With a final score of 127-113, the Grizzlies handed the Lakers their fourth consecutive loss. But more than that, they did it under the power of historic three-point shooting with a franchise record 23 made threes on the road, also the most three-pointers allowed by the Lakers this season.
It was a wild Friday night in the National Basketball Association. Those of us who stayed up late to watch the Grizzlies take on the Lakers in Los Angeles were rewarded with some of the best basketball Memphis has played this season.
Not even a 32-point performance from LeBron James and a 31-point one from Anthony Davis could stop the Grizzlies.
There was something for everyone in this win, including big performances from Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and Ziaire Williams.
And an All-NBA-worthy defensive move from head coach Taylor Jenkins that rightfully earned him a technical foul, because coaches cannot enter the court during gameplay.
Let’s break that moment down and what led up to it.
You can watch the video for yourself here:
Marcus Smart directed a pass to Jaren Jackson Jr., who briefly had possession of the ball but could not keep a hold of it. That led to a tie-up with LeBron James during which James elbowed Jackson in the chin (seemingly unseen by the referees) followed by an irate Taylor Jenkins stepping onto the court and in the path of Taurean Prince, protesting the lack of a call. Jenkins had to be physically restrained by one of his assistant coaches.
To keep it a buck, three fouls could have been called in that exchange: James committing a loose ball foul when forcing Jackson to the ground, Jackson committing a common foul when hooking James’ arm, and a flagrant 1 for James elbowing Jackson in the face in retaliation.
But since there was no review of the play, the only foul assessed for the whole mess was the technical Jenkins earned.
The messiness of that whole situation should not detract from the Grizzlies’ play and the exceptional shooting that propelled them to a resounding victory over the Lakers.
Heading into last night’s game, Marcus Smart had the lowest three-point shooting percentage of any player attempting five or more threes a game this season.
Apparently, he took that personally.
Marcus Smart finished the night with a season-high 29 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and one steal on 8 of 14 three-point shooting. Smart put up 19 of his 29 points in the first half while shooting 5 of 8 from three-point range.
His teammates had a pretty good night as well.
Jaren Jackson Jr put up a team-high 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc.
Desmond Bane closed out with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and a career-high 13 assists, also while shooting 5 of 8 from long range.
Ja Morant added 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Bismack Biyombo finished with 6 points and 10 rebounds on a perfect 3 of 3 field goal shooting.
From the second unit, Ziaire Williams added 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
All in all, it was a soothing balm to ease the sting of a nasty loss to the Toronto Raptors two days prior.
Whether this success can be replicated remains to be seen.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will continue their three-game road trip, heading to Phoenix on Sunday to face off against the Suns. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
