The Detroit Pistons were looking to put an end to their 17-game losing streak. Unfortunately for the Pistons, they are going to have to keep on waiting.
With a final score of 116-102, the Memphis Grizzlies heaped another loss onto Detroit’s now 18-game losing streak.
Let’s get into it.
Are the Memphis Grizzlies back?
The team we’ve seen in the past five games looks worlds different than the one that started the season 0-7. They’ve won three of their last four games, and in five more games, they’ll have the return of one of the best players in the league.
Wednesday night’s matchup against the Pistons might be the most complete game of the season for the Grizzlies. It was certainly the most complete game this season for Desmond Bane, who had a career-best 49-point game and put up the second-highest scoring game in Memphis Grizzlies franchise history.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane have been a dynamic duo for Memphis all season, and this game was no exception. Jackson and Bane combined for 73 of the Grizzlies’ 116 points, including a 19-point third quarter from Bane.
It was the closest to a wire-to-wire victory as Memphis has gotten all season, with the Grizzlies outscoring the Pistons in three out of four quarters. Their 14-point win is tied for their largest margin of victory this season, and it is no coincidence that all three of those games took place in the past ten days. (December 6th, December 1st, and November 29th, respectively.)
Turnovers have been an ongoing struggle for the Grizzlies this season, so it was a nice change of pace to see Memphis convert 17 Detroit turnovers into 21 points.
Desmond Bane put up a career-high 49 points while leading the Grizzlies to a decisive victory over the Detroit Pistons. And while fans might think of Bane’s three-point shooting, he proved he can get you a bucket from anywhere on the court.
Only 4 of his 19 made field goals came from three-point range. He earned the rest of his 49 points from midrange, around the rim, or the free throw line.
The silver liner to the dark cloud that has been the first quarter of this season has been the emergence of Desmond Bane into a bona fide superstar. Bane should 100 percent be a starting all-star, although he probably won’t because of the team’s overall struggles. He’s been tasked with carrying a heavy load in the absence of Ja Morant and he has done so.
The Grizzlies got a bit of a contribution from every one, with points from every player who played more than the last 20 seconds of garbage time.
But they only had three players who finished the night having scored in double-digits – Desmond Bane with 49, Jaren Jackson Jr with 24, and new addition Jaylen Nowell with 12 points off the bench.
Nowell was recently signed to his second ten-day contract with the Grizzlies, and it remains to be seen whether the front office will make retaining him a priority once Ja Morant returns. Morant has five games left of his 25-game suspension, but that still leaves the Grizzlies without their two best big men, Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, for the rest of the season.
Nowell and center Bismack Biyombo were acquired thanks to the league’s disabled player exception. But as it stands, Memphis will need to waive a current roster player to keep Biyombo and waive two roster players if they want to keep both him and Nowell on the roster.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will return home to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, December 8th. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.
