With just nine available players, the Memphis Grizzlies took on Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns to close out the year and came away with a 117-112 victory. Despite how close the game felt in the second half, the Grizzlies led wire-to-wire.
After getting dog-walked by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, the Grizzlies came into this matchup down another rotation player.
Jake LaRavia suffered a right ankle sprain during the game against the Thunder. He became the latest addition to the injury report, plus two-way guard Yuki Kawamura, who was sidelined due to left shoulder soreness.
That left the Grizzlies with nine healthy and available players, including two-way players Colin Castleton and Cam Spencer.
But as he has done so many times for this Grizzlies team, Jaren Jackson Jr. stepped up and put the team on his back, this time to secure the final win of 2024. He had a game-high 38 points total, with 19 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal during the first quarter, when Memphis built a 12-point lead.
Desmond Bane was the other half of the dynamic duo responsible for this victory, along with a few supporting characters: Jaylen Wells, Luke Kennard, and John Konchar.
Bane and Jackson Jr. combined for 69 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists.
There was a familiar face in Phoenix: former Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones is now the starting point guard for the Suns. Jones has led the league in assists to turnovers several seasons, including some of his years in Memphis. We’ve seen games where Jones doesn’t commit a single turnover, which makes the five turnovers he was forced into extra special, with three coming in the first quarter.
Notorious Grizz adversary Kevin Durant led the Suns offensively with 29 points, followed by Jones with 21 points, along with Devin Booker’s 16 points and Mason Plumlee’s 12 points.
Turnovers and missed free throws have been a particular thorn in the Grizzles’ side this season, and unfortunately, this game was no exception.
Collectively, Memphis committed 17 turnovers and shot an abysmal 66.7% (22 of 33) from the free-throw line, where Jackson Jr. uncharacteristically struggled, shooting just 10 of 17.
This was a wire-to-wire win for Memphis, but Phoenix cut the lead several times in the second half. A clutch three-point play from John Konchar with 1:05 remaining slammed the door on the Suns. Konchar finished with seven points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Desmond Bane scored a season-high 31 points, and added five rebounds and seven assists.
Jaylen Wells added 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Luke Kennard led the second unit with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.
I would like to wish all our readers a Happy New Year. Here’s to more Grizzlies dominance in 2025.
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The Grizzlies will continue their road trip on Friday when they visit Sacramento to take on the Kings. Tip-off is at 9 PM CST.
