Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) shoots the ball as Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13), John Konchar (46) and Ja Morant (12) attempt to block the shot during the first half at FedExForum on October 30, 2024 (Wes Hale Photo)
The Memphis Grizzlies dropped to 2-3 on the season, falling 119-106 at home to the Brooklyn Nets. Injury woes continued, as starters Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane exited the game with ankle issues.
Despite favorable expectations, Memphis underperformed, hindered by careless ball handling which led to 22 turnovers that Brooklyn capitalized on for 31 points.
The Grizzlies’ quest for a faster tempo remains elusive, marred by sloppy execution and costly mistakes.
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins expressed disappointment in the Grizzlies’ defensive performance, and praised the Nets offense. He admitted his team failed to execute their planned strategy and took responsibility for not adequately preparing them.
“We just have to fill our cup,” Jenkins said, on dealing with injuries. “Tomorrow, [we play] a great [Milwaukee] Bucks team, and they’re going to be hungry for a win. We’re hungry for a win. It’s going to be two teams battling.”
He continued, “We have to bring a better effort tomorrow, and whoever’s available to play has to go out there and compete even better than we’ve done the last two games. The guys are feeling it. They know it’s unacceptable.”
“We [the coaches] have to find a way to be included,” Jenkins concluded. “I have to lead better —I have to prepare them better. Our guys have to go out and play better, so it all comes down to responsibility. We’ll just take it day by day. I don’t know where we’re going to stand tomorrow, but once we get through, we know we’ve still got depth that can go out there and can be better [than] before.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. poured in a season-high 30 points, shooting 83% from the field (10-12) and perfect from three (3-3), with 7-10 from the free throw line, his 23rd career 30-point game.
Ja Morant posted 14 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists, securing his 64th career double-double and second of the season, despite shooting 5-16 from the field and 1-6 from three.
Zach Edey tied his career high and Brandon Clarke set a season high, each scoring 13 points. Edey went 6-9 from the field and 1-2 from the line, while Clarke shot a perfect 5-5 from the field and 3-3 from the free throw line.
No Time to Panic
Although disappointing, it’s only 5 games out of 82. As Jackson Jr. said last night, “Can’t panic. Soldiers don’t panic. Should never panic. Panic just makes it worse, makes anything worse. You just stay calm and work on what you have to do — work on your craft.”
Up Next
The Grizzlies’ four-game home stand comes to a close on Thursday, October 31, with a showdown against the Milwaukee Bucks at 7 PM CST.
Jaren Jackson Jr. dribbles the ball against Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Grizzlies faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
On the road in Milwaukee, the Grizzlies topped the Bucks, 111-101, Wednesday night. The Grizzlies have won five in a row over the Bucks, and they also swept the season series.
Milwaukee made 18 three-pointers, while the Grizzlies made just seven. That is generally not a recipe for a win. However, Memphis dominated in the paint, outscoring the Bucks 76-36 and shot 50.5% from the field.
It was the JJJ show in Milwaukee. Jaren Jackson Jr. was by far the best player on the floor Wednesday night. In the final minute of the game, Jackson Jr. gave Memphis a 10-point advantage with a baseline fadeaway 3-pointer over two defenders.
Jackson Jr. scored a game-high 35 points on 14-for-26 shooting, along with four assists and three steals.
“I was taking what the defense gives me,” the 24-year-old said after the game. “I’ve been working on my game a lot and I was glad to get the opportunity to get out there and show it a little bit.”
Rookie GG Jackson II finished with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.
Jackson II has been on fire ever since he was moved to the starting lineup, with respectable stats overall and 10 straight starts in which he scored 10 or more.
Brandon Clarke keeps impressing. in just his fourth game of the season as he makes his way back from an Achilles injury suffered in March 2023. He finished with 14 points off of 7-for-10 shooting, and added seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
“It means a lot; everybody here wants to win. We don’t really want to lose,” said Clarke about Memphis winning two in a row, after the struggles the team has faced. “I think it’s about pride, really. It’s about just finding ways to win for next year too; finding ways to get better even when you know it’s tough in the season.”
With 13 points, 12 boards, and seven assists, bench player Jordan Goodwin nearly recorded a triple-double. He has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in each of his last three games.
Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke dunks the ball against the Orlando Magic on March 30, 2024. (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
On Saturday night at KIA Center, the Orlando Magic thrashed the Memphis Grizzlies 118-88.
The first quarter came to a close with Memphis already down 20 points. Orlando put up 33 points, while the Grizzlies managed just 13, shooting a dismal 21.7 percent from the field.
The victory snapped the Magic’s three-game losing streak. Earlier in the week, they lost close games against the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Orlando ended a five-game losing streak against the Grizzlies. The previous meeting ended in a nail-biter at FedExForum, 107-106, with a Grizzlies win on January 26th.
Memphis dropped to 24-50 for the season, with eight games remaining, a mark they’ll want to forget. It appeared early on in Saturday night’s contest that Memphis’ players were focused on something other than basketball, and it showed.
Reserve Jordan Goodwin led the Grizzlies with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double.
In his second game back from injury, Brandon Clarke had a solid showing, with 13 points and four rebounds off the bench.
“It was already out of hand — they won every single quarter,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins after the game. “You have to give the Magic tons of credit. They played with a lot of physicality; their defense was phenomenal tonight. Couldn’t get in the paint — couldn’t knock down an open shot. They played beautiful basketball, shared the rock.”
Jenkins added, “So you know we just kept trying to fight. I thought we had a chance to win that second quarter — have some momentum, but the Magic had an answer for everything; so many different guys stepped up and played well.”
“I thought BC [Clarke] did a really good job; liked seeing Jordan [Goodwin] have kind of a bounce-back game. I thought he did some good things. Well, obviously Luke [Kennard]’s been out for a couple of weeks now, just seeing him have some pop with his conditioning and stuff. And we’re just trying to find every way possible to have some positives and move forward. And obviously we’ve got to respond on Monday against Detroit.”
“Keep fighting, keep making something out of each every day,” Jenkins said about his message to his players as the season is winding down. “That’s what we’ve done all season long. Every year that I’ve been here we got different guys that are gonna hear that message for the very first time. Over and over again. Obviously we haven’t been in this situation since I’ve been here, but you gotta make the most of every day. That’s what we stand for.”
Memphis travels to Detroit to take on the Pistons, Monday, April 1st, at Little Caesars Arena at 6 p.m. CT.
Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks and Xavier Tillman, Sr. inside FedExForum on January 29, 2023 in a win against the Indiana Pacers. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Grizzlies’ five-game losing streak is over with a comeback win against the Indiana Pacers, 112-100, at FedExForum, Sunday night.
After falling behind by as many as 19 points in the first half, the Grizzlies staged their biggest comeback victory of the season by outscoring the Pacers 62-38 in the second.
The Grizzlies have the best home winning percentage (.875) in the NBA after improving to 21-3 at home this season. Memphis has now won eight consecutive games at FedExForum, a season best.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 28 points, and added eight rebounds and five blocks in a season-high 38 minutes. And the blocks were real; more on that later.
“Tonight is a product of him just being aggressive, his teammates finding him,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins on Jackson’s touches in the game.
“There was a lot of dialogue about opportunities for him,” added Jenkins. “They were switching, he was doing a good job running the floor, getting early post-up touches, then we made some calls and he just had great poise, in that post-up game. Even kicked it out a couple of times, just missed some shots but really impressive what he did on the offensive side to back up what he did defensively.”
Jackson acknowledged the importance of the team stopping the losing streak. He said, “Very important. You know, make sure you stop the bleeding. Coming together, and I think maybe coming home, helped for sure. Yeah man, put it together. It’s important. Feels good.”
With 27 points, 10 boards, and 15 assists, Ja Morant recorded his second straight triple-double and his fifth triple-double of the season. Morant logged 40 minutes while playing the entire second half. It was Morant’s ninth career regular season triple-double. It was the second time in franchise history a Griz player had accomplished the feat two games in a row. Delon Wright did it April 5-7, 2019.
“It just shows when we play our basketball and play with some energy, majority of the time, we win basketball games,” said Morant on getting his swag back after the losing streak. Tonight, obviously showed us we are capable of it, and we just got to continue to do it from start to finish.”
In his third-straight start, Brandon Clarke had 13 points while going 5-of-5 from the field.
Xavier Tillman Sr. finished with nine points and a season-high 11 rebounds, including a career-high eight offensive rebounds.
Conspiracy
A Redditt user sent NBA Twitter and the betting world in a frenzy with a bogus claim that the Grizzlies’ scorekeeper was inflating Jackson’s steals and blocks at home. The NBA and media members refuted the claims quickly.
The NBA issued a statement backing the Grizzlies’ scorekeepers and stressing that game action and statistics are evaluated in real time.
NBA’s Tim Frank on Reddit post allegation gaining steam that Grizzlies statistician favored Jaren Jackson Jr. stats: pic.twitter.com/CYH5Gxl4Zx
Jenkins had this to say about the conspiracy, “Foolish — NBA made a statement. Conspiracy, conspiracy. [Jaren Jackson Jr.] is one of the best defensive players in the game. So lucky to have him on our team.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. said he went to the Grizzlies scorer’s table before tonight’s game vs. Indiana and asked: “Who’s helping me over here?”
Didn’t actually read the Reddit post but declared “I beat the case.”
Jackson addressed the conspiracy after the game. He said, “That was good. I thought that was pretty funny. I didn’t really understand it at first. I saw that I beat the case, so that was dope. It was just lighting up group chats on my phone, you know how it is when your homies are letting you know. I’m getting texts like, ‘You good?’ or whatever, and I’m like half asleep, still don’t even know what’s going on.”
Yes, JJJ you beat the case.
Up Next
The Grizzlies will host the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday night with an early 6pm CT tip-off time.
Ja Morant shooting the ball on January 27, 2023 against the Minnesota Timberwolves (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)
The Grizzlies finished a five-game, season-long road trip winless, after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday by a score of 111-100.
Yes, Memphis has lost five straight games after going on an 11-game win streak to begin the year. The road has not been kind for the Grizzlies as the team is 11-15 this season. However, there’s no place like home. Memphis has one of the best home records in the league at 20-3.
Desmond Bane (right knee pain) and Steven Adams were absent for the Grizzlies on Friday (right knee PCL sprain). John Konchar also is in concussion protocol. With 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, Ja Morant led the Grizzlies, and notched his fourth season triple-double and eighth of his career.
Ja with the behind-the-back dish to BC, who finishes to bring the Grizz within nine. pic.twitter.com/ZN0y4ZUVdm
On the season, Morant is averaging 27.3 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds and will surely be selected as an All-Star reserve by NBA head coaches.
To round off the scoring, Dillon Brooks finished with 17 points, Brandon Clarke added 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, and Jaren Jackson Jr. ended with 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
The Timberwolves’ Kyle Anderson finished with a season-high 23 points and six assists, including a season-high four 3-pointers in the win against his former team.
Deficiencies
Free-throw shooting reared its ugly head in losses in the losing streak. The team only shot 80 percent or above in two of the five games. The worst outcome was going 26 of 40 against the Los Angeles Lakers and losing 122-121.
Memphis shot 26 of 37 against the Golden State Warriors and lost by 2 points, 122-120. This has become a problem that has cost the team regular season games and if not corrected will haunt them come playoff time.
Memphis tragedy
Prior to the game, a moment of silence was held for Tyre Nichols, who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers earlier this month. Both the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves issued statements prior to the release of the disturbing videos on the deadly encounter.
After the game Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins spoke to the media:
“There’s way harder things on in the city versus what’s going on with our basketball right now. I’m proud of our guys going out there. We’re playing with heavy hearts, but we’re also playing for our city that’s going through a lot right now.My words will only mean so much. I want to continue to encourage people to put their arms around each other. To put their arms around the Nichols family, the Wells family to remember a beautiful life in Tyre Nichols – who I did not know, but I’m learning about.”
The team’s locker room was closed on Friday after the game and players were not made available to speak with the media. #JusticeForTyre
Up Next
There’s no place like home. The Grizzlies will look to end their slump on Sunday when they return home to take on the Indiana Pacers at 5 pm CT.
Jaren Jackson, Jr. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Memphis Grizzlies extended their winning streak to five games with a 114-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons at FedExForum on a foggy Friday night in the Bluff City. The Grizzlies are now 11-2 at home and have a 17-9 overall record.
Jaren Jackson, Jr. had 20 points to lead the Grizzlies and also added five boards, four blocks, and two steals on 8-12 shooting from the field and 3 of 5 from deep.
The defensive specialist has recorded four or more blocks in half of his 10 appearances this year. Jackson is averaging 3.2 blocks per game on the season. The 23-year-old also reached 400 career blocks.
Even though Jackson is playing great on both ends of the floor early in the season, he said, hopefully, it’s not his best, so the team can continue improving.
Jackson has been taking advantage of mismatches, scoring inside, and getting to the foul line more this season. “I’m definitely using my size better and working on getting extra dribbles, not just lunging out there — and getting to the free throw line more,” said Jackson. “I’m emphasizing all that stuff.”
He attributes his increased rate of blocks to his availability on the court. “I’m staying on the floor,” he explained. “I’m able to be out there longer. When you’re out there longer, you can do more things. I’m just staying on the floor better.”
Taylor Jenkins had plenty to say about the improvements he wanted for Jackson after last season. “Obviously, he didn’t have the benefit of being able to work much this offseason, but just continue to challenge him, to build off of what you’ve done the summer before,” Jenkins said. “Defensive activity, versatility, obviously he’s so gifted with what he can do to protect the rim. Continue to challenge him to rebound — four defensive rebounds tonight.”
Jenkins continued: “Offensively, continue to be a playmaker and challenge him to continue to move the ball. A lot of the offense runs through our guards, so trying to find those spots and just really do a good job, being a presence in the post, getting good finishes — a playmaker out there if they double team him, and teams are going to start switching more. We’ve got to be able to punish them with him on the inside.”
“Jaren [Jackson Jr.] helps with everybody; he makes everyone’s job easier when he’s back there protecting the rim,” said Tyus Jones after the win. “It definitely allows us to kind of pressure the ball a little bit more and have that confidence knowing that they really don’t even want to try to get all the way to the rim with him back there. He definitely makes our job easier.”
“Jaren is a huge part of our defense and our offense,” said big man Brandon Clarke. “Really, he is a great anchor for us [defensively]. He can do everything on the other end too, offensively. He can shoot it, he can finish in the post, and I feel like we all have really good chemistry with him too. So, it just makes playing these games much easier.”
Clarke finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists while going 7-of-8 from the floor.
Jaren Jackson Jr goes up for a monster block.
(Credit: NBAE via Getty Images )
The Grizzlies faced off against the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday night and were well and truly trounced. The Grizzlies were without Desmond Bane and the Pelicans were without Zion Williamson. The Pelicans were able to overcome their teammate’s absence, but the Grizzlies decidedly were not.
Let’s get into it.
The Good: Jaren Jackson Jr made his season debut and registered 5 blocks. Including this beautiful one:
The Bad: Desmond Bane has been added to the injured list with a big toe sprain, to be evaluated in 2-3 weeks.
The Ugly: 26% from beyond the arc, 68% from the free throw line, and minus 15 in the assist battle. The meager 16 Grizzlies assists to 31 Pelicans assists = embarrassing and unacceptable.
New Orleans thrashed Memphis and it wasn’t a particularly fun battle to watch. And it was extra frustrating knowing that the Pelicans were missing their best player. Turns out they didn’t need Zion Williamson to win.
CJ McCollum, a certified Grizz killer, lit up the three-point line, going 7 for 13. That is only two fewer made threes than the entire Grizzlies squad. Which is … less than ideal. Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr each put up 19 points. Ingram shot 2 of 2 from three. Nance put Santi Aldama on a poster.
By the Numbers:
Ja Morant led all scorers with a game-high 36 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
Dillon Brooks finished with 19 points and 2 rebounds while shooting 2 of 9 from distance.
With Bane out, Brooks took it upon himself to try and make up for the loss of three-point shooting. Not great. Hopefully, we will see fewer three-point attempts and more driving to the basket from Brooks in the future.
Brandon Clarke led the scoring off the bench, putting up 15 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.
No other Grizzlies player scored in double figures.
Who Got Next?
The gang is headed back to home turf. The Grizzlies will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, November 18th. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.
The Grizzlies just keep celebrating in this historic season. (Photo cred: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
On Wednesday night, the Grizzlies’ star guard was sidelined for the second straight game with knee soreness as Memphis took on the Nets. Still, the Grizzlies showed they are a complete team with the next man up mentality.
Ja Morant is by far the best player on the team, but his teammates are solid players as well. Their skill was on full display in front of a packed FedExForum — and a national TV audience on ESPN. The Grizzlies beat the Nets 132-120.
Nets head coach Steve Nash had some interesting and telling words after the game about the Grizzlies ability to win without Ja Morant. He said, “Talent — they have a talented, balanced roster. Our roster is built on three stars. When they’re out it makes it very difficult and puts a big strain on guys to play roles that they haven’t played before.”
Kevin Durant also spoke about Memphis’ ability to win without Morant. “I mean look down the line, they got solid players all the way down the line, just good players, you know. De’Anthony Melton came in and changed the game. I think that’s what won them the game. I think our starting five, pretty much match them. You know, then you know you got guys off the bench that came in and play well, so they got a deep team. They got a lot of athletic guys and they run fast, and he played [with] a lot of confidence.”
Durant continued, “I think one through 10 in their rotation are just solid players. You know Ja [Morant] is the superstar on this team, but they got guys that can start with pretty much a lot of teams in the league. Their front office did a great job putting this team together.”
De’Anthony Melton led the charge off the bench with a season-high 23 points, including a career-high six 3-pointers.
The Memphis bench outscored the Nets reserves 52-11.
“We are nothing to play with — one man goes down, two men go down — we are so deep you know we have a lot of depth in our team,” said Melton after the statement win before a national TV audience. “We have a lot of guys that work on their game and want to win from the top to the bottom no matter what. So, we understand what we need to do to go out there and get the victory. We’re going to do that no matter what. Each guy understands that and is willing to put their body on the line for it.”
In Morant’s absence, Melton had his own highlight dunk that surely will be featured on SportsCenter.
Dillon Brooks also has a special message about the Grizzlies. “We still got the grit — we still got the grind,” Brooks proclaimed. “I feel like we just got a lot of swagger to us. It doesn’t matter who it is on the floor. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against. We just have that different type of swagger. It shouldn’t matter if we’re playing Brooklyn or if we’re playing Atlanta. We have to figure out how to keep this same energy, the same grit, the same attention to detail so we can finish out the season and go into the playoffs with some momentum.” Brooks ended the night with 21 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Desmond Bane had 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, including 3 three-pointers in the game’s final frame to help give Memphis a 132-120 victory over the Nets as “Whoop That Trick” blasted loudly on ESPN.
Bane walked to the interview podium with the game ball tucked in his hand. “It’s a huge accomplishment — I’m super thankful,” Bane said about breaking the franchise record. “I have to thank my teammates, first and foremost. And Coach Jenkins, for giving us all the confidence to be aggressive and continue to let it fly, make or miss. We got a great team, something special going on. We always share the ball and the ball happens to find me in the right place. And the rest is history.”
The TCU alum said he will have Mike Miller sign the game ball, and he will sign it himself, date it, and then put it up. Bane also revealed that he and Miller had a good relationship.
“We’re not sneaking up on nobody anymore. The Grizzlies got that respect. I mean, it started kind of this morning and yesterday with All Access [ESPN] and stuff like that.”
Desmond Bane at the post game presser with his record breaking game ball.
ESPN crews had been in Memphis the last couple of days to bring national attention to the Grizzlies. Personalities including Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Jalen Rose, Kendrick Perkins, and more were in the Bluff City.
“The national networks are starting to take notice and pick up on our team and a great season we’re having,” Bane added. “To beat a team like Brooklyn, who’s building, trying to contend for it all. We’re shorthanded without Ja; it says a lot about our team and what we’re capable of.”
Stingy defense by Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke kept Brooklyn at just 16 points in the fourth quarter and ensured a decisive victory. Jackson Jr. ended with 13 points, five rebounds, and four blocks while Clarke finished with a double-double, 14 points, and 10 rebounds off the bench.
— Bally Sports: Grizzlies (@GrizzOnBally) March 24, 2022
“That’s one of our best big combinations and we didn’t know what they were going to do lineup-wise,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said of the two defensive studs. “Start off the fourth quarter, which we normally start our force with [Brandon Clarke] and [Jaren Jackson Jr.], those guys. You just see the activity they play with. We started switching actions more, pick-and-rolls, putting bigs onto [Kyrie] Irving.”
Jenkins added, “Great one-on-one defense, and then when they were getting inside to the paint, we were just swarming them and blocking shots or rebounds. And then, when those guys just play with great guard play the way that they run the floor, [Clarke] the threat in the paint and at the rim, and then [Jackson Jr.] from the 3-point line, it’s just great balance.”
“They really set the tone with their defense because they’re very versatile,” Jenkins continued. “As I said, they were able to switch onto two of the most elite playmakers in the league and really hold it down.”
With the win, the Grizzlies improved to 50-23 on the season.
Melton was thankful for getting 50 for the first time ever. “I won 19 games my rookie year out of 82, which is crazy,” said Melton. “I mean from the jump, from the time I got here, I mean, I noticed the team — you know going uphill, upstream right now, and I feel like everybody has gotten better and everybody keeps getting better. I think that’s the motto in Memphis. Everybody has adapted to that and understands that.”
Eventually people will stop sleeping on the depth of this team. Great in game response to the Nets runs and lockdown 4th qtr D. Respect this team!!
The Grizzlies closed out a three-game homestand on Sunday with a wire-to-wire 128-101 win against the Sacramento Kings, their first such win this season. The victory also snaps a two-game Memphis losing streak.
A Morant-less Memphis team made a big statement against the Kings, leading by as many as 37 points. This is the kind of team-effort-oriented basketball that the Grizzlies need to play while their star point guard is on the injured list. Sharing the load becomes incredibly important now, and the better they manage to do it, the better they will fare during this stretch.
Every player that took the floor made a positive contribution of some sort. Several guys on the roster whose names you don’t often hear played hefty minutes in the second half, and all but one scored at least one basket. Jarrett Culver has the distinction of being the only Grizzlies player finishing the game scoreless.
More Is More:
The Grizzlies not only beat the Kings overall, but they also beat them in rebounds (68-49), they beat them in the paint (72-36), they beat them on fast-break points (20-10), they beat them from beyond the arc (13-9), and they beat them in assists (30-17).
By the Numbers:
Dillon Brooks finished with a game-high 21 points, 6 rebounds, and two steals, and Brandon Clarke closed out with 15 points, 6 rebounds. Shoutout Canada!
Brandon Clarke versus the Timberwolves (Courtesy Memphis Grizzlies)
The Memphis Grizzlies appeared to be dead in the water at the FedExForum on Monday night, while the Minnesota Timberwolves looked to be in command, ahead by 16 in the fourth. A 14-point deficit loomed over the Grizzlies with less than five minutes remaining.
When it was all said and done, the Grizzlies emerged victorious in overtime, 125-118, over the Timberwolves. With the most recent victory, the Grizzlies have now beaten the Timberwolves seven times in a row.
After the game, Taylor Jenkins talked about his team’s perseverance. He said, “The positive vibes throughout, the guys knew that [it’s a] long game, we have more to give. They went on a crazy run there. We went cold, down 16 in the fourth quarter. Just to hear the guys saying there’s tons of time left, there’s six minutes left, 12 point game, we knock down these free throws — it’s a 10 point game. Just that confidence and you get the result.”
Jenkins added, “Some crazy plays down the stretch that forced it to overtime, that will really test your resolve and your spirit going into overtime with a momentum play like that, but we’re the ones that jump out to the lead in overtime. I think a couple quick buckets and then we just made the plays. Our guys were dialed in on the fly defensively, offensively. Tons of credit. Hopefully, this is something that we can build off of. Find consistency. There’s lots of different ways to win a game. This is an impressive one for sure.”
Brandon Clarke, who had been the odd man out of the Grizzlies rotation, played a critical part in their comeback win with his best game of the season.
Jenkins applauded Clarke’s crucial contribution off the bench. “I’ve definitely got to shout out Brandon Clarke — he’s been out of the rotation for a while,” Jenkins said. “He was huge tonight early in the game and then he’s out. And then when Jaren [Jackson Jr.] fouls out, still it had been a really long time since he had been in the game, and now he’s got to read and guard one-on-one and a couple big time tip-in plays. He was huge.”
In 24 minutes, Clarke led the bench with a season-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Clarke was thankful about his return to the lineup. “I am just glad that coach had trust in me,” he shared. “I have been working on my game every day and training. I have been ready every game, so I am just glad that coach had that trust. I am just glad that coach saw me working, and that he knew when he put me in the game I would be able to be me. It is really just me bringing my energy. That really makes me.”
Clarke admitted it was difficult being out of the rotation. “It was kind of hard mentally,” the 25-year old said. “It was harder last year when I wasn’t in the rotation, because that was the first time that happened to me. I learned from last year not to get down and I knew how fast things change. It was really early in the year, so I was never really down mentally. I wasn’t happy, but I was never down. I was always putting in the work, and I felt like whenever I was given the chance, that I would just try to make the best of it.”
Tidbits Ja Morant continues to amazes. The 22-year-old finished with 33 points, eight assists, and six rebounds on 10-of-24 shooting. According to the Grizzlies, Morant now ranks fifth in the NBA, averaging 5.3 points per game in “clutch time.” Take a look at two clutch plays.
Melton chipped in 19 points, three rebounds, and three assists while shooting 7-of-12 from the field.
The Grizzlies’ bench outscored the Minnesota Timberwolves’ bench 43-16 while shooting 61 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc.
The Timberwolves had three players with 20 plus points. D’Angelo Russell scored season-high 30 points adding seven assists and five rebounds. Anthony Edwards added 27 points with five rebounds and three steals, and Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double by 25 points and grabbing 13 boards.
Up next On Wednesday, the Grizzlies will face off against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets at the FedExForum. Tip-off: 7 p.m. CT
