlies history on the night. 

Mike Miller also was in attendance to see Bane break his franchise 3-point record. 

Bane spoke to ESPN’s Malika Andrews in the walk-off interview. 

Bane walked to the interview podium with the game ball tucked in his hand. “It’s a huge accomplishment — I’m super thankful,” Bane said about breaking the franchise record. “I have to thank my teammates, first and foremost. And Coach Jenkins, for giving us all the confidence to be aggressive and continue to let it fly, make or miss. We got a great team, something special going on. We always share the ball and the ball happens to find me in the right place. And the rest is history.”

The TCU alum said he will have Mike Miller sign the game ball, and he will sign it himself, date it, and then put it up. Bane also revealed that he and Miller had a good relationship.

“We’re not sneaking up on nobody anymore. The Grizzlies got that respect. I mean, it started kind of this morning and yesterday with All Access [ESPN] and stuff like that.”

Desmond Bane at the post game presser with his record breaking game ball.

ESPN crews had been in Memphis the last couple of days to bring national attention to the Grizzlies. Personalities including Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Jalen Rose, Kendrick Perkins, and more were in the Bluff City.

“The national networks are starting to take notice and pick up on our team and a great season we’re having,” Bane added. “To beat a team like Brooklyn, who’s building, trying to contend for it all. We’re shorthanded without Ja; it says a lot about our team and what we’re capable of.”

Stingy defense by Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke kept Brooklyn at just 16 points in the fourth quarter and ensured a decisive victory. Jackson Jr. ended with 13 points, five rebounds, and four blocks while Clarke finished with a double-double, 14 points, and 10 rebounds off the bench. 

“That’s one of our best big combinations and we didn’t know what they were going to do lineup-wise,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said of the two defensive studs. “Start off the fourth quarter, which we normally start our force with [Brandon Clarke] and [Jaren Jackson Jr.], those guys. You just see the activity they play with. We started switching actions more, pick-and-rolls, putting bigs onto [Kyrie] Irving.” 

Jenkins added, “Great one-on-one defense, and then when they were getting inside to the paint, we were just swarming them and blocking shots or rebounds. And then, when those guys just play with great guard play the way that they run the floor, [Clarke] the threat in the paint and at the rim, and then [Jackson Jr.] from the 3-point line, it’s just great balance.”

“They really set the tone with their defense because they’re very versatile,” Jenkins continued. “As I said, they were able to switch onto two of the most elite playmakers in the league and really hold it down.”

With the win, the Grizzlies improved to 50-23 on the season. 

Melton was thankful for getting 50 for the first time ever. “I won 19 games my rookie year out of 82, which is crazy,” said Melton. “I mean from the jump, from the time I got here, I mean, I noticed the team — you know going uphill, upstream right now, and I feel like everybody has gotten better and everybody keeps getting better. I think that’s the motto in Memphis. Everybody has adapted to that and understands that.”

Who Got Next

The Grizzlies look to improve to 51 wins as they will host the Indiana Pacers tonight at 7 p.m.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Dillon Brooks’ Return Lifts Grizzlies Past Thunder, 125-118

Dillon Brooks (Credit: Lawrence Kuzniewski)

It was Dillon Brooks’ first appearance on the court after being sidelined with an ankle injury against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 8th.

After a brief delay, the Thunder and Grizzlies’ final matchup of the season got underway. It was immediately apparent that both teams wore white uniforms when the players removed their warmups after the lineups were announced. To get things back on track, Memphis went back to their locker room to change and returned to the court wearing blue uniforms. The ultimate wardrobe malfunction.

In his first game back, Brooks finished with 15 points, four assists, two rebounds, and a steal.

Taylor Jenkins had high praise for Brooks after the game. “Just really impressed with DB [Dillon Brooks],” Jenkins said. “His first game back, I thought he settled in great, just played really good basketball on both sides of the floor [and] exerted a lot of his force and energy out there. He never backs down, he plays super aggressive. I think as the game went on to start finding really nice rhythm out there and really good playmaking.” 

Jenkins added, “The first half, he had four assists and got his spots on the floor shot with confidence. Just that level of physicality is something we’re excited to have back with us.”

Brooks was pleased to finally be back on the floor with his teammates. After the game Brooks said, “Coach [Jenkins] tried to tell me, share the basketball, get your teammates involved — be aggressive and humble at same time. And that’s what I try to do. I try to drive and make the defense collapse and get my teammates the ball in the right spots and pick and choose where I can you drive and be aggressive. It was a great game and I love [that] my teammates kept trying to give me the ball and make plays, so it was a great win.”

Jaren Jackson Jr. shared his thoughts on Brooks’ return. He said, “He left the game as one of the, if not the best wing defenders in the game — so you know what he can do. He takes on that challenge every night. So just adding a piece like that always helps take pride in our defense. DB, man, back in this thing, being who he is. That’s all I told him to do, man, ‘Do you, bruh.’ Ain’t no advice. ‘Do you; you know what to do.’”

Jackson ended the game with 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a block in 29 minutes to help lift the Grizzlies to 47-22 on the season. 

To round it out, Memphis had seven players in double figures including Brooks and Jackson Jr. Desmond Bane led the way for the Grizzlies with 21 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Ja Morant ended with a double-double, 17 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. Tyus Jones and Brandon Clarke had 12 points apiece, while Ziaire Williams had 11 as Memphis’ bench squad outscored the Thunder second unit, 45-28.

Who Got Next

The Grizzlies take on the Pacers on Tuesday night for the first time this season in Indiana and look to extend their winning streak to four games.

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Beyond the Arc Sports Uncategorized

Ja Morant Sets Record, Blows Minds

Ja Morant against the San Antonio Spurs (Photo credit: Memphis Grizzlies Twitter)

On the last day of Black History Month in the Grizzlies home game against the San Antonio Spurs, we saw so many “WTF” moments from Ja Morant, we had a hard time keeping track of them all.

A logo three-pointer ☑

A poster dunk over a 7-footer☑

An insane buzzer beater ☑

A 50-piece☑

Broke his own franchise record he set on Saturday ☑

Every quarter, he scored in the double digits: 14, 15, 10, and 13 points. ☑

Yes, all of this in a single game!! The Grindhouse, aka Ja’s House, was still buzzing from Morant’s poster dunk on 7-footer Jakob Poeltl when Steven Adams threw a full-court pass to Morant, who caught it midair and sank an acrobatic buzzer-beater from the left baseline to end the first half. 

The Murray State standout tallied a career-high 52 points — a Grizzlies franchise record. In making 22 of 30 field goals, Morant set a new team record for field goal makes, and made all four of his three-point shots.

For Morant the most memorable part of the night was scoring a 50 piece. “Got to be the 50-ball, first in history,” said Morant. “I am not going to lie, I don’t know if I can talk about that right now. My head is all over the place. Thankful for my teammates, my coaches, they believe in me, have all the confidence in the world that I can go make the right play, and tonight they were looking for me. As I got close, they told me to go ahead and go get it. That is why you all saw, every time they got the ball, they were looking for 12. Credit goes to them, without them I would not be in the position I was in, they allow me to get to my spots with how well they can score the ball.”

“I was talking to Xavier Tillman, and he said that I had 39 at the time,” Morant added about going for the franchise record. “We had a decent lead, and I trust the guys on my team that when I am off the floor they keep us with the lead and boost it. Honestly, I did not know how it would play out, if I would come back in the game. Coach sent me back, and I had like 44, and Tyus Jones came and told me, ‘Go ahead and go get three layups.’ I said I was shooting the ball well right now,, what about  two threes. ‘Everybody was like just run’, we’re gonna look for you and I listened. I scored the ball.”

“That dunk was crazy,” said De’Anthony Melton. “The way he rose, stared at him, then dunked it. That dunk was crazy for sure.”

Afterward the contest, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich gave his assessment of Morant’s game: “I’m a little angry,” he joked. “I feel like if we held him in the 40s, we would’ve been okay. But no, he’s a beautiful player; what else can you say about him? It’s not just that he’s athletic. Some say it’s because he’s athletic or a freak of nature because he’s so fast — he’s got a lot of athletic ability, but so do a lot of those guys. He makes decisions, he knows what’s going on the court, he passes the basketball and he inherently understands space. He knows where he is on the court and where everybody else is, and when he has a lane he knows what to do. You combine that cerebral part of his game with the athleticism and you have a special kid.” 

Popovich added, “I wish I had a camera so I could get a few pictures of it. It’s pretty special. He was pretty special, no doubt about that.”

“That’s a great player right there – he knows his strengths and he plays to them,” Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV said of Morant’s performance. “His teammates fully trust and have his back behind that. They’re ready whenever he needs them. They’re pretty much ready whenever he’s passing the ball. It’s hard when in the first quarter they score 42 points — just attacking us going downhill and we were not ready to be in the paint and do what we do. He played fantastic. He was 22 for 30 which is insanely efficient.”

By the way, the Grizzlies won the game 118-105 to go 43-20 on the season. 

Former Grizzlies player and Hall of Famer has a message for the league about Morant.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Morant Madness: Ja’s ‘Never-Satisfied Mentality’ Key to Grizzlies’ Success

Ja Morant goes up for a slam against the Chicago Bulls. (Photo Credit: Memphis Grizzlies Twitter)

The adage goes, “It’s Memphis vs. Errrbody,” but the Memphis Grizzlies are slowly changing that narrative, thanks in part to the ascension of Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant.

The Grizzlies have moved up a notch this season thanks in part to Morant’s all-around game, which is sometimes overshadowed by his flash and flare. As Grizzlies color analyst for Bally Sports Brevin Knight put it on Bleav in Grizzlies podcast, “Morant makes solid plays but has flair on how it happens.”

Here is a replay with a little bit of flair, as Knight put it. 

In spite of his numerous WTF-inducing plays, Morant’s basketball acumen and overall understanding of the game go largely unnoticed. During a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast, Draymond Green revealed the names of the NBA’s most intelligent players and Morant’s name was mentioned. 

Green said, “The smartest players I’ve played against are by far LeBron, Rajon Rondo, and Chris Paul. Who’s creeping up into that category, is Ja Morant. Everybody is excited about how Ja Morant flies around, everyone is excited about the passes he may throw. … All of those things are very exciting, don’t get me wrong, they’re exciting. But the thing that excites me most about Ja Morant, is that when we’re playing against the Memphis Grizzlies — and not quite to the level of LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, or Chris Paul — but when we’re playing against [Memphis], I can feel the chess match.”

Grizzlies play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica recently told The Undefeated that Morant had the best basketball IQ of any Memphis player he had ever been around in his 18 years with the team.

Pranica recalled, “Ja’s rookie year, we’re in Cleveland and I’m sitting on the team bus getting ready to go to the game … And I can hear him talking to a teammate recounting a particular play run at a particular time. And what impressed me about Ja is the recall of a particular play. It’s very LeBron-like that he can recount what he did, what the other nine guys were doing. What the first action was, what the second action was, how it was defended, and what the counter to the defense was.”

Saturday night, the third-year guard scored 46 points in a 116-111 win over the Chicago Bulls, setting a new regular season record for the team.

https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1497788441756590085?s=20&t=q3eQ9BEVeKeTAaNEaZZ7IQ

It was his fifth 40-point game of the season; no other Grizzlies player has ever had more than one in a season. Last season, Morant set a franchise record with 47 points against the Utah Jazz in the playoffs.

After the game, Morant also credited Michael Jordan as inspiration. 

After being bounced from the playoffs last season against the Jazz, Morant had a message for his team. His words were, “We will be back.” He also said, “We all have that never-satisfied mentality -— we all want to work, to be better, for it to be everybody is a big plus. We just got to continue to do what we’ve been doing. Lock in this offseason and just be prepared for next season.” 

And that’s what the team did. Memphis is currently 42-20 on the season, third in the Western Conference, and almost certain to make the playoffs with 20 games left in the regular season. The young Grizzlies are poised to win the Southwest Division for the first time in team history. 

Despite the absence of one of the team’s best perimeter defenders, Dillon Books, who has missed 21 games due to injury, the Grizzlies still lead the league in rebounds (49.2), steals (10.2), and blocks (6.4).

On Media Day before the season began, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said emphatically that the 22-year-old Morant would be an NBA All-Star. Furthermore, Kleiman was accurate as Morant was selected a starter for the NBA 2022 All-Star Game.

While playing just 18 minutes, Morant was one of the All-Star Game’s biggest winners with two highlight dunks that made NBA legends blush. 

NBA Hall of Famer and TNT announcer Reggie Miller wants Morant to compete in the Slam Dunk contest next season.

After the All-Star Game, Morant said he was excited to be chosen as an All-Star; it was something he put in the work to accomplish. He said, “Definitely blessed to even be a part of this weekend, let alone being able to be an All-Star starter, being able to participate and celebrate the greatest people to play the game. Definitely an honor — I loved it!”

That said, the accolades mean nothing to the young star if he doesn’t win games. Morant added, “I just try to do whatever I can do to help my team win basketball games. If you ask my coach, he will tell you that the main focus is winning. When you will, all the other stuff comes with it, which is why I’m here in this seat right now.”

This season Morant is averaging 27.7 points on 49 percent from the field, 6.7 assists, and 5.9 rebounds. He’s also the NBA’s top scorer in the paint, averaging 16.5 points per game at 6’3”.

Morant’s ultimate goal is to win a championship. He said, “Our goal is to win the championship, and I feel like as long as we stay locked in, continue to grow together, play together, that goal can be achieved. We just got to stay the course, take it day by day, and let it play out.”

Last year’s Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said that Morant and the Grizzlies are another small market team that can challenge for the championship. Antetokounmpo shared his thoughts on Morant and the Grizzlies during All-Star weekend, “He has improved every single year — he is having an unbelievable year this year … crazy.” Antetokounmpo continued, “I know that he is a very humble kid. I know he works extremely hard, and why not?” 

Antetokounmpo added, “Why can’t he win a championship in Memphis? A lot of people think that it cannot be done, and that’s something that he should literally consider. A lot of people think that he cannot do it. For me that motivates me even more, you know, when people think you got to go to a big market to win a championship, you have to join this guy to win a championship, you have to do that, that, this, this to be able to be in the top, but it’s not necessarily true. You just have to do what makes you happy. And I think he is happy where he is right now. He has an unbelievable team. They have a great culture, a great coach. The sky is the limit for them.”

It’s going to be a grueling final stretch for the Grizzlies and Morant, with just 20 games remaining in the regular season. Despite his youth, the point guard is already showing signs of experience and poise under pressure and knows he belongs in the conversation as one of the top players in the league. Morant has rightfully earned his place as one of the league’s most promising young players and one of the future faces of the league in his third season. And he is ready to lead his team to the playoffs and beyond. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Grizzlies Whooped That Clip

Jaren Jackson, Jr. putback dunk against the Clippers (screen grab courtesy of Memphis Grizzlies Instagram)

The Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 135-109 on Tuesday night in Memphis.

With a record of 38-18, the Grizzlies are 20 games above .500 for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

It was the first time Memphis had swept the Clippers in a season series since the 2003-04 campaign (4-0). The Grizzlies are perfect (16-0) this season when scoring at least 120 points, which includes their four victories against the Clippers.

The unicorn and the ninja were the two best players on the court last night. The twosome of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant combined to outscore all of the Clippers starters 56-40.

Jackson, Jr. came out aggressive from the start and finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds. One could speculate he was upset by his All-Star snub. An aggressive unicorn will be scary for the Grizzlies’ future opponents. 

Taylor Jenkins was proud of Jackson, Jr.’s aggressive play. He said, “I thought he played with great force, great activity. It’s something that we challenge in him, to continue to be aggressive on the boards, offensively and defensively. I thought he just was relentless – getting 50/50 balls. There were a couple sequences there, and-one, transition, we play with great pace, we miss a wide open three, he goes in and collects a big rebound, he’s swooping in from the corner to tip a ball out. I think we ended up with 21 offensive rebounds and he was a huge piece of that. So, when he plays with that aggressiveness and accepts that challenge, it pays off substantially for us and for him.”

Morant also praised his teammate:

Morant finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists. In the third quarter, he scored 14 of his 30 points. The 22-year-old now has at least 30 points in 19 games this season and averages more points per quarter than any other NBA player in the third period (9.2 points). 

For the second straight game, the Grizzlies held a 30-point lead and Morant did not play in the fourth quarter.

After the game Clippers guard Reggie Jackson described how difficult it is playing this current Grizzlies team. He said, “Taking care of the ball and keeping them out of transition. They dominate the paint every game we’ve played them and getting downhill attacking, not just Ja [Morant]. He’s been extremely aggressive all year and he knows what he’s doing. We gave them easy ones with crucial turnovers so that’s tough. This is a team that lives off pace and getting down the court and they really live off your mistakes.”

“We are reactionary when we play this team and we just have to hit first,” Jackson added. “We know their motto and it’s something they’re going to embrace: grit and grind. We understand what Memphis is about. They are a tough, blue collar team so the way they play and come out and compete it’s really indicative of who they are. We understand that we have to come out with a better mentality and be more physical and don’t worry about the refs.”

Jackson concluded, “They move at a high pace, they get up and down, and they really use their legs. It’s not even just their pace but how well they’re spaced within their pace. You can tell they work on it and they’re great at using all their weapons and their ability to make the right reads. They have a lot of talent but their continuity is what makes them a tough team right now.”

Tidbits

Zach Randolph was in the building to watch the Grizzlies demolish the Clippers. He had some words of wisdom for Morant and Jackson, Jr. after the game. 

Who Got Next

The Grizzlies start a three-game road trip in Detroit against the Pistons on Thursday evening. Tip-off is at 6pm CT. 

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Desmond Bane Selected as a 2022 NBA Rising Star

Desmond Bane lines up a shot against the Sixers. (Photo via @memgrizz)

The Memphis Grizzlies second-year guard Desmond Bane will be joining his teammate Ja Morant in Cleveland during the 2022 NBA All-Star weekend. 

The NBA All-Star 2022 Rising Stars will take place on Friday, February 18th, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, with Bane selected to take part.

Averaging 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.10 steals in 30.2 minutes per game this season, the 23-year-old has started all 49 of his appearances so far this season.

The TCU alum also is in the conversation for the Most Improved Player honors after nearly doubling his scoring average (9.2) from his rookie campaign 

According to the Grizzlies, “For the first time, Rising Stars will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games. The pool of 28 players will consist of 12 first-year NBA players, 12 second-year NBA players, and four players from NBA G League Ignite. The competition will consist of a ‘race to 75’ points in honor of the NBA’s landmark 75th Anniversary Season.  The semifinal games will be played to a final target score of 50 and the final game will be played to a final target score of 25. Rising Stars will air live at 8 p.m. CT on TNT.”

Bane will be the 19th Grizzlies player to represent Memphis in the Rising Stars game. Recent players selected as Rising Stars in past seasons were Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brandon Clarke.

Morant and Jackson Jr. took to Twitter to celebrate their teammate.