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

Morant Does It Again! December Rookie of the Month

CREDIT: Image from Twitter

Memphis guard Ja Morant was named the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in December. Morant is the first player in franchise history to be honored with back-to-back Rookie of the Month awards. The South Carolina native previously was honored for October and November, making December a trifecta. 

According to the Grizzlies, “The second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Morant led all qualifying rookies in December in scoring average (15.5 points) and assists per game (6.5) and posted shooting percentages of 48.5 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 83.7 percent from the free-throw line. Memphis posted a 7–4 record in Morant’s 11 December appearances (all starts).”

We all remember when he posterized Aron Bynes and nearly ended Kevin Love’s professional playing career by jumping over his head. Check out these:

Morant Does It Again! December Rookie of the Month (6)

Morant Does It Again! December Rookie of the Month (7)

Morant Does It Again! December Rookie of the Month (5)


 More December highlights:

Morant Does It Again! December Rookie of the Month (8)

Here’s what Morant and Coach Jenkins had to say about this back to back honor:

Morant Does It Again! December Rookie of the Month

Morant Does It Again! December Rookie of the Month (4)

The Murray State alum leads all rookies in scoring and assists per game this season, with 17.4 points and 6.5 assists. Morant also ranked 10th in All-Star voting among Western Conference guards in fan voting returns in the NBA All-Star Voting presented by Google. 

Morant’s playing style has attracted national attention from sportswriters and casual fans. To my knowledge, I don’t believe a Grizzlie player has garnered this type of attention nationally. Morant already has name recognition. When he makes a ridiculous pass, break ankles, make defenders look lost, almost dunks and posterizes opponents, he trends on social media. 

Here’s what Pete Pranica, Grizzlies play-by-play announcer had to say about the first-year guard on Twitter: 

Morant Does It Again! December Rookie of the Month (2)

Morant is a special talent and almost everyone knows it. The future looks bright for Morant, and for the Grizzlies. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Fall Short Against Denver, 119-110

CREDIT: NBA.com

On Saturday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver, the Memphis Grizzlies couldn’t get over the hump after scoring just 11 points in the first quarter against the Nuggets. Denver pulled off the victory 119–110. 

The Nuggets improved to 22–9 on the season, while Memphis fell to 12–21. Denver has won eight of its last nine games. The Grizzlies have lost four straight to Denver, overall. 

The Nuggets were up by many as 23 points in the first half before the Grizzlies went on a rally to tighten the game. After scoring just 39 points in the first half, Memphis put up 71 points in the second, but it was not enough to overtake Denver.

NBA.com

Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic garnered his seventh triple-double of the season, with a season-high 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, before fouling out of the game late in the final period.  Jokic now has 35 career triple-doubles.

Jokic wasn’t pleased about giving up a lot of points to the Grizzlies in the second half. “In the first quarter, they score 11 points and in the fourth, they score 42,” said Jokic. “It’s a huge difference. We have to be focused on closing the halves, closing the quarters, closing the games. The fourth quarter is the time our defense needs to be the best; it wasn’t tonight, but we won the game, which is the most important thing.”

Other Denver contributors included former University of Memphis standout, Will Barton, who put up 20 points, seven assists, six rebounds, plus two steals in 36 minutes of play. Mason Plumlee started in his first game of the season for the Nuggets and scored 15 points, with seven rebounds, in 20 minutes. Jamal Murray added 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists. 

Denver won the points in the paint battle, 66–58 (+8)

Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 20 points and four rebounds. Jackson discussed how the Grizzlies were able to get back in the game after being down by 23 points: “A lot of better ball movement and a lot of side-to-side play. When we trust our ball movement and trust our pick-and-rolls, we just have much more action with more rhythm, and everyone gets open looks.”

Jackson also discussed how it was to match up with Jokic. “He’s really strong  —  he’s really going to cause some problems,” Jackson added. “He’s a really good passer, too. It’s kind of pick your poison with him when he’s hitting the three-ball. You’ve got to make sure you take one thing away and I definitely didn’t do a good job of that tonight. I definitely could have been better. He’s a good player.”

De’Anthony Melton had 17 points and four rebounds off the bench. Ja Morant tallied 16 points and eight assists. Brandon Clarke added 15 points and five assists while going 6-of-8 from the field. 

Jonas Valanciunas scored 14 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes for his 17th double-double of the season. It’s his fourth game of the season with 14+ points, 10+ rebounds and two made three-pointers. 


Game Quotes
Grizzlies Head Coach Taylor Jenkins

On what went wrong:
“Obviously, it was a tough first quarter for us. We were not able to get a lot of shots to fall, both layups and threes, during the first quarter and a half. But, I love our resolve. Our guys were great at half-time and making a run to close out the second quarter. We cut it to three at one point in the third. It got back to seven in the 4th quarter and they made a run. So, for our guys to come in here and compete like that and come up short is obviously unfortunate. But, I’m proud of a lot of things we did tonight.”

On fatigue being a factor once the team came back:

“No, I think our guys were competing at a high level. They made the plays down the stretch, so credit to the Nuggets. They had some offensive rebounds that they came away with, and a couple late passes here and there. They also had some big-time shots, but I think our effort was great for 48 minutes.”

Up Next

The Grizzlies return home to host the Charlotte Hornets in the FedExForum on Sunday night. Tip-off is at 7 pm CST. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Spurs Wallop Grizzlies, 145-115

CREDIT: Sharon Brown

Monday, it just wasn’t the Grizzlies’ night. Efficient shooting from the Spurs was too much for Memphis to overcome, as the Spurs trounced the home team, 145–115. 

In the first quarter, the Spurs shot 79.2 (19–of-24) percent from the field and went 6 of 7 from three (85.7 percent) and scored a season-high 46 points. The Spurs only missed five shots in the first period. 

Lamarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 40 points, and was red-hot from the field in the first period, scoring 22 points while shooting 10–13 from the field. When Aldridge finally missed, cheers erupted at the FedExForum. The Seven-time All-Star was 17 of 25 from the floor for the night, and earned the eighth 40-plus-point game of his career. 

DeMar DeRozan also almost had a perfect night for the Spurs. The former USC guard went 10-of-11 from the field and ended with 26 points, 10 assists, and three steals. 

“When the shot is dropping, he’s unstoppable,” said DeRozan on Aldridge’s big night. “We were able to get everything we wanted from there, guys cutting, finding spots, because they (the Grizzlies) were so worried about trying to play the one on one. We all just caught the rhythm from there”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was pleased with his team’s effort. “He (Aldridge) and DeMar (DeRozan) led the way tonight, said Popovich. “It was great to see the whole team jump in. We had a bad game last game. This is the way you react to something like that. I was really proud and happy for them.”

Jaren Jackson, Jr. led the way for Memphis with 22 points, going 8-of-14 from the field and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Jackson has hit five or more 3-pointers in five games this season. Ja Morant added 19 points and four assists in 30 minutes. Jonas Valanciunas posted his 16 double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. 


Notable Stats

The Spurs’ 145 points were the most points ever allowed by the Grizzlies. The previous high for points allowed was 141, scored by the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 30, 2017.

San Antonio shot 67.4 percent from the field, which is the best total-game shooting percentage in the NBA this season. 

Both the Grizzlies and the Spurs finished with double-digit three-pointers. Memphis went 15-of-37 (47 percent) and San Antonio 15-of-24 (62 percent).

The Spurs won the points in the paint battle against Memphis 60–56 (+4).

The Grizzlies outscored the Spurs in second-chance points 21–7 (+14).

Rebounding was an issue for the Grizzlies, Spurs had a +11 advantage, 46–35. However, the Grizzlies had more offensive rebounds, 11–4. 


Quotes from Ja Morant

On tonight’s game:

“They shot the ball great. I think they were about 60 percent. Some shots were contested, some weren’t. Any game we can get better, though.”

On defending the Spurs:

“They have a lot of shooters. And all shot it great. It’s hard when they’re hitting a lot of shots. That kind of hurt us on the offensive end when we’re not able to get out and run and get in transition. It’s tough. We just have to learn from it.”

On the Spurs’ pace:

“It was just calm. Sometimes they push. They were just real smart with the ball tonight. They were just capitalizing on our mistakes defensively. It was a great night for them.”

On if he assumes Jaren Jackson Jr. will make three-pointers:

“Yeah, that’s with anybody on my team. I believe in everybody unless I’m already under the goal. Most of the time in my mind, I believe it’s going in. If they miss, they all probably can tell you that I say the next one is going in. It’s just my mindset, my motto  —  just keep shooting and believe in every shot.”

On why it’s rare for the Grizzlies to lose by a big margin:

“I think it goes to them on their shooting night. It’s rare for a team to shoot [the way] they shot tonight. That allowed them to win by 30.”

Rookie of the Month Honors

Before the game, Morant received his Rookie of the Month honors for October and November. 

Spurs Wallop Grizzlies, 145-115

The award means a lot for the first-year player. “It’s special  —  I had to shy away from it real quick because it was game time, Morant said of his award after the game. “It’s a special thing. A couple years ago, who would’ve thought I would be in this position right now to even win that award? My family and I have been through a lot, overcome a lot. I just kept pushing. Nobody allowed me to quit and I didn’t allow myself to quit. It shows that hard work pays off.”

Up Next

The Grizzlies travel to Oklahoma City for a rematch with the Thunder Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7 pm CST at Chesapeake Energy Arena. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

No Cool Points: Grizzlies Fall to Cleveland 114-107

CREDIT: Image from Twitter

Image from Twitter

The NBA is a game of runs and repeatedly throughout this season, the Grizzlies have run out of runs after establishing a double-digit lead.  

The Cleveland Cavaliers were too much for the Grizzlies to handle in the final period in Cleveland Friday night. The Cavaliers closed out the game on a 33–14 run, after trailing by 12 points (93–81) with around 10 minutes left in the final period. The Cavaliers pulled off the victory, 114–107, to gain back-to-back wins.

Cleveland hit 17 3-pointers. Kevin Love hit two timely threes in the final minutes to help his team seal the victory. Love and Jordan Clarkson combined for 11 of the Cavaliers three-point shots. Love ended the game with 21 points (five 3-pointers) and 13 rebounds. Clarkson led Cleveland with a season-high 33 points, while going 12–of-17 from the field, including 6-of-8 from deep in 30 minutes as a reserve.  

Sophomore forward Jaren Jackson, Jr. led the Grizzlies with 24 points and two blocked shots. Dillon Brooks chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, plus two steals. 

Jonas Valanciunas secured his 15th double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds, plus four blocks. 

Highlight of the game: 

Ja Morant almost ended Love with a vicious dunk. Take a look: 

No Cool Points: Grizzlies Fall to Cleveland 114-107 (2)

After the game, Love said of the dunk attempt:

“He’s unbelievably impressive. I really didn’t think he was going to take off from there.  I slid over on him and he took off. I knew he was athletic, but damn; he legit jumped over me. It was just at the very end (that) he clipped me with his leg, but I was so glad he missed that dunk. I looked back, I helped him up and that was like my tip of the hat to him. But the kid is really special, and you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. He’s going to continue to get better.”

Love even took to Twitter after the game:

No Cool Points: Grizzlies Fall to Cleveland 114-107

The dunk attempt over Love really didn’t matter to Morant: “He was in the way —  (I) just wanted to finish the play. You don’t get no cool points for a missed dunk.”

Social media is still talking about the missed dunk and the rookie guard is still trending on Twitter, but Morant didn’t have a good night shooting, finishing the game with just eight points (4 of 11 from the field). He tied a career-high with 11 assists, and added five rebounds. 

Issues with giving up leads

Morant isn’t worried about the Grizzlies’ inability to hold double-digit leads. He added, “We’ll be fine .  We’re still learning. Last-minute, (I) had a turnover, they made a free throw, we got a stop, I missed a box-out, they got a rebound. I’ll take that loss  —  put it on me.”

Jackson knows that the NBA is a game of runs and that his team has to capitalize while having the lead. He said, “As quickly as you can get a lead, you can lose it if you don’t play the right way. I think, honestly, we did some good things out there. They (the Cavaliers) started making shots and when they make shots, you just got to raise the intensity.”

He continued, “You got to make them more uncomfortable. So, we have things we can definitely learn from this game. Being up in the game is always encouraging — you just have to keep the lead.”


By the numbers

Since Dec. 21, 2014, Cleveland has won 8 of their last 11 games against the Grizzlies. 

Cleveland improved to 8–21 on the season and 5–10 at home.

Memphis is now 10–19 on the season and 5–8 on the road.

The Grizzlies were outscored in second-chance points by the Cavs 22–8 (+14)

Cleveland won the rebound battle by grabbing a season-high 60 rebounds. The rebounding differential over the Grizzlies was 60–46 (+14).

The Grizzlies bench was outscored by Cleveland 47–35 (+12)

Quotes from Coach Taylor Jenkins

“A disappointing loss, given the lead we had. Credit the Cavs for coming back in the fourth.” 

He added, “They came up with some big 50–50 balls and rebounds at the end of the game. They’ve been doing it the whole game. To out-rebound us by 14 is not good enough by our standards. You know, a couple of missed layups, a couple of turnovers down the stretch kind of cost us. So, proud of our guys’ fight, especially coming back after a tough loss in OKC. You know, we got to regroup and get ready for tomorrow.”

Up Next

The Grizzlies return home tonight to face the Sacramento Kings at FedExForum. Tip-off is at 7 pm CST. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Cool the Heat, 118-111

CREDIT: Sharon Brown

A balanced attack led by Jonas Valanciunas and Ja Morant helped the Memphis Grizzlies secure a 118-111 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night at FedExForum. The Grizzlies have now won four out of their last five games, including back-to-back games at home. 

Sharon Brown

Jonas Valanciunas

“This team has been playing extremely well,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about the Grizzlies after the matchup. “They have a lot of young talent that is growing and getting better as the season is going on. They got in such an incredible rhythm in that first half. Might have been our worst defensive half of the season. Finishing plays, basically all across the board, it was pretty uninspiring.”

Spoelstra added, “We picked up our activity level in the second half and fourth quarter. A little of that was maybe due to the zone [defense]. It was still back-breaking second chance opportunities that really hurt us.”

The Grizzlies shot an astounding 65.9 percent (27–41) and 68.8 percent (11–16) from three to garner a season-high 73 points in the first half. 

A zone defense in the second half by the Heat slowed the Grizzlies’ offensive output. Memphis went 2-of-20 in the second half from the three-point line and 15-of-45 from the field. 

After being down by many as 17, the Heat bounced back to take the lead 105-104, with 5:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the Grizzlies closed out on a 14–4 run to seal the victory.

Valanciunas posted his 14th double-double of the season, finishing with a team-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, plus two blocks, while going 8-of-9 from the field. Memphis had six players in double figures. 

Morant ended with 20 points and 10 assists to complete his fourth double-double of the season. After the game, the Grizzlies’ rookie said, “We just learned. I feel like we’ve lost a lot of games late in the 4th quarter up 10 [points], and the other team would go on a run and we just weren’t able to bounce back from it. We were just able to learn from our mistakes, go back with a run of our own, and finish the game off.”

Jaren Jackson, Jr. converted on 5 of 11 of his three-point shots and tallied 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. 

Bench play

De’Anthony Melton continues to make his case for more playing time. Melton had 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. He was a +12 on the night. Melton talked about his newfound role with the team, “ It’s fun to play. It’s fun to get out there with my team and compete, battle with them. I’m having a blast. I think it’s a great group, and you know, we all love each other and we’re all having fun with it.”

Brandon Clarke had another efficient night, going 5-of-9 from the field, with 14 points and nine rebounds on the night. 

Melton and Clarke combined for seven of the Grizzlies’ season-high 16 offensive rebounds. 

The other guys

Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 25 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. Rookie sensation Tyler Herro finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Kendrick Nunn added 18 points and three assists. 

Miami entered the game 10–0 against sub-.500 teams, and Monday night was their first loss in such games. 

Quotes from De’Anthony Melton

On the win:

“We battled. We were just battling out there. We know we can play with anybody, so we just went out there, played together, played hard, helped each other out, and came out with the dub [win].”

On playing a lot alongside Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke, and Ja Morant:

“Athleticism, athleticism, you know. Quick up-and-down, blocking shots, getting steals, dunks, all that. We’re just having fun, like I said, with all that athleticism out there.”

On the flipped dynamic where he is often a six-foot-three rebounder and Jaren Jackson Jr. is a six-foot-eleven shooter:

“I mean, he thinks he’s Melo [Carmelo Anthony], so there’s that. But [Jaren] has been shooting it great. [I’m] always finding him, and he’s been hitting [shots], so why not?”

On whether he enjoys surprising people with his rebounding ability:

“Yeah, I mean, it’s part of my game. I like to go out there, play hard, get second, third opportunities for my team. It pays off sometimes, like today  —  it paid off.”

Up Next

The Grizzlies head to Oklahoma City to take on Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Dec 18th. Tip-Off is at 7 pm CST in Chesapeake Energy Arena. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Jackson’s Historic Night Not Enough to Tame Bucks

Jaren Jackson Jr. launches one of his seven third-quarter 3-poinnters

The Memphis Grizzlies put up a good fight Friday night, until reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo took over in the final period to extend the Milwaukee Bucks’ win streak to 17 straight games, beating the home team, 127–114. The Bucks improved to 23-3 on the season. 

Jaren Jackson, Jr. had the best game of his young career, setting several franchise and NBA records with a monster third quarter. Jackson had a career-high 43 points, while going 14 of 21 from the field. He scored 26 points in the third quarter and connected on 9 out of 15 three-pointers for the game, tieing a Grizzlies franchise record. 

Jackson’s Historic Night Not Enough to Tame Bucks (2)

Tyus Jones was in awe of his teammate’s performance: “Big time, but we know that’s what he’s capable of . Those performances are special.”

“Jaren Jackson (Jr.) is obviously a stud,” said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, adding, “It was a pretty incredible individual performance from the three-point line, and everywhere.”

Antetokounmpo couldn’t believe what he was seeing while he was sitting on the bench in the third quarter. “Someone’s got to stop him,” he said. “He made seven threes and when I was out, he made five. I’m thinking that I have to come back in. I got to help my team.” 

Antetokounmpo continued, “This is where the leader of the team takes a step forward. That’s what happens when he makes seven. You just got to execute and win the game. Tried to stay focused and know that I was going to come back in the fourth quarter.”


Historical Stats for Jackson
Jackson became the youngest player since Brandon Jennings on Nov. 14, 2009, to score 40 or more points in a game. He is also the youngest player in NBA history to make nine three-pointers in a single game and is the only player under 21 to do so.

Jackson’s 26 points in the third quarter set a new franchise record for most points scored in a quarter, passing Troy Daniels and Greg Anthony (22, each). His 26-point third quarter is the third most in a quarter in the NBA this season, behind James Harden (29) and Zach LaVine (27).

Jackson’s nine 3-pointers tied Mike Miller for the Grizzlies’ record for most in a game. Miller did it twice in the 2006–2007 season. Jackson’s seven 3-pointers in the third quarter set a new franchise record for most threes in a quarter. Daniels held the previous record with six. 

The Michigan State alum’s 43 points tied Pau Gasol for the third-most points scored by a Grizzlies’ player in franchise history. Miller holds record with 45, followed by Pau Gasol with 44. 

.@jarenjacksonjr ran his streak of games with 1+ 3PM and 1+ BLK to nine straight tonight, a @memgrizz franchise record.

That is tied (with Giannis Antetokounmpo) for the longest such streak in the @NBA this season. https://t.co/yIIg4Bj1Yi

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) December 14, 2019

Jackson’s Historic Night Not Enough to Tame Bucks


Notes

Dillon Brooks finished with 19 points and three assists while going 4-of-7 from deep. He is averaging 24.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per 48 minutes this season. 

Jae Crowder recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, plus four assists. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied a double-double with 37 points (17 in the fourth quarter), 11 rebounds, and two assists on 12-of-23 shooting. 

Brook Lopez tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds

Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke sat out due to injury/load maintenance. 

The Grizzlies now have lost seven straight games on the home floor and are 8-17 on the season, overall.

Quotes from Jaren Jackson, Jr. on his historic night:

On whether he has ever had as good a quarter as he had in the third:

“No. There hasn’t been anything like that, because just everything for a minute was going in for me. I felt like just a crazy rhythm and the basket got bigger. It just felt good.”

On when he realized he was having a great game in the third quarter:

“Probably the banker. The banker was just like, ‘Thank you for the backboard being there,’ because otherwise, I would’ve air-balled it. That one was cool.”

On going head-to-head with Giannis Antetokounmpo:

“He’s just a great, great player coming at you with a full head of steam. You’ve got to pick your battles a lot. Tonight he was hitting the three a little bit, so you had to plan certain ways, doing euros trying to get around him and stuff. I always like that match-up though. He’s a great player.”

On what changed in the last seven minutes of the fourth quarter:

“Giannis (Antetokounmpo) kind of took control of the game a little bit more. Throughout the game, we were putting him at the free-throw line and we kind of gave up a lot in there. At the time we had our drought, they picked it up, so it was kind of just bad timing, honestly.”

On his confidence:

“I guess I always have confidence, just by the work I put in. In terms of shooting and getting my balance right and just getting my feet right so that I can make those shots when it’s harder and it’s like a hand up.”

On how he is attacking the ball differently now versus at the beginning of the season:

“My teammates are finding me a lot more in terms of the three-point line. They’re finding me in better spots and they’re looking for me a lot more, so that helps. Definitely in the summer, just working on my balance and working on having to get it off quicker because you have to get your release quicker and your feet down set. So, when you do that, you can take deeper ones and if it goes in, it goes in.”

Up Next
In a home back-to-back, the Grizzlies will face Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards at FedEx Forum tonight at 7 pm CST. Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke are expected to return to the lineup tonight. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Shade Suns in Phoenix

CREDIT: Screen shot

A resilient Grizzlies team went into Phoenix on Wednesday night and came away with its second consecutive road victory, beating the Suns 115-108. The team hadn’t won consecutive games in almost a month. 

Screen shot

Ja Morant posterizes Aron Baynes. (see video below)

Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson, Jr. led the Grizzlies, who ended a 10-day road trip with the win. The Grizzlies (8-16) are now three games behind the Suns (11-13) for the eight spot in the Western Conference.

Brooks went 10-of-18 from the stripe, finishing with a game-high 27 points, plus two steals. Memphis is 6-0 this season when Brooks scores 20 or more points.

After the game, Brooks said, “We were taking it personally. They beat us at our house and we wanted to beat them in their crib and we were just guarding our ass off. We made the necessary plays. We went to the line and shot free throws and we didn’t back down. We guarded and rebounded.”

Grizzlies Shade Suns in Phoenix (4)

Jaren Jackson, Jr. added 24 points, six rebounds, and four assists, including 10-of-18 from the field, with three three-pointers and several strong finishes in the paint. Like the one below.

Grizzlies Shade Suns in Phoenix (2)

De’Anthony Melton, who came into his own after Morant missed four games due to back soreness, continued to make good use of his extended playing time off the bench. He finished the night with nine points, six rebounds, and a +22 in 19 minutes of play. 

Grizzlies Shade Suns in Phoenix (5)

Brandon Clarke returned to action after a four-game absence due to a sore left oblique. He led the bench unit with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots in 22 minutes of action. Clarke still continues to be incredibly efficient, going 5-of-6 on the night, with 2-of-2 from three. Grizzlies fans should expect more from the Melton and Clarke duo. 

Grizzlies Shade Suns in Phoenix (3)

In 32 minutes, Jae Crowder stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals

Frank Kaminsky led the Suns with 24 points (season-high) and five rebounds while Ricky Rubio added 22 points and a game-high eight assists.

HOLY SH*T JA MORANT
Ja Morant has become a human highlight reel in his young NBA career. Mr. Fourth Quarter has had mind-blowing, jaw-dropping plays in nearly every game he has played this season. And Wednesday night in Phoenix was no exception.

Morant posterized Aron Baynes with a vicious dunk that brought #NBATwitter to life. It was the second time Morant has posterized Baynes. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe this nasty dunk.

Morant talked about the dunk after the game. He said, “That’s my game — I’m going to try to finish every time. The first time was an and-1, the second one was a dunk.” He says it felt good. See it below.

Morant added, “I feel like everybody knows that’s my game. To go to the rack with force and try to finish the play aggressive, and I was able to get one tonight. They (the bench) was just laughing, (saying) “It took you two months to get one.” They were just excited and it just shows the type of team we have.”

Brooks was ecstatic about the dunk. “Oh my gosh, I was screaming, Brooks proclaimed. “That’s how electric he (Morant) is — he’s a special player. If he’s having a tough game or whatever he finds a way to electrify the game to put us over the top.”

Grizzlies Shade Suns in Phoenix

Grizzlies Shade Suns in Phoenix (6)

Morant finished the game with 13 points, nine of which were scored in the final period with the game on the line. 


What They Said!!
Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies Head Coach
On the game:

“Unbelievable effort by our guys tonight, two nights in a row. You could maybe chalk this up to being another complete game for us. The Suns went out and got a couple early runs on us; we were a little too casual. But when we locked in, our guys were really good defensively. A team that’s been killing it on the boards and second-chance points, we just outrebounded them with all their crashers and athletic guys going in there. That was huge for us. Great job.”

Jenkins continued: “Multiple guys guarded Devin Booker; Kaminsky got hot early, but we changed up some matchups and some coverages and I thought our guys handled that great. Offensively, as we have been talking about all season long, when teams go on runs against us, continue to trust the offense. There were a couple of moments there when we forced some things, but the ball kept moving around, some big plays down the stretch.

“One sequence I have to mention: they have a fast break play; we have two guys go in and I think De’Anthony (Melton), Brandon (Clarke) block the shot, we go down to the other end, we get a tip-in off an offensive rebound. Plays like that. There’s more of them throughout the game, but that one sticks out. The bench was huge for us tonight. Just credit to our guys going out getting two big wins to finish this road trip. These games are always hard at the end of a road trip. Proud of our guys’ effort tonight.”

Up Next

The Grizzlies return home to Memphis to host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night at FedExForum. Antetokounmpo missed Wednesday night’s contest against the New Orleans Pelicans due to right quad tendon soreness. The Bucks extended their winning streak to 16 games against the Pelicans. It is unclear Antetokounmpo will be available to play in Friday’s game. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Return of Ja Morant

After a four-game absence, the Grizzlies’ rookie sensation, Ja Morant, returned to the lineup and led Memphis to a road victory over the Golden State Warriors. Morant scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter. For the game, Morant had seven assists, three 3-pointers, and a steal, while going 8-for-14 from the field in the 110-102 win.

Morant is tied for third with Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard in NBA fourth-quarter scoring this season. “It was fun — I missed it,” said Morant on his return after back soreness. “It was tough sitting there on the sideline, knowing that I wanna be out there. It just felt good to get out there again.”

The 20-year-old said about his fourth quarter scoring, “I kinda just like to focus on what I can control and on what happens between those four lines. In terms of all the accolades and awards and numbers, I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. I just take what the defense gives me. I never try to force anything. I feel like they were going under a lot of my screens and it’s either shoot or attack or find the open man. I think that tonight we were able to get stops and play the way that we wanted to. We had a lot of people step up tonight.”

Coach Taylor Jenkins was pleased once again with his young guard’s performance. He said, “Yeah, there’s a lot of trust with him and when the ball is in his hands. … We wanted to make sure that he was playing a solid 48 minutes with an attack mentality, knowing that he is ‘score first,’ but he is also super unselfish and will make the right plays. Had a couple of assists late and had some buckets that we needed in order to kill a run.”

Jenkins continued, “As a team we have to get better as a coaching staff when teams are trying to take away Ja (Morant), especially late in the game. But it is certainly a great thing to see early on in his career.”

The Murray State product continues to wow with his presence on the floor. As Master P would say, Ja “makes ’em say uhh.” Here are a few of his plays from Monday night in San Francisco. 

The Return of Ja Morant

The Return of Ja Morant (2)


Here is another angle:

The Return of Ja Morant (3)


Morant spoke to Grizzlies sideline reporter Rob Fischer after the game. 

The Return of Ja Morant (4)

Notes

The Grizzlies ended a three game skid with the win.

The Grizzlies were helped by their strong night in transition, as they outscored the Warriors 25-10 in fast break points. It was the sixth time this season that the Grizzlies have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field (41-of-82).

Dillon Brooks was engaged on both ends of the floor and finished with 17 points.  

Jaren Jackson, Jr. added 16 points and a team-high three blocks.

Grayson Allen had 13 first half points and finished the game with 15 points, before leaving with an ankle injury. He went 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from the three-point line.

Jonas Valanciunas notched his 13th double-double of the season with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on 5-of-7 shooting.

Alec Burks led the Warriors with 18 points, as well as seven rebounds and six assists.

D’Angelo Russell added 18 points, seven assists, and three rebounds for the Warriors. 


Up Next
The Grizzlies will continue their four-game road trip on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. CT against the Phoenix Suns inside Talking Stick Resort Arena.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

De’Anthony Melton: All About That Grit ‘n Grind

CREDIT: NBA.com

De’Anthony Melton has found himself at the back of the bench with the Grizzlies, with more DNPs (did not play — coach’s decision) than playing time, plus multiple Memphis Hustle assignments. But Melton has the ability to make an impact on both ends of the floor — and all he needed was minutes to prove it. 

NBA.com

De’Anthony Melton

In the 2018 NBA draft, Melton was selected 46th overall by the Houston Rockets and then traded to the Phoenix Suns before the start of the season. He played in 50 games for the Suns while starting in 31. Melton averaged 5 points, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals as a rookie. 

The second-year guard was traded from Phoenix to Memphis in the off-season, along with Josh Jackson and some picks in exchange for Kyle Korver and Jevon Carter. Melton was said to be a key piece for the Grizzlies in the trade. 

As former Grizzlies legend Tony Allen would say, “stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” And that’s exactly what Melton did after Ja Morant went down with an injury. 

In the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves last Sunday, Melton played 23 minutes and closed out a much-needed win to end a six-game skid. Melton stuffed the stat sheet with a near triple-double by finishing with nine points, a team-high eight assists, seven rebounds, and two steals.

After the game, Melton talked about how the Grizzlies overcame their third-quarter woes: “We were just going out there and scrapping — we were down a couple of guys but, you know we didn’t let that hinder our success. So we were going out there playing hard, playing Grizzlies basketball.”

Melton gave his coaches credit for believing in him and advising him to stay ready. “The coaching staff always telling me to stay ready, Melton said. “They definitely believe in me and see what I can do. The coaches are big advocates for staying ready and being aggressive — so that’s what I did and played my game.”

In his pregame presser prior to Monday’s game against the Pacers, Jenkins praised Melton for his play in the winning effort against the Timberwolves. 

“All of the work that he has been doing — the offensive work, the defensive work and preparing himself for an opportunity. I think he set a tone for us defensively with a couple of steals and a couple of deflections. He had a couple of loose-ball rebounding, outside-of-his-area plays. Offensively he kept it simple. He could have come in there trying to prove something. I thought he proved it the right way by attacking, playmaking, tallying assists, finding his teammates and finding the right time to attack and score. He had a great overall game on both ends of the floor and he was huge for us.”

Monday night in a losing effort against the Pacers, Melton came alive for his best game of the season. In 25 minutes of play, the former USC guard tallied a season-high 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, on 6-of-10 shooting. 

Jaren Jackson, Jr. is pleased with his teammate’s contribution in the absence of Ja Morant. Jackson said, “He’s [Melton] really good in the pick-and-roll. Obviously his shiftiness is going to get him a long way because he’s keeping defenders on their toes.”

Jackson added, “He can really read the defense well. But yeah, he’s been huge, especially that last win we had [at Minnesota]. He was huge in that game, came alive for us. Here he was ready to play [Monday night], came in and did the same thing. A lot to look forward to with him.”

Melton chimed in on his recent play, “I’m just playing hard, honestly — I’m just playing hard, trusting the offense, trusting my teammates, too. My teammates are doing a great job. We are all moving the ball. Everybody’s getting touches. We’re getting out and running. People are getting easy buckets, not only me, but just our whole team.”

Melton’s performance has won his coach over and the fans alike. He also has been outplaying Tyus Jones who was inserted into the starting lineup with Morant sidelined.

The 21-year-old says he has learned a lot from Jackson and Morant. He says they have both taught him how to handle different situations especially being young focal points and also being able to be successful with it.

Melton says, “Being in Memphis just teaches you to be scrappy and every night our team preaches the grit and grind — and to compete no matter what.”

Jenkins continued to give Melton praise, “As we’ve talked all season long, when that chance came he’s been prepared. A player that we see a bright future with. If he keeps having the simple mentality on defense and offense, keeps his game plan pretty simple for himself I think he could have a really bright future.”

In just two games, Melton has proven he deserves a spot in the rotation. He has been making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Only time will tell if Jenkins and company will give him more opportunities to showcase his talents on the court. 

Melton is not taking his newfound opportunity lightly, “I’m just going out there and having fun, he said. “Basketball’s a fun sport for me, so going out there and having fun, playing hard, playing with my teammates and just enjoying it. It doesn’t matter whether I’m the one or the two, it’s just basketball, playing hard.”

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Morant Named Western Conference Rookie of the Month

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the month for games played during October and November. Morant is the first Grizzlies rookie to be named Western Conference Rookie of the Month since Nick Calathes in February 2014. 
Larry Kuzniewski

Ja Morant

The Murray State standout is averaging 18.6 points, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 28.7 minutes per game in his rookie season. He is shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. Morant led all rookies in scoring average, assists per game, 20-point games (9) and double-doubles (3) through the end of November.

In his third NBA game, the rookie point guard tallied 30 points (career-high), nine assists, and four rebounds in 32 minutes. He became only the third player in NBA history to score at least 30 points and have at least nine assists within the first three games of their career, joining Isiah Thomas (1981) and Trae Young (2018).

Morant scored a game-winning bucket after splitting three defenders with a left-handed drive to the rim with 0.7 seconds left on the clock to lift the Grizzlies over the Hornets on November 13th. He led the way for his team that night, as he recorded the first double-double of his career, finishing with 23 points and 11 assists.

The 20-year-old became the youngest NBA player in nearly 10 years to make a game-winning basket on the road with under one second remaining in the game. 

Morant has consistently received high praise from fans and other players around the league. The second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft shares Rookie of the Month honors with Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn, who earned the monthly award for the Eastern Conference. 

Morant is currently on the injured list, having missed two games with back spasms. He is listed as week-to-week. 

Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was also a nominee for NBA Western Conference Rookie of the month honors.