The Memphis Grizzlies finally got their lick back against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night at FedExForum. The Grizzlies snapped their losing streak against the Nets, taking the final of the season’s three-game matchup, 135-119. Brooklyn had won the first two meetings.
“The biggest thing was just [we were] locked in on the game plan,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins on the biggest difference from playing the Nets earlier in the season.
“We had way too many mistakes with our game plan. We learned a lot in the first game, and then we played them less than a week later up in Brooklyn, and we knew the game plan, we talked about it, watched the film, broke it down, all that, and we didn’t execute it.”
Jenkins concluded, “Maybe we just needed a couple extra weeks. I would give the Nets a lot of credit. They helped us a lot with our one-on-one defense and our shell defense, and they still made it tough tonight. When we made a mistake, they made you pay, but when we kind of dictated where our offense went, I thought we benefited.”
Memphis’ high-powered offense has fueled an 11-game streak of scoring 115+ points, matching the second-longest such mark in franchise history. The surge has led to a 10-1 record in those games, including a current four-game winning streak and a season-best six straight home victories.
The Grizzlies’ impressive scoring depth was on display against Brooklyn as four players reached the 20-point mark.
Ja Morant’s stellar play continued, as he notched his seventh double-double of the season, including 28 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. The Grizzlies improved to 18-8 on the season, thanks in part to Morant’s 16-point outburst in the second quarter — a season-high for him and the highest scoring quarter by any Memphis player this season.
Morant really didn’t want to lose to the Nets for the third time. After the game he recalled the difference from the earlier two meetings against Brooklyn: “Our fight — (we) have been coming out ready to play. I feel like [Desmond Bane] set the tone for us from the jump, and I feel like that’s what we were missing. Second half, we played a little slow in both of those [earlier] games when they went on their runs; it was allowing them to continue to score the ball and slow us down offensively. Tonight, I feel like we were more locked in, paid attention to detail.
Morant continued, “Obviously, we know we owed them two for real, but I felt like it was on purpose that they were our matchup after the in-season tournament, and it’s what we needed. Obviously, you lose to a team twice, you get another chance at it. It’s kind of refreshing for us to come and get a win. It’s something to be proud of. You lose to a team; you always want to get your lick back.”
The Grizzlies’ balanced attack saw Bane scoring 21 points and dishing out eight assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. adding 20 points, seven rebounds, and a season-high five steals.
Santi Aldama delivered a strong performance off the bench, tallying 20 points and grabbing six rebounds, which pushed him past the 1,000-rebound threshold for his career.
Everything is clicking for the Grizzlies right now but Bane has the right mindset going forward: “We have to stay even keeled, it’s a long season,” Bane cautioned. “Adversity is going to hit us at some point, but we have to stay true to what we’ve built, regardless of the results.”
Tid-bits
Prior to tipoff, Jaylen Wells received the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for his outstanding play in October and November. Notably, Wells is the first Grizzlies rookie to receive this recognition since Ja Morant in the 2019-20 season.
Up Next
The Grizzlies are heading to Los Angeles to face off against the Lakers on Sunday, December 15. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. CST at the Crypto.com Arena.