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

‘Funky Lineups’ Help Grizzlies End 6-Game Losing Streak

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies ended their six-game losing streak against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon, 115–107. Unlikely heroes emerged for the team, which played without Ja Morant (back soreness), Kyle Anderson (heel soreness) and big man Jonas Valanciunas (illness). To make matters worse, Brandon Clarke also left the game with an aggravated hip injury. 

Larry Kuzniewski

Dillon Brooks

Taylor Jenkins had clear instructions for his short-handed team on the road: “I hit the guys with a simple message that we were going to have some funky lineups up there and I just need guys going up there and competing,” he said. “That’s what we’re all about and that’s what we need to get back to and I’m super proud of them. To come out here against a playoff team, with a high level back-and-forth for our guys to dig down for 48 minutes it created energy for us and that’s the positive spirit we need to have, win or lose and to come out on top of that, cements the recipe we’re talking about.”

Larry Kuzniewski

Dillon Brooks, Taylor Jenkins

Jenkins continued, “Our bench was huge for us today and we got that production from our starters and our bench not just on the offensive side but our defense was amazing and it was a great team effort and these guys deserved it.”

Dillon Brooks led the Grizzlies with 26 points, going 4-of-5 from the three-point line.
When Brooks scores 20 or more points, this team usually wins. “We just found a way and figured it out, said Brooks of winning on the road. “It started with our defense and then we translated into our offense.”

‘Funky Lineups’ Help Grizzlies End 6-Game Losing Streak

Bruno Caboclo and De’Anthony Melton played significant minutes to help their team secure the victory. Caboclo added 12 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes for his first double-double of the season. With 12 pts and 10 rebounds in the 2nd half, Caboclo became the first reserve to post a double-double in a single half since Zach Randolph in 2016. Melton ended the game with nine points, a team-high eight assists, seven rebounds, and two steals in 23 minutes.

‘Funky Lineups’ Help Grizzlies End 6-Game Losing Streak (4)

‘Funky Lineups’ Help Grizzlies End 6-Game Losing Streak (3)

Notes

‘Funky Lineups’ Help Grizzlies End 6-Game Losing Streak (2)

In his first game back in Minnesota, Tyus Jones ended with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, four rebounds, and seven assists.

“We did whatever we had to get a win at this point — and stop the losing streak we had been on, said Jones.” We corrected what needed to be corrected and it says a lot about this team and how we are able to stick with it. We came on the road here and beat a good team.”

Grayson Allen had a good game off the bench with 13 points on 4-of-9 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Allen also grabbed five rebounds.

For just the third time this season the Grizzlies outscored an opponent in the third period, 38-32. Jones said it was their focus to have a big third quarter. He said, “We talked about it at half-time and we wanted to come out and not let them go on a run and not let the third quarter be the difference in a negative way and let it be a positive for us.”

Solomon Hill tallied 11 points and five rebounds. Hill finished with a game high +22.

Karl-Anthony Towns was held to 7-of-21 from the field. He ended the game with 21 points and 12 rebounds. It was his 15th double-double of the season.

Quotables
Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies head coach

On what it was that resulted in a strong second half…

“I think we let it slip away in the second quarter. We didn’t get a bucket, they would score, we turned it over and our guys were pissed off. They realized we had this lead on the road and we needed to go win a ball game and they kept their spirits up. They recognized that wasn’t good enough to finish, let’s come out the second half with our foot on the gas pedal and they started it with defense. It was a back and forth game but our guys had that mentality and broke through with the right stops, execution, and effort.”

Dillon Brooks, Grizzlies guard
On using unfamiliar lineups, but having success…

“We practice and we practice hard. Everyone’s focused, everyone knows the plays. Everyone is professional and is ready to contribute when their time comes. With Ja [Morant] out, Brandon [Clarke] out, Kyle [Anderson] out, and JV [Jonas Valanciunas], guys stepped up.”

On how the team defended Karl-Anthony Towns…

“We pressured the heck out of him, we didn’t want him getting to his spots. We just contested every single three he had. You know, he shot 1-for-10, that was great. A tribute to Jaren [Jackson]’s contests, Bruno [Caboclo]’s contests and just playing physical with him.”

Up Next
The Grizzlies return home to host the Indiana Pacers at FedExForum on Monday. Tip-off at 7 p.m. CST. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Blues on Beale: Grizzlies Lose to Jazz 103-94

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

The Memphis Grizzlies suffered their sixth straight defeat, losing to the Utah Jazz on Friday night, 103–94. The Grizzlies’ last win was against those same Jazz on Nov 15th at FedExForum before a national TV audience in the teams’ first matchup. Memphis is now 5–13 on the year. 

Utah outscored Memphis 63–39 in the second half, after the Grizzlies led 55-40 at the half. The Grizzlies shot 45.7 percent in the first half, but the Jazz held them to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half. The Jazz scored 12 straight points to open the third quarter. 

Third-quarter woes continue to plague Memphis early in the season. “We didn’t do what we needed to do in the third quarter, because we let them come out and punch us early and we didn’t respond,” said Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson, Jr. “Credit to them. They were active on the glass, actively just making the right plays, hitting a lot of shots, but we have to know that that’s coming. Especially because we played well in the first half.”

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins didn’t mince words after the game. He said, “Great first half, terrible second half . Credit the Jazz. They came and played a whole lot harder than us in the third quarter, and that’s why they won the ball game.”

Jenkins described how the Jazz set the tone for the second half, “We turned over the first possession. We gave up an offensive rebound. They scored. We controlled the boards in the first half, and then the next possession, they go down and miss a wide-open layup in transition —  get an offensive rebound, put it in, call timeout, come out and continue to get offensive rebounds. I think they had [13] second-chance points in the second half or something along those lines. It’s been a weakness of ours. We just didn’t come ready to play in the third quarter, and they took full advantage of it.”

“We came out with a sense of urgency,” said Utah guard Donovan Mitchell. “We knew we were better than what we showed. So, for us, it was just continuing to battle. It helps when Bojan [Bogdanovic] gets hot. Mike [Conley] made some crucial plays. Royce [O’Neale] had defensive stops, and we all did our best to do our part.”

Difficulties maintaining leads

For the sixth time this season, the Grizzlies blew a double-digit lead — the most in the NBA.

“We just have to execute,” said Jackson. “We have to continue to do the things that we were doing and expect the team to play harder, but we can’t expect them to bring the same energy or drop their energy because they’re losing. They probably got ripped at halftime. They’re probably feeling a type of way, and they’re probably getting amped up. We have to come out there and make sure we deliver.”

Sharon Brown


Playing with the same energy a full 48 minutes

“We have to play all four quarters like we did in the first half,” said rookie guard Ja Morant. “It helped us get out to a bigger lead, I think like 15 points. We just have to do that all four quarters.”

Energy and effort may be an issue. Morant said of the second half, “It was us — high energy just died down and they just took advantage of it.”

“I feel like it was just us mainly coming out in the third quarter with a lack of energy, lack of focus and they capitalized on that,” said Grizzlies rookie forward Brandon Clarke. 

The Grizzlies can’t win when Morant and Jackson combine for 7-of 26 from the field. Morant ended the game with 11 points (4-of-13) and four assists. Jackson chipped in nine points (3-of-13) and four assists plus four blocks. With his fourth block, he reached 100 career blocks and became the third-fastest player in franchise history to tally 100 career blocks, behind only Pau Gasol and Roy Rogers.

For the second consecutive game, Jonas Valanciunas was the Grizzlies high scorer with 22 points and 17 rebounds. He posted his 11th double-double of the season. 

Sharon Brown

Jonas Valanciunas

Clarke tallied 13 points off the bench and went 5-of-6 from the field. Clarke has a 64.3 percent field goal percentage this season.

Utah’s Bojan Bogdanovic tied his season-high with 33 points while shooting 12-of-20 from the field (4–8 from three). He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. Donovan Mitchell added 20 points, while Rudy Gobert notched his 11th double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies will travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Sunday. Tip-off at 2:30 pm, CST. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Jackson and Morant Shine as Grizzlies Fall to Lakers 109–108

CREDIT: Sharon Brown

There are no moral victories; a loss is still a loss. However, a young Grizzlies team can take positives away from Saturday night’s loss to the Lakers — and learn from it. 

Jaren Jackson, Jr. and Ja Morant performed like the Grizzlies must have envisioned they would when they were paired together. It was the first time this season that Jackson and Morant scored 20+ points in the same game.

Morant ended the night with 26 points, six assists, and a career-high five steals in 33 minutes. It was Morant’s eighth game of 20-or-more points this season. The rookie point guard entered the game averaging 23.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in 27.3 minutes in his last seven home games. 

“I think it just flat out shows (our game),” said Morant about the loss to the Lakers. “That no matter what, we can be in ball games and win ball games. We weren’t able to close out tonight, but tonight showed what type of team we are and who we want to be. I’m never satisfied with losing, but I can say I’m satisfied with how we played tonight. We played together, competed to the end and just came up short.”

Morant had many “wow” moments in the game. See below. 

Jackson and Morant Shine as Grizzlies Fall to Lakers 109–108

Jackson and Morant Shine as Grizzlies Fall to Lakers 109–108 (2)

According to Grizzlies PR, Morant became the first NBA rookie to record 25+ points, 5+ assists and 5+ steals in a game since John Wall on Nov. 2, 2010.

Jackson Jr. finished the night with 20 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, shooting 8-of-16 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep. It was Jackson’s fourth game with four-or-more three-pointers in his first 14 games this season after having two such games in the 58 games he played during his rookie season.

Jackson also saw the positives in the loss. “It just shows that we came to compete today — we brought all the energy; it started on defense,” Jackson said. “I am just proud of the effort we gave. Obviously, we wanted to pull it out at the end but the ball doesn’t bounce your way. We just got to take the good things and move on and the bad things and try to figure them out, too.”

Jackson added, “We understand that if we bring it we’re always gonna be in ball games. Little things like that, we learn more and more every day. We have to focus on our effort because our youth and energy can sometimes win out if we’re running hard and we’re playing defense and we’re scrambling and wearing teams down and playing in transition. So, I think those are the things we’ve gotta focus on.”

Jackson and Morant Shine as Grizzlies Fall to Lakers 109–108 (4)

Jackson and Morant Shine as Grizzlies Fall to Lakers 109–108 (3)

Jae Crowder chipped in a season-high 21 points while knocking down 4-of-9 from the three-point line. 

After the game, Crowder said, “We have to play better on any given night. I feel like we brought it tonight because of who we were playing. Good teams bring it every night, no matter their opponent, so once we learn from this game, we can continue to build, take this to Indiana and get us a win on the road. It’s definitely something to build off of.”

Crowder acknowledged that the team doesn’t bring it every night. “I think it’s just being with a young team,” he said. “Knowing that shots may not fall on a nightly basis but your effort and energy have to be there on a nightly basis. So you have to take care of your bodies and be prepared to play at a maximum level each and every night.”

Kyle Anderson came off the bench and garnered 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists while shooting 5-of-11 from the field.

LeBron James led all scorers with 30 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while grabbing his 9,000th career rebound.


What They Said!
Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies head coach

On the game: “Heck of a game by our guys. I’m super proud of their efforts from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. One-point loss against the best team in the league. I know there are no moral victories, but how our guys competed for 48 minutes, I’m beyond proud given how we played the last two games. (We) had a chance to win at the end — a couple of plays on offense, big time rebound at the end that we have to learn from, but we got significantly better today, and I’m proud of how they played. If we can play like that every night we give ourselves a chance.”

On Jackson Jr.’s contribution to the offense: “For him to be very versatile, plays off the bounce, hitting threes. … He’s an inside-out player. It’s huge for his growth. He’s still really young in his career, so as he’s identifying those opportunities to be in attack mode I think it really benefits our offense. We need another dimension outside of just our point guards being playmakers. To have him be a playmaker for us is huge.”


On the Grizzlies’ youth: “Like I said to them after the game: super proud. Their effort was unbelievable. Our defensive activity set a tone to start the game. If we can play up to that standard night in and night out you’re going to hopefully have a chance to win more ball games. Obviously, in the fourth quarter, a couple of moments there where we have to execute a little bit better. But what they were able to do for a majority of the game, that’s where we have to be. That’s what we’ve hung our hat on. A week ago, it kind of slipped away from us, but if they can kind of engrain that into their mind, this is what it is. This is the fun style to compete that way. I’m super proud, and that’s the Grizzlies I love to be a part of.”

Up Next
Grizzlies travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers on Monday night. Tip-off at 6 pm CST. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Don’t Give Up on Jaren Jackson, Jr

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Last year, Jaren Jackson, Jr. was seen as the face of the future for the Memphis Grizzlies. Fans fell in love with the Michigan State product during his rookie season. Now, as he struggles to learn a new system implemented by new head coach Taylor Jenkins, Jackson finds himself drawing the ire of some of those same fans who praised him a year ago. A group of fans on social media have even called for Jackson to be traded, this early in the season. 

Larry Kuzniewski

Jaren Jackson Jr.

What a difference a year makes. Last year, fans were furious and thought the team was wasting his first season in the league with J.B. Bickerstaff as his head coach. Many said Bickerstaff didn’t know how to play Jackson to showcase his talent. Since then, the Grizzlies have had a front-office makeover and almost a complete roster overhaul.

When Jackson first came into the league, the locker room was completely different. There was a heavy veteran presence with Grizzlies mainstays Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
He also learned from JaMychal Green, Garrett Temple, and Joakim Noah.

Now Jackson has to rely for guidance on veterans Jae Crowder, Solomon Hill, and fellow big man Jonas Valanciunas. The players have to gel and he knows it is a long season and the team can’t get too high or too low, but has to take it one game at a time. After the ugly loss against the Warriors on Tuesday night, Jackson said, “I just have to play better  —  I wasn’t good by any means. I didn’t help us out there today.”

He went on to say, “You just have to improve, keep doing the same things. You can’t really change too much.  I need to see the game first and look at it. Definitely not something I’m proud of.”

Jackson is prone to foul trouble and has fouled out of three out of the team’s 13 games this season. Teams have scouted him and know that getting him in foul trouble
early in games messes with his psyche. Early foul trouble has often been an
indicator Jackson won’t have a good game.

Jackson knows he has his work cut out for him to right the ship for his sophomore season.  “I have to get better offensively and work on the things that I work on, as well as playing with my teammates better and reading things better,” he said. “A lot of things I have to work on for sure.”

Jackson took responsibility after the ugly Warriors loss. He said, “We just didn’t do what we needed to do. I can’t speak on them [Golden State] and their locker room. I just know, in here, we need to be better, I need to be better. I have to bring it next game.”

Jenkins says he isn’t too concerned about Jackson’s slump. Thursday after practice,
Jenkins said he would “keep encouraging him with positivity. I think if he can latch on mentally to how he could be good defensively, he can be a two-way player. He is still trying to find his way on the offensive end if he just focuses on the defense, the offense will come in time.”

Jenkins said that Jackson and Ja Morant are still developing chemistry in the young season, adding that that Jackson’s rookie season was cut short after playing in just 58 games last season. He also pointed out that Jackson is adjusting to a new system, a new coach, a new style of play, and a new role. 

Through 13 games played, Jackson is averaging 14 points, 4.9 rebounds, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the three-point line.

Among sophomore players in the league, Jackson is in the top 10 in scoring, based on traditional stats. His usage is 22.7 percent and he is ranked in the top 15th percentile for second-year players. And it’s worth pointing out: Jackson’s numbers aren’t terrible. He’s scored in double figures in 8 out of 13 games and has scored 20 or more points in four of those games.

The Grizzlies have a roster full of young players who need development. As Jackson said, they don’t have time to be rookies. They’re being thrown into the fire and have to learn on the fly. Building chemistry will ultimately help Jackson and his teammates compete for 48 minutes and win some more games. 

Grizzlies fans need to understand and accept the necessity of growing pains for this young team this season. There is plenty of basketball left to play. Patience is the key for Jackson, his teammates, and the coaching staff  — and for the fans.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Cold Night for the Grizzlies: Denver 131-Memphis 114.

CREDIT: Sharon Brown

Sharon Brown

The Shirelles’ top-ten hit, told us, “Mama said there’d be days like this,” and it was true for the young Grizzlies on Sunday night before the home crowd.

The Denver Nuggets ended Memphis’ three-game win streak in a decisive fashion, 131-114. Before the blowout loss, the Grizzlies had won four of their last six outings.

After three exciting wins — ruining Tony Parker’s retirement ceremony by downing the Spurs; last-minute heroics by Ja Morant in Charlotte; wrecking Mike Conley’s homecoming by defeating the Utah Jazz — the Grizzlies just went cold. 

Cold Night for the Grizzlies: Denver 131-Memphis 114.

And that about sums it up for the home team. Jamal Murray put on a show and the Grizzlies paid for it dearly. Murray had a bad game against the Brooklyn Nets on November 14th. In that game, he only scored four points, going 1-of-11 from the field.

It was different story Sunday night, as Murray got the first nine points for Denver. Murray ended with 39 points (season-high), four rebounds, and eight assists in 31 minutes of play with zero turnovers. Murray had the “it factor” and the Grizzlies had no answer for him.
The only person who stopped Murray was Denver Coach Mike Malone, who set him down for the entire fourth quarter. 

Notes

The Nuggets went on a 34–6 run (including a 24–2 run) to turn an eight-point deficit (36–28) early in the second quarter into a 20-point lead (62–42) with 2:48 left before halftime.
Denver outscored the Grizzlies in the second quarter 44-17. The game got out of hand in the third period, when Denver got up by as many as 33 points.  

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 22 points and five rebounds, setting a career-high by going 5-of-7 from three-point range.

Brandon Clarke had a perfect night from the field, going 8-of-8, ending up with 19 points. Prior to the Nuggets game, Clarke ranked first among all NBA rookies at 61.5 percent shooting on the year.

Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points (including 12 in the first quarter) and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes for his eighth double-double of the season and 12th straight game in double-figure scoring. 

Paul Millsap put together a season-high-tying 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting (.727) and registered a season-high in steals, with five.

What They Said
Head coach Taylor Jenkins

On the game:

“Tough one for us today. We didn’t start the way that we needed to. Down 7–0, we got a bucket but our energy to start wasn’t quite there. But, credit to our guys. We kind of flipped the script after that first timeout and we ended up taking an 11-point lead. But, tons of credit to the Nuggets. They raised their level to an elite level, and our guys just couldn’t really catch that second gear. It just wasn’t our day today. So, a lot of credit to the Nuggets, especially in that second quarter. We tried to claw back here and there, but that second quarter kind of got away from us. And as we’ve experienced throughout the year so far when these moments happen, how can we just kind of face some of that adversity. But, credit the Nuggets. That’s a heck of a team and a great learning opportunity for our young team.”

On De’Anthony Melton:

“Tons of credit goes to De’Anthony. We’ve talked about him constantly staying prepared with his individual work, his G League assignments. I’m super happy with where he’s at. He made an impact immediately, kind of coming in defensively and getting his hands on a couple of balls, shooting with confidence, making plays for his teammates, had a great pass to Brandon Clarke for a roll dunk. So, I’m really impressed with him and he’s definitely going to be someone who will make an impact for our team at some point.”


On whether he thinks Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are where they need to be defensively:

“Not just them, but everyone, we’ve got a long way to go. I mean, the nights where we’re giving up 130 points, that’s not the scenario that we want to set. We talked all along how they can be impactful on both ends of the floor. I think Ja has been taking some big strides the last week or so, but tonight was a tough match. Jamal Murray is a heck of a player. But, trying to unleash their activity, (Jaren) blocking shots and rebounding, he’s starting to find his comfort and all that stuff. Tonight was not indicative of what they can be defensively, but I think all of us as a team have big steps that we have to take on that end.”

The Infie 500

Cold Night for the Grizzlies: Denver 131-Memphis 114. (2)

Up Next

The Grizzlies will host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Tip-off at 7 pm CST.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Ja Morant, the Hero Memphis Needed

Rookie Ja 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 Wednesday night, 119–117. Not all heroes wear capes, but he does wear number 12.

Ja Morant, the Hero Memphis Needed

Ja Morant, the Hero Memphis Needed (2)

After being down by as many as 12 in the third period, the young Grizzlies went on a 22–5 run to get back in the game. In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies saw their 10 point lead evaporate as Charlotte bounced back to tie the game 117-117 with 24.3 seconds left to play.

It took a balanced effort for Memphis to pull off its second straight victory on the road and its first back-to-back wins of the season.

Memphis connected on a season-high 17 three-point shots on 35 attempts (48.6 percent) and also shoot 53.3 percent from the field.

Morant led the way, as he recorded the first double-double of his career, finishing with 23 points and 11 assists.

Marko Guduric added 17 points while going 4-of-6 from the three-point line. Jonas Valanciunas recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes.

Jaren Jackson, Jr. continues to shine after going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc while garnering 16 points and six rebounds.

Terry Rozier had a game-high 33 points (7-of-12 from deep) and six assists for the Hornets. As a reserve, Malik Monk put up 20 points with eight rebounds and five assists. 

Up Next
Mike Conley will make his return to FedExForum with his new team as the Grizzlies will host the Utah Jazz on Friday night, tip-off 7 pm CST.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Take First Road Win of the Season

CREDIT: Joe Murphy/NBAE

Joe Murphy/NBAE

Jaren Jackson Jr.

The Grizzlies gained their first road victory of the season, downing the San Antonio Spurs 113–109, Monday night. The Grizzlies’ win came after back-to-back losses against the Orlando Magic, and division rivals, the Dallas Mavericks.
 
Jaren Jackson, Jr. led the Grizzlies with 24 points (a season high), six rebounds, and five assists. Jackson has bounced back after he failed to score in the Grizzlies’ home victory over the Timberwolves last week. In the last two games, Jackson has scored 23 and 24 points, respectively.

Jackson tied his career-high by knocking down four three-pointers. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins was pleased with his second-year forward’s performance. “He was impacting the game on both ends of the floor,” Jenkins said.  Jenkins said Jackson’s presence on the floor and not in foul trouble is a tremendous gain for the team. “Obviously, not being in foul trouble helped him produce on the offensive end, just being on the floor.”

He continued, “Defensively, just playing solid defense. Contesting shots at the rim, especially a lot of contested jumpers, you know we’ll roll with him because I think he’s been working hard over the last couple weeks. Especially this last week, just being more disciplined defensively and continuing to be active and disciplined at the same time. Then offensively, rim running, getting those deep seals. If it’s not there, then just facilitating, hitting four threes tonight, just playing within the offense. It’s a heck of a job by him and a heck of a job by our team tonight.”

Ja Morant was complimentary of his teammate’s play against the Spurs. He said, “He [Jackson] is getting comfortable. His confidence is back. You can tell he is playing with that ‘bop’, not thinking about it too much. And we just tell him to hoop, because we need it.”

After the game, Jackson admitted he was in a funk and his conversations with Jenkins had helped him. Jackson said, “We have a lot of conversations. We talk at practice every day. It wasn’t anything specific. I definitely expressed to him that I was in a funk and we just talked about it.” Jackson went on to say, “It’s not like something you just magically change. I just expressed it to him. He expressed to me, ‘You just have to keep focusing on the things that are important’ — coming in, your work habits, and working hard every day, and I agree with him.”

Notes: Dillon Brooks chipped in 21 points off of 8-of-17 from the field. Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points and 12 rebounds, along with two blocks. Brandon Clarke continued to shine, with 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench. He went 6-of-7 from the field. 

Lamarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 19 points while Rudy Gay added 18 points and eight rebounds as a reserve. 

The Grizzlies finished the game 44-of-87 from the field (50.6 percent) and 11-of-28 from beyond the arc (39.3 percent). 
Larry Kuzniewski

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Memphis finally played well in the third quarter. For the first time this season, the Grizzlies outscored an opponent in the third period, 34–26. 

Grizzlies head coach, Taylor Jenkins used his first challenge of the season. Coaches are allowed one challenge per game, this season. With 9.4 seconds left, Jackson was called for a foul on Spurs guard Derrick White as he drove towards the basket. On review, it was revealed that Jackson didn’t touch him and the call was overturned.

Up Next
The Grizzlies will travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. CT.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

All About Ja

Larry Kuzniewski

Ja Morant

Sunday night belonged to the most electrifying man in Memphis, Ja Morant. The Grizzlies rookie point guard made his mark, as he went toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best players, Kyrie Irving.

With only 3.7 seconds left in OT, Morant delivered a dime to a trailing Jae Crowder, who hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to seal the victory before 15,517 delighted fans at the FedExForum. Memphis beat Brooklyn 134–133.

“It was a great play call by coach,” said Morant on the game winning dish to Crowder. “I’m not going to lie. At first, when I went behind the back, I was just trying to get my feet set. But then Jae called ‘Trailer!’ and I knew that both defenders were on me, so I just pitched it back and backed into the other defenders so they wouldn’t be able to contest his shot. I believed in Jae the whole way and he delivered for us tonight.”

This marked the first win of the 2019 season for the Grizzlies and the first win for rookie head coach Taylor Jenkins.
Larry Kuzniewski

Taylor Jenkins

In his third NBA game, the rookie point guard tallied 30 points (career-high), nine assists, and four rebounds in 32 minutes. The Murray State alum 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).

He had 17 points in the fourth quarter, while leading the Grizzlies back from a 118-110 deficit with 3:20 remaining. Also Morant had a key block on Irving to send the game to overtime.

Morant on the final sequence of the fourth quarter, “On that last play, coach was just telling us to stay down, and once he pump faked it, I was down and I knew the shot was coming,” Morant said. “Man, it was great. Special talent — he’s [Irving] a handful; I can say that. Definitely was putting pressure on our defense tonight.”

After the game, Morant said it felt great to get the win in front of the rousing home crowd after coming up short the first two games.

Jenkins was glad to get his first win and was very proud of his rookie. Jenkins said, “We’ve said to him daily that he’s our engine. We go as he goes. I think he’s starting to see how defenses are going to guard him. He’s got to be full throttle early on. Credit to him, the last couple of days watching film and in his individual work, working on different finishes.”

Jenkins added, “To see him finish at a pretty high level tonight, to be able to complete those attacks is huge. To be able to find his teammates in great times, getting in there and kicking out, it was great to see. That was a great Ja Morant performance. A lot of guys played great tonight. Hopefully we continue building on this moving forward.”

“Obviously, he’s a very talented player. He hit some tough shots and his quickness and speed to the rim to get downhill,” said Brooklyn Head coach Kenny Atkinson about Morant.

Irving also had high praises for Morant: “I expected him to come out aggressive, be who he is. He got downhill a few times and finished over our bigs. Didn’t really hit the outside shot tonight, which we wanted to encourage, but he did pretty great at what he is known for and that is getting in the paint and playing with a lot of passion, and I think he showed that tonight.”

Nets guard Caris LeVert said Morant made good decisions and said he thought Morant was going to be really good in the league.

Notes:
The Grizzlies converted on a season-high 14 three-pointers and shot 48.5 percent from the field.

Jonas Valanciunas recorded his second double-double of the season, tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes of play. Dillon Brooks had a strong night as he went 9-of-15 while shooting 3-of-6 from three. Brooks ended with 21 points.

Solomon Hill saw his first action in a Grizzlies uniform. Hill went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

Irving led all scorers with 37 points, seven assists and seven rebounds while shooting 11-of-27 from the floor. Caris LeVert also had a good night for the Nets as he tallied 27 points, five assists and four rebounds as the Nets fell to 1-2 on the year.

What They Said
Grizzlies forward Jae Crowder ended the night with six points, seven rebounds and five assists. All of Crowder points came in OT and including the game winner.  Larry Kuzniewski

Jae Crowder


On the win: “Obviously, just to get the win, get our first win and try to get some momentum. We’ve been playing well these first two games and we put five quarters together and came out with a win.”

On keeping an even keel in the fourth quarter:
“We just wanted to stay with the game plan and obviously we felt like we took our foot off the gas pedal the other two games and we wanted to try and finish a full game with some veteran presence down late and it helped out. We just played very scrappy on the defensive end, coming up with loose balls. They had a five out there. We had four smalls I think at one point so we’re just playing scrappy and doing whatever it takes to win the game.”

On what he tells the young players:
“We want to limit those guys to one shot where, like I said, we were playing small in the clutch so we didn’t want to give any second chance points. I think all game we were getting beat with second chance points, so there late we just wanted to limit those guys to one shot, make or miss, and get out and have a good offense on the other end and find the best shot we can get. So I think we limited those guys. I think they got a tip-in late which we tried to not give up, but we did a good job of limiting those guys to one shot.”

On the locker room celebration:
“We’re coming together. I think that’s what it’s about. It’s about coming together as a team. Coming together as one. And obviously a win always brings a team a little closer and to get that first win for coach speaks volumes for him. We’re just happy for him. Happy for our rooks, they played a great game and we’re just trying to get a win and get some momentum here early in the season.”

On Ja Morant:
“He stepped up especially in that to force overtime. That defensive stop that he had on Kyrie [Irving], stayed down on the pump fake, contested it, got a piece of the ball. That was big. That was probably my highlight for him of the game along with the points. He did a good job of scoring and facilitating but that defensive stop to push it to overtime was huge.”

Up Next
The Grizzlies head out to take on Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, with a 9:30 p.m. start, Central time.