It has been tumultuous for the Memphis Grizzlies since Friday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.
First, Brandon Clarke went down with injury with a torn Achilles (out for the season), Dillon Brooks received his 16th technical foul that caused an automatic one-game suspension, and then there’s Ja Morant, who is away from the team indefinitely after brandishing a gun on his IG Live.
It was remarkable to see the Grizzlies put up a fight against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night.
“We have to step up because there are big shoes to fill,” said Jaren Jackson, Jr. after Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the Clippers. “That’s been our motto for a long time. Whenever somebody goes down, everyone’s always ready, everyone’s always working. Come together and do it.”
The Grizzlies put up a 51 point third quarter against the Clippers and had a 15 point lead going into the final period. LA outscored Memphis 38-17 to win the game, 135-129.
Memphis’ fourth quarter woes continue to rear its ugly head.
Desmond Bane says that the team isn’t really too concerned about it.
“We’ve had guys in and out you know pretty much all year, so I think that we’re still kind of figuring out our fourth quarter offense,” he said. “Once we get to half court, Jaren [Jackson, Jr.] is a focal point given his size. We slow the game down and play through him. So if he continues to make the right decisions, I think that is something that we’re gonna grow through for sure.”
The Grizzlies are ranked 29th in fourth quarter scoring in the association.
Tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers on TNT, Memphis will have Dillon Brooks back in the starting lineup.
Memphis is still second place in the Western Conference yet only .5 games ahead of the soaring Sacramento Kings, who are in third.
The Lakers are trying to make the play-in while LeBron James is out due to a foot injury.
Tyus Jones isn’t worried about the team after all the adversity. He said Sunday, “I’m confident that the team will move forward. I’m confident we can continue to stay together, ride together. We still have a job to do – we are still striving to improve as a team.”
That next-man-up mentality must be ever present for the Grizzlies if they want to keep second place in the West. Other teams will not lie down for them.
The secret to their success is giving a full effort for the full 48 minutes. Jenkins must take responsibility for the selection of his lineups and the players have to take responsibility for their play.
I know it’s going to be a struggle. Can the team handle it with added pressure without Morant?
