Friday night in San Antonio, the Memphis Grizzlies pulled off a comeback for the ages when they overcame a 29-point deficit, using a clutch three by Dillon Brooks to send the game to overtime. When the final buzzer sounded, the Grizzlies had gone from almost 30 points down to a 126-120 victory over the Spurs. Which goes to show that even when this team is down, you should never count them out.
Let’s get into it.
It was a ragtag squad of sorts that took the court in San Antonio, necessitated by the ongoing absences of Ja Morant, Steven Adams, and Brandon Clarke. One upside was seeing two-way player and fan favorite Kenneth Lofton Jr play meaningful minutes. And Luke Kennard did exactly the thing the front office acquired him for – light it up from the perimeter.
There is never a bad time to win a game on the road, but this win feels a little sweeter, coming as it did on the night that the Spurs were honoring Jaren Jackson Sr, who was part of the championship-winning 1998-1999 squad, along with Tim Duncan, Steve Kerr, and David Robinson.
This was a game that mattered right up until the very last seconds. Indeed, the game clock had less than a minute remaining when Memphis got a stop and sent the ball down the court, and Luke Kennard passed the ball to Dillon Brooks just in time for Brooks to sink one of the most clutch three-pointers of the season. Brooks also hit another timely three-point shot during the extra period and cemented the Grizzlies’ victory.
To be fair, this wasn’t a game that should have mattered up until the final moments, but a win is a win. It allows the Grizzlies to return home after winning two of three games in their road trip. Winning on the road has been an ongoing struggle for this team, but fortunately they are returning to FedExForum for seven of the next eight games.
Turnovers and missed free throws continued to plague the Grizzlies, even if they were ultimately able to overcome them on Friday.
A quick Ja Morant update: Earlier this week, the league announced that Morant would be issued an eight-game suspension for his conduct in Denver but that number would include the six games the Grizzlies’ organization had already benched him for. This means that Morant would potentially be returning to the team on Monday, March 20th, where he will ramp back up for a return to the court shortly thereafter.
By The Numbers:
All the Grizzlies starters ended the night in double figures, along with two guys on the second unit.
Jaren Jackson Jr led all scorers with 28 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 4 blocks.
Desmond Bane finished the night with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.
Tyus Jones closed out with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals, earning his first career triple double.
Dillon Brooks had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block. Including two incredibly clutch three-point makes that secured the win.
Xavier Tillman Sr put up 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
From the bench-
Kenneth Lofton Jr had a career-high 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.
Luke Kennard put up 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals, while shooting 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Related: I would like to formally petition that Kennard’s new nickname be Luke Nukem.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are returning to their home court for their second game in two nights. They will face off against their league rivals the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, March 18th. Tip-off is at 7 PM CDT.
