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

Now Under a Microscope, Morant’s Next Steps Are Vital

Ja Morant (Credit: Aimee Stiegemeyer)

Last week, the Washington Post published an article about Memphis Grizzlies two time All-Star player Ja Morant, in which it was claimed that he was involved in three separate incidents, two of which included firearms. 

After becoming the target of an NBA investigation related to his behavior during a Saturday morning Instagram Live, the team announced on Saturday that he would be missing at least two games.

Morant’s IG Live video showed him flashing a gun in a club. The live stream was then recorded and spread like a wildfire on social media.

Later, NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement, “We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating.” 

Soon to follow, the Grizzlies issued a statement announcing that the 23-year-old would miss at least two games. Memphis is scheduled to play the Los Angeles Clippers tonight and the Lakers on Tuesday. 

Through his agent, Morant released the following statement: 

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”

Morant’s previous accusations of having a firearm and other incidents couldn’t be corroborated or substantiated. But there’s no denying he had a weapon on IG Live. This time there was proof, and the consequences followed.

Morant is a budding superstar with everything to lose, so why would risk losing it all?

Criticism and judgment is coming his way on social media, TV, and other places. 

Indeed, he needs to pull himself together. The fact that he is still so young explains why he has made such a baffling choice. And some even question the stress he spoke about in his statement. 

But we all need to understand that he’s a 23-year-old with pressure to be great, pressure to provide for others, pressure to bring a championship to the city of Memphis in front of the entire world. 

Yes, he is participating in his own sabotage, but there’s a lot of weight on his shoulders at such an early age.

Make no mistake, I’m not condoning his actions. But, I understand. I have a 23-year-old son who does things that baffle my husband and I. But as he matures, he will make the right decisions. He doesn’t have the visibility or occupy the same financial class as Morant; however, he’s a typical young adult who hasn’t figured out life just yet. 

For athletes like Morant, many people tell them how terrific they are without caring about them as individuals, but as entertainment. Some just can’t take the pressure to live up to expectations, and it may lead to exhibiting behaviors that hasten their demise. 

Morant’s blundering actions are easy to dismiss as naive on the surface. Of course, we may all discuss what we would do if we were as gifted and successful as he is. We don’t believe that we would blow such a great opportunity. What would happen to our behavior if the burden of expectations were placed upon us?

Despite the fact that we’ve had numerous conversations over the years, I don’t know Morant on a personal level. I won’t cast judgment on the young man because I have no idea what he’s exactly going through.

However, I want him to make better choices and seek the help he needs if he’s indeed going through a mental crisis. 

Someone sent me a link yesterday of a video in which Morant talked about his mental health in 2021. It was heartbreaking to watch. 

Morant said he was used to getting through things on his own. He said in the clip, “you don’t realize you’re drowning until you’re trying to be everyone else’s anchor.”

Here’s the video:

After watching that, it put his statement in perspective. Morant needs to put his well-being at the forefront and seek the necessary help. And Nike agrees: 

I don’t know if the NBA will impose a harsher suspension and/or fine on Morant. 

Holding Morant responsible for his acts is acceptable, and he will undoubtedly face the results of his actions.

For a young man who has come so far and still stands to lose everything, this must be a humbling and instructive lesson.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Snap Road Losing Streak

Desmond Bane goes up for a jumper on March 1, 2023 against the Houston Rockets (Credit: Logan Riley/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Grizzlies ended their 8-game losing streak on the road with a 113-99 victory over the Rockets on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center on the second night of a back-to-back. 

It was obvious in the first half that both the Grizzlies and the Rockets were playing the second night of a back-to-back. When it came to scoring early on, both teams struggled, but it was the Grizzlies who eventually pulled ahead. After leading by only three points at halftime, Memphis exploded to a 17-point advantage by the end of the third quarter.

After scoring just 47 points in the first half, Memphis scored 66 second-half points. 

The Grizzlies have now won three in a row to improve to 38-23 on the season while the Rockets have lost 11 straight and dropped to 13-49. 

Desmond Bane led the squad with 30 points while scoring 21 in the second half, nine rebounds, six assists and connecting on 6-of-9 from the 3-point stripe. 

Ja Morant added 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 26 minutes of action. The game was out of hand late in the third period, and Morant sat in the final quarter. 

Jaren Jackson, Jr. finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and five blocks. The Block Panther is now tied for second place with 145 total blocks this season; however, Jackson is the leader at blocks per game at 3.3. 

Dillon Brooks had his best game of the calendar year with 16 points while connecting on four 3-pointers. 

Up Next 

The Grizzlies will battle the Denver Nuggets on Friday at 9pm CT inside Ball Arena. It will be the third and final regular season meeting between the Western Conference top 2 seeded teams. 

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Rout Nuggets

Ja Morant goes up for a lay up against the Denver Nuggets on February 25, 2023. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Grizzlies beat the West-leading Denver Nuggets, 112-94, to improve to 25-5 at home this season.

Swag is what the Grizzlies had been missing as of late. Swag returned briefly on Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, however the lack of late-game execution cost the team a game that it led up until the final seconds. 

“The whole mentality, the last five, six weeks of the season, is just building to our best version of ourselves,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins on the team getting their swagger back. “I think our guys have really embraced it day one in practice. I thought we had that mentality, thatswag, that trust. That’s a big word that we’ve been using recently. 

Jenkins added, “What we’ve had to do to play our best basketball home and away, I thought we did that in Philly, it just didn’t bounce our way the last couple of minutes, but we put ourselves in a position to win a game there.” 

“And then tonight, we came out with the same urgency, and I think we just clamped down on both sides. I thought the discipline… it starts with the mentality for sure when you go into games, but then I said our discipline from our game plan, execution defensively, has got to be on point, but then even offensively, knowing that they’re going to be a heavy shift team.”

“We scored 60 points in the paint, but we knocked down 15 threes – The ball movement, the energy, the trust on what we’ve got to do offensively was huge for us,” Jenkins concluded. 

“So, just really proud of the guys. Four days, but as I said, it’s just continued growth one day at a time. Keep trusting the process to what we’ve got to do one day at a time to get better and responding.”

Bench Play

The Grizzlies bench has been missing in action as of late. On Saturday night, the bench put up 48 points. 

Tyus Jones had been in a slump, but that changed against the Nuggets. Jones tallied 17 points and five assists off of 5 of 10 from the 3-point line tying a season-high with threes made. 

Jones on breaking his slump, “I mean, it’s always good to see the ball go through the basket. But yeah, you just try not to get too high or get too low. You try to stay even-keeled. The season is so long. Like you said, I’ve had hot stretches, I’ve had cold slumps, and I know it comes and goes, but it’s always good to kind of break out of that and see the ball go through the basket. I had a good convo with coach this morning, but just been trusting my work. It’s part of the season, it’s part of the grind.”

Luke Kennard had his best game since his trade to the Grizzlies. Kennard finished with 12 points while converting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. 

And Kennard completed a beautiful play started off by Morant. Take a look here: 

Kennard comments after the win. 

Call 12 and Rookie Dunker 

Ja Morant led all scorers with 23 points, and added seven rebounds and four assists. 

Some say it was a statement win but Morant was cautious knowing there are more games to played and to him it was “just another win.”

Morant described his magnificent play in the third period: “I pretty much just went to chase the rebound. We were all kind of under the rim when the shot went up. It was a long rebound, and there were times when we had our struggles. We didn’t get that rebound right there, so I pretty much just gave it my all, went and got the rebound. I kind of tapped it. We both were kind of going for it and once I got control, I just did a couple of dribble moves to actually make sure I have control over the ball. He kind of slipped, and I just attacked the rack. Once I got by that first defender, I felt the other one behind me, and I pretty much just used me being in front to an advantage. Kind of just stopped and jumped back. He bumped me in the back and after that, it was just a basic left-hand layup, finishing the play. So yeah, just one of those plays. I kind of yelled out there and got lightheaded, so I probably won’t do that again.”

Take a look at this spectacular play: 

Xavier Tillman 

Tillman ended the game with 12 points on 6-6 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists while holding the front-runner for NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to 16 points 

Morant credited Tillman’s play since Steven Adams has been out due to injury. He said, “He’s been holding his own. Out there battling, giving it his all and playing very well on both of those guys who are two of the most dominant bigs in the game. A lot of credit goes to him for locking in, knowing what they want to get to and making everything tough for them.”

Tillman’s play earned him the walk-off interview. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies will host the new look Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm CT. 

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Win, Survive Late Jazz Rally

Jaren Jackson, Jr. at tip-off against the Utah Jazz on February 15, 2023. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

In the final game before the All-Star break, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Utah Jazz 117-111. The Jazz almost came all the way back, despite being down as many as 24 points. It wasn’t pretty but it sure was gritty. 

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said he wasn’t too concerned about losing a 24-point lead, adding he was pleased with a win going into the break in the midst of the team’s more recent struggles: “We shouldn’t want anything to be easy. We should want these struggles to make us better. It’s the nature of a long season. You’re going to have your ebbs and flows. We’ve had good moments recently. We’ve embraced some struggles. We’ve been able to put some good work in and start trending in a better direction.”

He added, “Now is an opportunity, for about six days, to get that rest and recuperation and to come back and continue to put in even more work. So, our guys have gained some momentum over the last week, despite having to grind through. But as I’ve always said, these struggles are going to make you better, and we’ve still got a lot of season left to make that happen.”

Jaren Jackson, Jr. put on an All-Star and All-Defensive performance to lead Memphis with 26 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and a career-high five steals to help the Grizzlies to improve to 35-22 on the season. 

With 40 games under his belt, the Block Panther can now be recognized as the NBA block leader at a career-high 3.3 per game. 

Desmond Bane tallied 24 points, six rebounds, and four assists while Ja Morant finished with a near triple double, 20 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds despite a poor shooting night (8-of-26).

Morant is a wizard with the rock! 

Up Next

It’s All-Star break!! The team has a week off for relaxation and recuperation, except for Kenneth Lofton, Jr, Jackson, Jr. and Morant, who will be in Utah for the All-Star festivities. 

Prior to the game, Morant and Jackson, Jr. were honored with their All-Star jerseys.

The Grizzlies will be back in action on February 23rd against the 76ers in Philadelphia. 

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Morant, Jackson Guide Memphis to Much-Needed Win

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant contesting a shot from Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic on February 8, 2023 (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The “most hated” team in the NBA, as defined by Ja Morant, got back on track with a win on Tuesday night at FedExForum.

Memphis was on a three-game skid and needed to stop the bleeding. The home team beat the Chicago Bulls 104-89 behind dogged defense, outpacing the Bulls 32-14 in the final period. Fourth-quarter execution on both ends of the floor had been an issue for Memphis during their most recent slump.

After the game, Jaren Jackson, Jr. talked about getting over the hump. He said, “I think we just made more shots that we had been taking all game, locked in on defense a little bit more. We changed some coverages around. I thought our coaches were great today; they’re always, but today, they just knew exactly what was going on.

“Just getting stops, rebounding,” Ja Morant on fourth-quarter execution. “Obviously, these recent games, we’ve been giving up too many layups, second chance points. We were back, pretty much, to our defense. Later, we’ll be able to get out. People know that.”

All-Star 12

Morant led Memphis with 34 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, in his 30th career 30-5-5 stat line. Morant returned after being sidelined with an injury in the loss against the Toronto Raptors. Despite controversy and distractions, Morant let his play on the court do all the talking Tuesday night. 

Morant says he has a better day when his daughter Kaari is with him. Maybe Kaari can be the team’s good luck charm. 

All-Star Trip

Jackson Jr. finished with 24 points, five blocks, (four in the first quarter) and two steals in 34 minutes of action. The Michigan State alum was the tone setter from the start. 

“I [was] just feeling it out like I normally do,” said the 23-year old on his first quarter performance. “Just trying to see what was going on and just was feeling it out. I wasn’t really thinking that much stuff. I don’t really like to think that much. I just kind of just do whatever.”

“He and I talked yesterday (Monday),” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins on Jackson’s performance. “And it was more about the offensive stuff, and obviously he was phenomenal tonight, just the post threat physicality.

“He had a couple great kickout slasher three-point shots out the post, but he’s going to do what he does defensively, so you don’t have to really coach him up much there.”

Jenkins added, “He did a phenomenal job setting the tone. He had nine points early, had probably like five blocks early, something like that. He definitely set a tone, but he carried it out for four quarters and had a phenomenal game tonight.”

“That’s pretty much what we’re doing,” Morant said about Jackson Jr. setting the tone for the game. “He’s pretty much playing the four for us. Most teams nowadays try to swing one to four. No team should be able to do that versus us with him being the forefront. Our messages to the team, to each other is to find him, and we’re going to dominate whoever is guarding him. It’s clicking for him. We’ve seen how well he’s been playing. [The Bulls] came out with a lot of energy and locked in on the defensive end, and he got some big stops for us and allowed us to get going early.”

The Grizzlies could use more of this for the remainder of the season and beyond from Jackson Jr., who is the team’s best all-around player. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at 7pm CT in the final regular season match-up. The Timberwolves has a 2-1 edge Memphis looks to even the season series. 

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Change Has to Come

Tyre Nichols (Photo: Family of Tyre Nichols)

The footage of Tyre Nichols being fatally beaten by Memphis police has haunted me.

Those five officers pepper sprayed, punched, kicked, and beat a defenseless Nichols with a baton. Those who vowed to protect and serve brutally killed the 29-year-old father.

Although I felt compelled to view the videos, I strongly disapproved of the manner in which they were made public. That everyone around the globe was anticipating the release of the horrific videos, treating it like a movie premiere, sickened me.

Five Black Memphis police officers were fired from the department and were given numerous charges following the death of Nichols, including second-degree murder, kidnapping, assault, official misconduct, and official oppression. That a Black man died at the hands of Black police officers was unfathomable to most.

Family members told reporters Nichols went into cardiac arrest and kidney failure due to the vicious beating. The question “Why?” keeps coming back to me. Why was this young, vibrant, creative soul taken so violently by those whose job it was to protect and serve the community? This was an act of terror. As Reverend Al Sharpton said at Nichols’ homecoming services, “You don’t fight crime by becoming a criminal yourself.”

Seeing this unfold in a city I’ve called home for 20 years was different for me. My husband was a Black officer for the Memphis Police Department for nearly 14 years, and I previously worked for another law enforcement agency for close to seven years. As my husband watched the videos, I could hear the sadness in his voice. Watching it hurt. He kept saying they didn’t have to kill him. He questioned the supervision, the training, and wondered if the officers had done it before. He was angry at the narrative the officers were trying to paint of the situation in the video. He wants them held fully accountable for their actions.

While on the force, my husband felt it was his duty to mentor young officers since he was older starting out. He advised them to approach everyone with the same degree of decency and respect, urging them to be careful how they treated citizens since it could come back on them. They wouldn’t be recognized as officers out of uniform or in other jurisdictions, but in or out of uniform the same would apply. He made it clear that he had a family to provide for and an account to God to keep, so he wasn’t going to put his career or freedom in jeopardy. He said some police officers go too far and it’s not worth it. There are some good officers out there. I’ve encountered them. They want to serve their communities and get home safely to their families. Officers like these are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the public. The conduct of those who have no business being police in the first place has caused a significant loss of public trust of law enforcement. I’ve spoken to former co-workers and other officers since the release of the video. Many are hurt, angry, and appalled by what happened to that young man, especially the Black officers. Some are even questioning if they should continue in law enforcement.

As a mother to adult Black children, it terrifies me that this happened so close to home, literally. Both scenes are not too far from my home. And I can’t help but think it could’ve been one of my sons coming to our house. Or even my husband. I don’t believe I would have the grace of RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother. She shouldn’t have to say her son was a good man. But even if Tyre Nichols had been a known criminal, he still didn’t deserve to be beaten to death. There’s no justification. It would have torn me to pieces if one of my children’s last words were calling for me like Tyre was calling for his mom as he lay there dying.

Were there no rational people around who could have said, “That’s enough”? The only “good” cop on that scene was the SkyCop. The most complete picture of the assault was revealed by that camera. It’s ironic that something constructed with public safety in mind will be instrumental in bringing these ex-cops to justice. Everyone on that scene should be held accountable.

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said this prior to last week’s game against the Indiana Pacers: “Sadly, this is reminiscent of George Floyd back in 2020. We were all in Covid. We were all sitting at home and … had more time to think about it. Whereas now, the world’s still going, and I’m worried that people are going to take their focus off of making change, making positive impact in their city, in the country. When everyone’s clamoring for it, we can’t find distractions, we can’t forget, we can’t let this just be an afterthought in two weeks, in a month.”

This can’t be an afterthought. Change has to come, and it has to come within law enforcement. I don’t have all the answers and I don’t claim to. Like law enforcement tells citizens, if you see something, say something. I only wish someone had been there to stand up for Tyre Nichols.

Sharon Brown is a Flyer Grizzlies reporter.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies’ Road Woes Continue

Desmond Bane goes up for a shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 2, 2023. (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Grizzlies lost their second-consecutive game. The hot Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Memphis, 128-113, before a nationally televised audience on TNT. Memphis has now lost seven of its last eight games and six straight road games. 

The Grizzlies had a tough time dealing with Cleveland’s Jared Allen and Evan Mobley. Memphis was without Jaren Jackson, Jr., who sat out due to right thigh soreness. (Jackson was visibly limping in the loss to Portland on Wednesday night.) The Grizzlies are also missing starting center Steven Adams for an extended period of time with a PCL sprain. 

Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 25 points while connecting on 6-of-7 from three. Ja Morant added 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Santi Aldama recorded a career-high 21 points, tying a career best with four 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds.

Dillon Brooks and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell were both ejected after a scuffle midway through the third quarter. Brooks is likely to receive a fine and or suspension for hitting Mitchell in the groin. 

All-Star Reserves and Rising Stars

Prior to the game, Morant and Jackson, Jr. were selected as All-Star reserves for the 72nd NBA-All Star game in Salt Lake City, Utah. All-Star festivities are Feb. 17-19. It was the first time in franchise history that multiple players were selected as All-Stars. 

Morant became the first player in team history to be selected in back-to-back All-Star games. Last season he was named as a starter. Morant is averaging 27.4 points, 8.3 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game this season. 

It’s the first All-Star selection for Jackson, Jr. After missing 14 games at the start of the season, the 23-year-old has anchored one of the best defenses in the league. He is averaging 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 1.0 in 35 games this season, and has recorded 4 or more blocks in 15 games. 

Grizzlies two-way player Kenneth Lofton, Jr. was selected to participate in the Jordan Rising Stars, representing the Memphis Hustle. Junior is one of seven G-League players selected. In 10 games for the Hustle, Lofton is averaging 18.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals.

Up Next

The Grizzlies look to get back in the win column on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors to start a three-game homestead. Tip-off: 5 p.m. CT. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports Uncategorized

Grizzlies End Skid Behind Jackson, Morant

Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks and Xavier Tillman, Sr. inside FedExForum on January 29, 2023 in a win against the Indiana Pacers. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Grizzlies’ five-game losing streak is over with a comeback win against the Indiana Pacers, 112-100, at FedExForum, Sunday night. 

After falling behind by as many as 19 points in the first half, the Grizzlies staged their biggest comeback victory of the season by outscoring the Pacers 62-38 in the second.

The Grizzlies have the best home winning percentage (.875) in the NBA after improving to 21-3 at home this season. Memphis has now won eight consecutive games at FedExForum, a season best.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 28 points, and added eight rebounds and five blocks in a season-high 38 minutes. And the blocks were real; more on that later. 

“Tonight is a product of him just being aggressive, his teammates finding him,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins on Jackson’s touches in the game. 

“There was a lot of dialogue about opportunities for him,” added Jenkins. “They were switching, he was doing a good job running the floor, getting early post-up touches, then we made some calls and he just had great poise, in that post-up game. Even kicked it out a couple of times, just missed some shots but really impressive what he did on the offensive side to back up what he did defensively.”

Jackson acknowledged the importance of the team stopping the losing streak. He said, “Very important. You know, make sure you stop the bleeding. Coming together, and I think maybe coming home, helped for sure. Yeah man, put it together. It’s important. Feels good.”

With 27 points, 10 boards, and 15 assists, Ja Morant recorded his second straight triple-double and his fifth triple-double of the season. Morant logged 40 minutes while playing the entire second half. It was Morant’s ninth career regular season triple-double. It was the second time in franchise history a Griz player had accomplished the feat two games in a row. Delon Wright did it April 5-7, 2019.

“It just shows when we play our basketball and play with some energy, majority of the time, we win basketball games,” said Morant on getting his swag back after the losing streak. Tonight, obviously showed us we are capable of it, and we just got to continue to do it from start to finish.”

 

In his third-straight start, Brandon Clarke had 13 points while going 5-of-5 from the field. 

Xavier Tillman Sr. finished with nine points and a season-high 11 rebounds, including a career-high eight offensive rebounds.

Conspiracy 

A Redditt user sent NBA Twitter and the betting world in a frenzy with a bogus claim that the Grizzlies’ scorekeeper was inflating Jackson’s steals and blocks at home. The NBA and media members refuted the claims quickly. 

The NBA issued a statement backing the Grizzlies’ scorekeepers and stressing that game action and statistics are evaluated in real time.

Jenkins had this to say about the conspiracy, “Foolish — NBA made a statement. Conspiracy, conspiracy. [Jaren Jackson Jr.] is one of the best defensive players in the game. So lucky to have him on our team.”

Jackson addressed the conspiracy after the game. He said, “That was good. I thought that was pretty funny. I didn’t really understand it at first. I saw that I beat the case, so that was dope. It was just lighting up group chats on my phone, you know how it is when your homies are letting you know. I’m getting texts like, ‘You good?’ or whatever, and I’m like half asleep, still don’t even know what’s going on.”

Yes, JJJ you beat the case.

Up Next

The Grizzlies will host the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday night with an early 6pm CT tip-off time. 

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Drop 5th-Straight Game to End Road Trip

Ja Morant shooting the ball on January 27, 2023 against the Minnesota Timberwolves (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)

The Grizzlies finished a five-game, season-long road trip winless, after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday by a score of 111-100.

Yes, Memphis has lost five straight games after going on an 11-game win streak to begin the year.  The road has not been kind for the Grizzlies as the team is 11-15 this season. However, there’s no place like home. Memphis has one of the best home records in the league at 20-3. 

Desmond Bane (right knee pain) and Steven Adams were absent for the Grizzlies on Friday (right knee PCL sprain). John Konchar also is in concussion protocol. With 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, Ja Morant led the Grizzlies, and notched his fourth season triple-double and eighth of his career.

On the season, Morant is averaging 27.3 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds and will surely be selected as an All-Star reserve by NBA head coaches. 

To round off the scoring, Dillon Brooks finished with 17 points, Brandon Clarke added 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, and Jaren Jackson Jr. ended with 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. 

The Timberwolves’ Kyle Anderson finished with a season-high 23 points and six assists, including a season-high four 3-pointers in the win against his former team.

Deficiencies

Free-throw shooting reared its ugly head in losses in the losing streak. The team only shot 80 percent or above in two of the five games. The worst outcome was going 26 of 40 against the Los Angeles Lakers and losing 122-121. 

Memphis shot 26 of 37 against the Golden State Warriors and lost by 2 points, 122-120. This has become a problem that has cost the team regular season games and if not corrected will haunt them come playoff time. 

Memphis tragedy

Prior to the game, a moment of silence was held for Tyre Nichols, who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers earlier this month. Both the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves issued statements prior to the release of the disturbing videos on the deadly encounter. 

Jackson Jr. shared his thoughts on Twitter prior to the game.

After the game Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins spoke to the media:

“There’s way harder things on in the city versus what’s going on with our basketball right now. I’m proud of our guys going out there. We’re playing with heavy hearts, but we’re also playing for our city that’s going through a lot right now.My words will only mean so much. I want to continue to encourage people to put their arms around each other. To put their arms around the Nichols family, the Wells family to remember a beautiful life in Tyre Nichols – who I did not know, but I’m learning about.”

The team’s locker room was closed on Friday after the game and players were not made available to speak with the media. #JusticeForTyre

Up Next 

There’s no place like home. The Grizzlies will look to end their slump on Sunday when they return home to take on the Indiana Pacers at 5 pm CT.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Memphis Loses to Suns as Late Rally Falls Short

Ja Morant and Steven Adams on January 23, 2023 against Phoenix Suns. (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)

A 38-point fourth quarter from helped the Grizzlies rally from a double-digit deficit and trim the Suns lead to two points, but Phoenix prevailed 112-110 to tie the season series at 2-2. At one point in the game, Phoenix was up as many as 29 points. 

After winning 11 straight games, Memphis has now lost two games in a row by a total of three points. 

Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 27 points, eight assists, and five rebounds and Desmond Bane added 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Ziaire Williams chipped in season-high tying 16 points as a reserve, including a franchise-record 79-foot buzzer-beater to close out the third quarter.

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said he was proud of the team’s effort to get back in the game but he was not happy with the team’s road woes. 

Jenkins said, “I was proud of them, but I said you can’t come out with that mentality on the road. We’re two games, I think, below .500. We’ve got to get better. This is a great learning opportunity, so we still got a long road trip ahead against really good teams. 

“I say we just gotta take it one day at a time,” Jenkins added. “But use this as an opportunity to get better. We haven’t lived up to our standard on the road, but I want to take this as an opportunity, middle of the season, good teams out west — we had this back in December — we’ve got to respond. And I have the belief that our guys will. It may not happen overnight, but luckily they’re aware that we have to be better in these situations.”

Memphis is 11-12 on the road and 20-3 at home. 

“Good teams win at home,” Morant told The Athletic’s Kelly Iko in an exclusive. “Great teams win on the road. That’s been our identity since I got here. Road warriors. This year, we haven’t been bringing that intensity on the road.”

 “Early on, we missed a lot of shots we normally make,” Morant told the media after the loss. “They were making them on the other end. Obviously, basketball is 48 minutes, a game of runs. I just feel like we got to be better, knowing when our shots aren’t falling, know to lock it in even more on defense then getting stops and then pretty much not dropping our heads after a team scores a couple of times or goes on a run; we just got to come out and be ready to fight.”

“You got to create your own energy,” said Dillon Brooks. “The crowd is a big thing in this league, and you have to find a way to create your own energy. The Western Conference is a tougher conference, so [it’s about] finding a way to create our own energy on this road trip and bouncing back after these two losses.”

Tid-Bit

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe apologized for his actions against the Grizzlies on Friday night during the Lakers game on Friday night. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies are in Sacramento Monday to take on a hot Kings team that’s trying to cement its place in the top echelon of the Western Conference. It’s a late tip-off: 9:30 pm CT.