The Memphis Grizzlies narrowly defeated the Phoenix Suns 151-148 in their first overtime game of the season, Tuesday night, moving to 3-0 in the season series.
Phoenix controlled the game for most of the first half, thanks to big offensive contributions from Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Memphis fought back in the second half with a vengeance. After being down by as many as 10 in the third period, the Grizzlies went on a 13-1 scoring run to give themselves a 99-97 lead, outscoring the Suns 43-41 in the quarter.
Former Memphis Grizzly Grayson Allen had a hot hand in the fourth quarter off the bench for Phoenix, shooting 4 of 4 from beyond the arc and 3 of 5 from the free throw line for a total of 15 points in the quarter.
Ja Morant also scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, with Desmond Bane adding 11 points. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s night ended by fouling out late in the final moments of regulation play, but not before putting together an impressive stat sheet for the night.
Morant’s floater with 1.9 on the clock tied the game at 137-137 and sent the game to overtime.
The Grizzlies trio of Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ja Morant combined for 82 points out of 151, but it was a team effort that secured the win.
During the extra period, Santi Aldama hit a well-timed three-pointer to pull Memphis within one with 1:10 remaining.
Brandon Clarke tipped in a second-chance bucket to give Memphis the lead with 37 seconds on the game clock, and rookie Jaylen Wells hammered home the victory, scoring the final points with 9.1 seconds left.
By The Numbers:
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies in scoring with 29 points, and added 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 28 points, shooting 11 of 13 overall and 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. He added 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks
Desmond Bane finished with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals.
Jaylen Wells closed out with 19 points on 7 of 12 overall shooting and 5 of 7 from three-point range. He added 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Wells scored the final points for Memphis during overtime.
Santi Aldama led the second unit with 17 points on 6 of 9 overall shooting and 5 of 7 from beyond the arc, tying his season-high five made three-pointers. He also contributed 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
Brandon Clarke added 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block, including tipping in the basket that gave the Grizzlies the lead in overtime.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will continue their five-game homestand Friday night against the New York Knicks. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.
