This was the best performance by the Grizzlies’ bench all season, led by Tyus Jones (17 points), Xavier Tillman (12 points), and Kyle Anderson (nine points) as the Grizzlies’ bench exploded for 43 points.
Tillman was pleased with the second unit’s big night performance. He said, “It was huge. Especially since the Miami game. It felt like the bench was nonexistent, there were times in that game when they went on an even bigger run with us in there. For us to bounce back in today’s game and actually go on runs ourselves and set the tone was huge.”
Tillman also praised Jones for his work on the floor. He added, “Even when his shots aren’t falling he knows where everyone is supposed to be. He knows what the defense is going to do on a specific play, so he’s able to put guys in the right position. Tonight was special because we talk about being ready to shoot at all times, and today he showed that for sure.”
Along with his season-high in points, Jones also had eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and shot 5 of 7 from beyond the arc to round out his performance as the Grizzlies defeated the Nuggets 106-97. The 25-year-old back-up guard made the most of his extended minutes.
Having Jones and Morant share the court for so long was a gamble that paid off handsomely for Memphis.
It became clear during Taylor Jenkins’ postgame news conference why he decided to give Jones and Ja Morant more playing time together. He elaborated as follows: “I think it’s a combination of things. It’s something I definitely want to try. I want to see what those two guys can do together. It’s having more creators on the floor. It puts Ja in different positions, puts Tyus in different positions.
Jenkins added, “Obviously, he shot the heck out of the ball tonight, that being Tyus. Also, just getting a feel for the game. I wanted to explore lineups with them together. He was playing great, giving us a boost on the offensive end, did some good things competitive on the ball defensively with a hot hand. He had a great game and it paid off for us.”
Jones appreciates having more time on the court with Morant. He said, “Me and 12 [Morant] talk about that all the time. I’m glad it happened tonight. We love it because it allows us to play fast and, having two point guards on the court who pride themselves on having a high basketball IQ, we try to make it easier for everyone else. It allows me to take some pressure off Ja and giving him different looks on that side of the floor. We love it and it worked for us tonight.”
For the past three years, Morant said he and Jones had discussed the possibility of playing together more often. He explained, “I definitely love it. I feel like we play with a way better pace — I don’t have to be on the ball. With Tyus being such a good creator on the floor for everybody and also himself allowed me to just sit back so pretty much just getting stops, getting out and run, having another ball handler out there to be able to go into actions if teams try to take me away.”
According to Morant, he and Jones are pass first point guards of the same pedigree. Morant added, “We both got a little switch we can turn off; tonight showed he’s capable of scoring the ball as well and as long as he continues to shoot it and force the defense to lock in on him more and it opens it up for everybody else. That’s how I look at it when I attack the game. As of late he’s been doing the same thing, shooting the ball really well — so you got to keep him aggressive and comfortable when he’s out there.”
Tidbits
With his first assist of the game, Morant surpassed the 1,000-assist mark for his career. The third year guard is in good company.
Only Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Damon Stoudamire, and Trae Young have scored more than 2,500 points and dished out more than 1,000 assists faster than Ja Morant (137 games).
While on the subject of Morant, his early-season MVP performances continue to astound the NBA basketball world.
The 22-year-old finished the game with a near triple double of 26 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
Anderson also reached the milestone of 1,000 career assists during the game.
Up Next
As part of a back-to-back, the Grizzlies and Nuggets will meet again at FedExForum on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT to conclude their two-game series.
