For one night only, the Grit ‘n Grind Grizzlies made an appearance at the FedExForum on Wednesday with a 89-85 win against the Miami Heat.
When asked if it gave him pride to win in an old school style, Ja Morant said with a smile, “Hell yeah. Simple as that.”
Miami shot just 36 percent of its shots while Memphis only went 35.3 percent from the field. This was definitely a mud game. Grizzlies fans remember those so well.
After the game Taylor Jenkins said of the win, “This was probably one of the gutsiest wins I can recall in my time here, definitely this season. This was a heck of a game.”
Jenkins added, “To come away 89-85 and hold them to mid-30’s shooting, limiting some of their best players, I give our guys a lot of credit to just stick with it. That’s why it’s gutsy.”
The last time the Grizzlies and their opponents scored under 90 points was on Nov. 7, 2018 when Memphis defeated Denver 89-87.
Memphis managed to get their defensive mojo back after the last two opponents were lights-out with the three-ball. The Grizzlies’ defense had been nonexistent in consecutive games, giving up a combined 28 three-pointers in the last two losses against Oklahoma City and Phoenix.
With 1.2 seconds remaining in regulation, Morant went coast to coast and finished with a driving left handed finger roll layup off the backboard to give the Grizzlies the lead for good.
“Go get a bucket, simple as that,” Morant said in the postgame interview with Rob Fischer about his game winning bucket. “I live for those moments and I want that pressure.
During the postgame Zoom availability, Morant proclaimed, “When in doubt, ‘Call 12.'”
The Grizzlies star guard finished the game with 13 points, six assists and four rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Kyle Anderson also chipped in 13 points and five rebounds while going 4 of 9 from the field.
In 23 minutes off the bench, De’Anthony Melton secured a double-double with 13 points, a career-high 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
“Coach (Taylor Jenkins) said before the game that we were going to go with a smaller lineup,” Melton stated after the game. “He wanted all of the guards to get in there and rebound and scrap. I think that’s what we emphasized today, just limiting them to one or two shots and just getting out and running. We’re one of the better pace teams, so we just want to get out there and just keep going and keep attacking them to see how they react to that.”
With the win, Memphis moved to 18-19 on the season after dropping three straight games.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 24 points and seven rebounds. Bam Adebayo had 15 points (5-11 FG), 12 rebounds, six assists, and one steal in 35 minutes as the Suns dropped to 22-19 for the season.
Memphis’ own Precious Achiuwa made his first appearance at the FedExForum since being drafted by the Heat in 2020. Achiuwa finished with two points and five rebounds in 10 minutes of play as a reserve.
Up Next
The Grizzlies will host a back-to-back home-stand against the Golden State Warriors on Friday and Saturday.
