Beyond the Arc – Memphis Flyer

Grizzlies Fall to Nuggets 113-97

The Grizzlies are on the road and made a stop in Denver to face the Nuggets for the final time in the season series. Despite their performance in Houston, the road woes continue for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Let’s get into it.

The Denver Nuggets have been atop the western conference for a good part of the season, led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. This Grizzlies team had already shown they can defeat them at home, but on the road blew a double-digit lead and were handily outscored in the fourth quarter.

The absence of Steven Adams still looms large, and more so now that Brandon Clarke suffered an injury in the first quarter in Denver and had to be escorted off the court. Couple that with Dillon Brooks receiving his 16^th technical foul and the subsequent one-game suspension that will accompany it, and it potentially spells a very bad time for a team that has been good all season.

Denver owned the second half, and the Grizzlies did not have an answer for it. Head Coach Taylor Jenkins was asked about the disparity in the fourth quarter and had this to say: “I think it was the physicality. They came out more physical than us. They were executing their offensive sets, what they were trying to get to, and we weren’t kind of matching that physicality. That just set the tone for the quarter. They got hot, went on a run. At that point, it’s hard to slow them down. They’ve got a lot of offensive firepower, so once they got going, it was tough to turn things around.”

Consistent three-point shooting continues to plague the team, making just 11 of 34 attempts from beyond the arc. Add that to the ongoing struggles from the free throw line, and there is a clear roadmap of areas needing improvement. Whatever the answer is, the Grizzlies do not have very much left of the regular season to figure it out.

By The Numbers:

Ja Morant led all scorers with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals.

Desmond Bane closed out with 19 points and 4 rebounds, on an uncharacteristic 2 of 7 shooting from three-point range.

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished the night with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Xavier Tillman Sr. ended up with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. This marks Tillman’s second double-double of the season.

Who Got Next?

The road trip continues as the Grizzlies head to Los Angeles to face off against the Clippers, Sunday March 5^th. Tip-off is at 9 p.m. CST.

It’s Win or Go Home Time Again for the Grizzlies

When the Grizzlies take the court against the Utah Jazz in Game 5, they will be playing for the chance to continue their postseason run. Utah currently holds a 3-1 series lead after their win Monday night.

But regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game, this season has already been a roaring success for the Grizzlies.

If we’re being brutally honest, the likelihood that the Grizzlies make it out of the first round has always been slim. This is no disrespect, just the facts of life in the NBA when you’re the 8th seed.

So how can the Grizzlies best optimize their chances of a victory? Defense. Three-point shooting. Free throws. Limiting turnovers.

Defense: specifically, perimeter defense. The Jazz have consistently outshot the Grizzlies from beyond the arc during this series, so the Grizzlies need to figure out how to run them off the three-point line, and without fouling an active shooter.

Three-point shooting: The Grizzlies are a collective 38 of 119 from long range in the first four games of this series, an abysmal 32 percent. By contrast, the Jazz are shooting 41 percent (67 of 163) from beyond the arc this series. Memphis needs to do a better job getting those shots falling from the perimeter in Game 5.

Free throws: This one is two-fold, as the Grizzlies are struggling both with accuracy and disparity in free throws attempted. Utah is consistently doing a better job of getting to the free throw line and making their free throws. Figuring out how to close those gaps would be a huge boon for the Grizzlies.

Limiting turnovers: Commit fewer turnovers, force more opponent turnovers, convert offensively on more opponent turnovers. This is obviously easier said than done, but even tightening up on ball handling just a little will pay big dividends. Make every possession count.

Game 5 tips off at 8:30 p.m. CST.

*All stats are from basketball-reference.com.