After a seven-game winning streak, the Memphis Grizzlies have now dropped back-to-back games. And the schedule doesn’t get any easier. On Tuesday night at Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets defeated Memphis 105-91 to take the number one spot in the Western Conference standing.
Memphis’ record now stands at 19-11 overall and 6-9 on the road.
A slow start reared its ugly head for Memphis again, as Denver held the Grizzlies to just 14 points in the first period. “It’s just our mentality, we’ve got to be more focused,” said Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones after the loss. “We can’t ease our way into the game, especially against a good ball club like that. We can’t ease our way into the game and try to feel out how the game is going to be, and then we’re playing from a deficit the rest of the way and even if you’re playing with the ball, the margins of error are so slim that we have to play great basketball the rest of the way to continue to chip away at that lead.
“It’s just being more focused and locked in, trying to be the aggressors,” Jones added. “We’ve got to be the aggressors coming out from the jump. We had been playing like that. The last couple of games now we’ve been a little more relaxed and we have to get back to playing Grizzlies’ ball.” Jones finished with five points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Center Steven Adams conceited that it is very difficult to win on the road, even though last season Memphis went 26-15 on the road. He said, “It’s hard to win on the road, regardless. But most of all, I think everyone’s just trying to win the game, regardless. In terms of development, I think there’s plenty of times like last year, that I wouldn’t give us that easy of an excuse. We came out like shit. We did well actually in the second quarter, third quarter, and in the fourth quarter was kind of like the first.” Adams chipped in four points and 10 rebounds.
Memphis is now 8-8 against the Western Conference and Jones understands the team has to put forth a better effort than the last two games. “We can’t sneak up on anybody,” Jones admitted. “We knew that going into this year, we’re 30 games in now and we’ve got to know that, but it still takes some getting used to.”
Jones continued, “It’s a long season, it’s a lot of games, and it takes a lot to get up every single night, especially when you’re not going to sneak up on anybody. That’s what’s testing us and that’s how we’re going to continue to grow as a team and continue to get better. We’re a work in progress still. I’ve still got things to get better on and we’re not hanging our heads. We’re continuing to look at ourselves in the mirror, look at the drawing board, and figure out how we’re going to take steps forward.”
Ja Morant continues to put on MVP-caliber performances on a nightly basis. The South Carolina native finished with 35 points and 10 assists in 38 minutes of play.
To round it off, Jaren Jackson, Jr. continued his defensive dominance with a game-high five blocks and three steals to go along with eight points. It marks the fifth time this season the 23-year-old has swatted five or more shots. Jackson is averaging 3.2 blocks on the season.
Up Next
No rest for the weary. The Grizzlies are headed to Phoenix to take on the Suns Friday night and are heading to San Francisco for its first ever Christmas Day game against the defending champs, Golden State Warriors.
