Tag: Desmond Bane

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Another Disappointing Home Loss for the Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks squared off at the FedExForum on Monday, December 11, 2023 (Photo by: Sharon Brown)

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins’ answers were short when he spoke to the media after the team’s 120-113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at FedExForum. 

The Grizzlies went from having the best home record in the association last season, 35-6, to having one of the worst, 1-10, this season. 

Jenkins was visibly frustrated with the team’s effort and energy. He said, “It’s pretty high. I mean, we’ve got to come out and create our own energy and we can’t have teams coming in here, regardless of what our roster is or whose playing and all that stuff. You’ve got to protect home court. We’ve got to come out with a better edge. We’ve found it on the road in the recent stretch. I can’t put my finger on it, but we’ve just got to play better. Our fans deserve better. We’ve got to come out here and play with more energy.”

Jaren Jackson Jr. had one of his best offensive games of the season, finishing in the paint and from beyond the arc. He led Memphis with a season-high 41 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Over the last four games Jackson Jr. has been consistent on the offensive end, averaging 30.8 points while shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 52 percent from the 3-point line. 

Desmond Bane continued to put the team on his back with a 28 points and eight assists performance. He said the team just has to be better when the opportunity arises. 

The Dallas bench outscored the Grizzlies bench 42-23. Vince Williams Jr. was the lone Memphis reserve in double digits, getting a near double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. 

He also had words with the Dallas Mavericks All-NBA forward, Luka Doncic. “He was just talking shit the whole time,” Doncic said about his back-and-forth with Williams Jr. “I told him – I wish I could play him one-on-one. That’s when I got a tech. So, I don’t know. The refs have to just let us talk, you know. It’s a part of the game. I love it. I think he’s a great defender …. This game, we were both talking, and only I got the tech, so I don’t know.”

Williams Jr. descibed it as friendly competition with Doncic. When asked how he feels about guarding players like Doncic, he responded: “I feel like I have been doing a good job since the Boston game guarding the stars; so I’ve been prepared.” Doncic went 2-of-9 from the field when Williams Jr. was his primary defender. 

The two-way wing has the trust of his teammates and the seal of approval from Bane. 

“He’s a dog. He competes each and every night on the defensive end,” said Bane of  Williams, Jr. “He’s selfless and he’s out there to make the right play. If he’s open, he’s gonna shoot it. If he’s not, he’s gonna drive it or pass it to the open teammate.”

“Those are the type of guys that that win basketball games,” Bane continued. “I think you see it every time he steps out there, that he has an impact on winning. It’s not always with scoring or flashy plays, but he’s gonna make the open shot and he’s gonna dive on the floor to get the loose balls. He’s the type of guy I want on my team for sure.”

Reinforcements are Near

Ja Morant’s return can’t come soon enough for the Grizzlies. He has only three games left in his 25-game league suspension. Plus, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart are close to returning from injury.

Jackson Jr. was reminded of how the Grizzlies had a comeback from a 6-16 start in Morant’s rookie year. He said, “Regardless of the trend of last year, whatever happens, you just think about the next games and how you can be effective and how you can turn around, and I believe we’re going to do that. I mean you never make excuses for what’s going on.”

Jackson Jr.. continued, “Everyone’s learning each other still. Everyone’s syncing up and when we sync up, we look good. Like when we’re all clicking, and we know what’s going on we look good and then we have reinforcements on the way. So, it’s good.”  

For the organization’s and fans’ sake, let’s hope that the reinforcements make a difference.

Up Next 

The Grizzlies have a two-game away and home series with former teammate Dillon Brooks and the Houston Rockets. The Grizzlies travel to Houston on Wednesday and return home on Friday for the second match-up. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Fall Short Against Suns

Jaren Jackson, Jr. against Kevin Durant on December 2, 2023 as the Grizzlies battled the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

Jaren Jackson Jr. played just 14 minutes and was benched due to foul trouble on Friday night in the Mavericks victory. He made amends by scoring a season-high 37 points in Saturday’s 116-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns. 

Jackson Jr. scored a game and season-high for Memphis on 13-of-21 shooting while adding seven rebounds, three steals, an assist, and a block. He was 6-of-6 from the field at the half. He has now scored in double figures in all but three games this season.

“Angles — it was all angles,” Jackson Jr. described what was working for him against the Suns. “That was all that was working. Just figuring out how to score tonight; just figuring it out and just driving. That is all I had going for me.” 

Although his offensive output has been off this season, the one positive aspect of his offense has been Jackson Jr.’s ability to get to the free-throw line. He is getting to the line for 6.1 attempts per game so far this season and has become one of the league’s best at drawing fouls. 

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins praised Jackson Jr. for his efforts against Phoenix. “I mean, this was a great game for him to bounce back from the other night, Jenkins said. 

“But I’m really impressed with him just playing with force, physicality, and getting angles on guys one-on-one. Touch, finishing ability — it’s always been there.”

Jenkins continued: “And then, obviously, he unleashed it tonight. He knocked down threes, so [with] that inside-outside game that he’s capable of — stepping up to the free throw line, he had 10 free throws tonight, which is really impressive.” 

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year was not pleased, however, with how things got away in the second half. He said, “They started scoring a little bit. Sometimes, good teams just keep going. We have to figure out a way to cut that off — we did not. They just got a big lead late, and that was kind of the problem.”

Desmond Bane finished with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five assists, and three rebounds for Memphis, even though he was limited in the first half due to foul trouble. Bane is averaging a career-best 23.8 points per game this season.

Vince Williams Jr. added 12 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action as a reserve. Williams Jr. nearly recorded his first double-double in a win against Dallas on Friday night, tallying 15 points (matching his career high) and a career-best nine rebounds.

For the Suns, Devin Booker (34) and Kevin Durant (27) combined to score 61, taking over the game for good in the second half. Durant said after the game, “That team over there (Memphis), they play extremely hard. They muddy up the game a lot. So from just playing them over the years, we knew it was going to be a back-and-forth game in the first half.”

He concluded, “Our defense was solid the whole game, and we were able to get out into transition and get some baskets to open the game up.”

The Suns used the free throw line to their advantage, getting to the line 19 more times than Memphis, finishing 35-for-43 while the Grizzlies finished 22-for-24 from the line. 

The Magic Number is Six

There are six more games until Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant is scheduled to return from his 25-game league suspension. 

Up Next

Memphis will head to Detroit to take on the 0-17 Detroit Pistons at 6 p.m. CT at Little Caesars on Wednesday, December 6.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Another Grizzlies Comeback Victory in San Antonio

Jaren Jackson, Jr. against the San Antonio Spurs on November 18, 2023 (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)

On Saturday night, the depleted Memphis Grizzlies erased a 19-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, 120-108. 

It was reminiscent of last season, when the Grizzlies completed a 29-point comeback as they defeated the Spurs, 126-120, in overtime.

Memphis dominated the final quarter by outscoring the Spurs 33-14 and held San Antonio to 28.6 percent shooting.

The Grizzlies have now defeated San Antonio 11 consecutive times. This is Memphis’ longest active run of victories against a single opponent, and their longest ever against the Spurs.

Despite only playing seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way with 27 points, five rebounds, and 11-of-12 shooting from the charity stripe. For the season, the 24-year-old is averaging 20 points, six rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 blocks. 

Desmond Bane ended with 26 points, five rebounds, and four assists while going 8-of-15 from the field. Bane is averaging 25.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals.

Bismack Biyombo put up 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

Santi Aldama chipped in 17 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.

Ziaire Williams ended with 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. 

Derrick Rose returned to the lineup after a nine-game absence with swift moves that led to the comeback. As a reserve, Rose contributed nine points. 

Injuries

Memphis has a long list of injuries, and only four players from the main roster have been available for all 12 games: Jackson, Bane, David Roddy, and Kenneth Lofton Jr. 

Marcus Smart would have been in that number, but he suffered a foot injury in the 134-107 thrashing by the Lakers on Tuesday night. 

Smart had trouble putting weight on his left ankle after landing awkwardly on Austin Reaves’ foot in the first quarter of the game in Los Angeles. He had to be helped off the court and did not return to the game. Smart appeared on the Grizzlies bench in a walking boot. 

The Grizzlies announced on Saturday that Smart had a left foot sprain and is expected to return within 3-5 weeks. 

Up Next 

No rest for the Grizzlies, as they will host the hot Boston Celtics Sunday inside FedExForum at 7 p.m. 

Return of 12

After tonight’s game the Celtics, it will be 12 more games before Ja Morant is eligible to return from a 25-game league suspension.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Another Grizzlies Comeback Falls Short

Jaren Jackson, Jr. goes up for a layup against the Utah Jazz on Friday, November 10, 2023 inside FedExForum. (Photo credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies finished last season with one of the league’s best  home records, 35-6, good enough for second-best in the NBA. It was well-known that FedExForum was a tough place to win. 

Those days are long gone, as Memphis is 0-5 at home this season — and 1-8 overall — after taking a gut punch from the Utah Jazz, 127-121 on Friday night.

Tensions were high, as Jaren Jackson, Jr. was ejected for the first time since he’s been playing basketball. 

“I went to the basket a couple of times and felt a way, so I spoke my mind a little bit,” Jackson explained after the game. “When you speak your mind a little bit, sometimes that happens. Coach had my back off rip (from the get-go).”

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year went on to say, “When that happens, you find yourself leaving early. I definitely don’t like that. They need me out there. I just left them out there to dry and I don’t feel good about that. I’m not going to feel good about this. That’s on me, and I have to own that.”

Even though Jackson felt like he let his teammates down, the ejection galvanized his teammates — and fans in the arena. 

After being down by 21 points, the Grizzlies mounted a furious comeback and tied the game in the middle of the fourth quarter. In the end, they were unable to overcome the deficit, despite the effort. 

Jacob Gilyard, who made his first NBA start against the Jazz said, “We wanted to come out in the third quarter and have a little spark, but that didn’t really happen until Jaren (Jackson, Jr.) got ejected. We started getting riled up and got some defensive stops which allowed us to run on offense.”  Gilyard finished the game with 14 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. 

Desmond Bane led Memphis with a game-high 37 points, plus eight assists, and four rebounds. Bane on Jackson’s ejection: “We’ve been talking about it for a while now, finding our edge and finding our juice, and regardless of the play, [Jackson Jr.] reacted. He got the technical foul. But that’s the energy that we need. Just that care factor from coach, from him, from the whole entire team. You know, it’s one through 15. Everybody’s invested in the game, and that’s the energy that we need. The energy that we need from the beginning of the game.”

Bismack Biyombo has been excellent for the Grizzlies. He finished the game with 15 points and 15 rebounds and is a calming presence in the locker room. 

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins was livid after the game and that’s an understatement. He took one question and went on an epic rant about the officiating crew. 

The Jazz had 29 free-throw attempts, while Memphis only had 13. Before Jackson was tossed, the Grizzlies only had seven attempts.

When asked about the play calling, Jenkins went scorched earth. “Saddle up,” he said. “One of the most poorly officiated games I’ve ever seen. Record it. I’m fine with it. Fucking atrocious. Jaren Jackson [Jr.] plays 23 minutes and is in the paint all night. He’s one of the most professional players in this league and gets a double technical foul, and the excuse that I get is that he’s charging at an official.” 

Jenkins continued, “It’s called de-escalation. Twenty-nine free throws to 13, and I’m not that coach. You go back in history; I’ve done this one other time. Our team is competing their asses off, and this is what happens? The interactions right now with the officials — complete disrespect. I know what’s coming. It’s unbelievable, the looks on the faces when I’m trying to engage in conversation to defend our guys that are busting their tail right now. Busting their tail, and [Jackson Jr.] is one of the most professional guys, and if you go watch the play two possessions in a row, he gets hacked underneath the basket, zero free throw attempts. I’m not trying to put a name on a jersey, this guy should earn these fouls and all that stuff. Watch the game.” 

Jenkins went on to say, “Twenty-nine free throws to basically like seven, and then at the end of the game, a few more added. I don’t understand it, when guys are competing their tails off. We’ve got stuff we can clean up. Sometimes we’re grabbing, we’re holding… in the heat of the battle, when conversations are trying to be had, notice is trying to be made on things that are happening, and there’s not the enforcement of it. It blows my mind. What are we doing here? What are we doing? Our guys are competing their tails off. We have to play better. We have to coach better. We have to play better, but I don’t get tonight, whatsoever.” 

Jenkins concluded the post-game presser: “I’m going to go back to the interactions. Stern, nothing, stonewall, ignoring. And then you wonder why our guys are trying to compete. I don’t get it. I look forward to watching the tape. Getting responses to when I send clips in, all that stuff to see what should’ve happened. And you wonder why. I haven’t done this most of my career, all that stuff, but I got to defend my guys when they’re competing their tail off and we’re not trying to lose our heads. We’re trying to go out and win basketball games and try to play better. It’s as simple as that. We’re trying to play better. There’s a lot of better that has to go around. A lot of better that has got to go around. Look at the numbers. Look at the clips. Thank you. I’d love to talk to you guys more, but with all due respect, I’ll leave it at that. Thank you.”

“I appreciate that 100 percent,” Jackson said of Jenkins’ rant. “To get up there and do that publicly is different than doing it privately. It means a little bit more. I can’t thank him enough, and I’ll be repaying him by just saying that I got his back as well for anything that’s thrown at him or whatever. We have his back in this locker room. I got his back. I love Coach. That’s the type of guy he is.”

Make no mistake about it, Jenkins is going to get a hefty fine by the league. Maybe this is the starting point of turning the season around. 

Memphis will embark on a two-game road trip to Los Angeles to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Finally a Win for the Grizzlies!

With 8:13 left in the fourth period, the Memphis Grizzlies were down 12 points to the Portland Blazers, 98-86. The Grizzlies, mired in a season-opening six-game losing streak, didn’t give up. When it mattered most, their best players closed it out for them. 

Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson, Jr. went to work offensively while the defense shut the water off for the Blazers. 

Memphis took the lead for good with 3:10 left in the final frame to secure its first win of the season 112-100. The Grizzlies closed out Portland on a 26-2 run. 

Bane’s 30 points, eight rebounds, and five assists led the way as Memphis snapped its 0-6 skid. The TCU alum scored 30+ for the 4th time in 7 games. Through seven games, Bane is averaging 26.6 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. 

“Every night we’re laying it all on the line,” Bane told Bally Sports sideline reporter Rob Fischer after the game. “I’m proud of these guys — the way that we stuck together in the locker room and stayed positive through it all.”

“Phenomenal — I think he’s had a really good stretch here,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins about Bane. “The last week or so, [he’s] just taking over games. He and I’ve talked about it; so it’s no surprise that everyone’s going to throw the defensive gameplan at him, trying to take him away, be physical with him.”

Jenkins continued, “We need him to initiate the offense at times, play off the ball, and he’s just doing a great job adapting to what defenses are throwing at him. Just making an impact on both sides. And when there was slippage from the team, you know, I challenge the team, but I challenged him in particular to step up on the defensive side and he did a phenomenal job in the fourth quarter, especially late in the game when it came to execution time.” 

Jackson, Jr. added 27 points and seven rebounds. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 21.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game for the season. 

Luke Kennard finished with 15 points and five rebounds as a reserve. Kennard hit 4-of-6 from the three-point line and the Grizzlies bench stepped up big for 31 combined points. 

Marcus Smart chipped in 10 points, five assists, and two steals while new Grizzly Bismack Biyombo ended with eight points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks in just his second game in Beale Street Blue. 

“It’s great,” Jenkins said about the first win of the season. Got to celebrate — you know how hard it is to win in this league. We’re going to enjoy this one for sure. It’s it’s been a difficult first couple of weeks. “Our guys are resilient; they respond. We’ve been competitive every single night sometimes it hasn’t gone our way.”

Tid-bits

Ja Morant has 18 games to go until he can return from his 25-game suspension. 

Up Next

Memphis will head back to Memphis to host the Miami Heat on Wednesday, November 8, at 7pm CT at FedExForum. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies’ Losing Streak Continues

David Roddy takes a shot against Shaedon Sharpe. Credit: NBAE/Getty Images

With a final score of 115-113 in overtime, the Grizzlies’ woes continued, as they dropped yet another winnable game to the Portland Trail Blazers and moved to 0-6 to start the season.

We are watching the second-worst season-start in franchise history. Memphis hasn’t lost this many games in a row to begin a season since 2002-2003, when they opened 0-13.

The Grizzlies are presently the lone winless team in the league. Friday night’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers also marked their first game in the league’s new in-season tournament.

So far this season, the Grizzlies haven’t put together a complete game of winning basketball for 48 minutes, not even last night, when they had five additional minutes to achieve it.

Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. continue to lead the team offensively. But the defensive struggles are concerning, with Memphis allowing opponents to shoot 41.4% from three-point range, and 46.7% overall.

Friday night, the Grizzlies gave up 28 points off 17 turnovers, while capitalizing on Portland’s 14 turnovers with a mere 16 points.

Memphis shot 9-of-13 from the free throw line compared to Portland’s 28-of-36. The free throw disparity of -23 reflects the ongoing struggle this team has faced getting to the free throw line this season. They are averaging 19.7 free throw attempts per game while their opponents are averaging 24.3 attempts. In six games, Memphis has attempted 118 free throws while their opponents have attempted 146.

Bane had a game-high 33 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks, and Jackson Jr. closed out the night with 30 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks, putting up his first double-double of the season.

David Roddy made an appearance in the starting lineup and finished the night with a season-high 16 points.

Marcus Smart was doing too much, and I need someone to inform him that he is not in fact Ja Morant and his passing skills are not on Morant’s level. Smart finished the night with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and a team-high 5 turnovers.

The second unit contributed an abysmal 13 points.

Something must give, and soon. There are 19 more games until the return of Ja Morant, but hopefully fans will not have to wait that long to see winning Grizzlies basketball.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies face Portland again on Sunday to cap off the three-game road trip. Tip-off is at 8 PM CST.

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‘Chemistry is Everything’

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

The Memphis Grizzlies opened their season with a 111-104 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans, primarily due to being beaten on the boards and a poor shooting performance.

Season openers have traditionally been like kryptonite for the Beale Street bullies — and rebounding is their Achilles heel right now. The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant (league suspension), Steven Adams (season-ending knee surgery), Brandon Clarke (Achilles tendon repair), and Santi Aldama (ankle sprain). 

It wasn’t all bad. Opening night saw the return of favorite sons, Tony Allen and Zach Randolph. Accompanied by The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Allen and Randolph introduced the starting lineup for the young cubs. 

Newly signed Derrick Rose, who played college ball at the University of Memphis, also made his return to the Grindhouse with the loudest pop of the night. 

Rose contributed eight points and three assists in 15 minutes as a reserve. 

It was a frustrating night. Every time an attack was mounted by the Grizzlies, the Pelicans countered. It could to be a long season without Adams on the boards. 

Three-point shooting hurt the Grizzlies (27.9%) while it was solid for New Orleans (43.8%). 

After the game, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said, “Obviously, we’re going to feel out our lineups and stuff, but I’m very confident this group can get going once we get our chemistry up and running”

Desmond Bane had an All-star performance, leading the way with 31 points, five rebounds, and five assists. “Chemistry is everything and building that takes time,” said the TCU alum on the different rotations.

Xavier Tillman, Sr. held his own against the Pelicans front line. He secured his first double double of the season with 17 points, 12 rebounds, plus four assists, and three steals.

Newcomer Marcus Smart added 17 points, three assists, and two steals. After the loss, Smart said, “It definitely wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’ve never seen a championship won in the first game. We have 81 games left.”

Smart also chimed in about building chemistry: “For us and for me personally, it’s important to continue to find these guys and continue to build confidence in my guys. We had a lot of shots there that just didn’t go in for us, both in the paint and outside the paint. And for me, we have a bunch of young guys who continue working, and every day I’m in the gym and seeing them work, I have to continue to find them and give them the confidence that they need to keep going because we’re going to need everybody.”

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Jaren Jackson, Jr., had a poor shooting night, going 2 of 9 from the field, but made up for it with dogged defense. blocking five shots, and doing the little things down low defensively; fighting for position against Jonas Valanciunas and Zion Williamson is a tall task. Jackson finished with eight points and five rebounds.

Except for David Roddy (9 points) and Rose, the bench hardly contributed. There are still things to figure out with new teammates and new lineups this season. As Smart said, no championship is won in the first game. 

Up Next:

The reigning NBA Champions, Denver Nuggets come to town Friday night, with an early 6 pm tip-off at FedExForum. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Lakers Win Game 4; Put Grizzlies On the Brink of Elimination

Desmond Bane dribbling in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 24, 2023 (Credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Although they entered the season as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies find themselves down 3-1 to the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Lakers in their first round matchup. That puts Memphis on the brink of elimination, after losing to the Lakers in OT, 117-111, on Monday night.

After falling behind by as many as 15 points in the first half, the Grizzlies rallied to take a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers came back and tied the game with 0.8 seconds remaining with a driving layup from LeBron James. The Grizzlies were outscored by six in the extra period, and that was the ballgame.

Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 36 points and seven rebounds. Jaren Jackson, Jr. ended with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocked shots. 

Ja Morant had 19 points and seven assists. Morant and Dillon Brooks declined to speak with the media after the disappointing loss. 

Shy’s Point of View 

A one game at a time. It is difficult to overcome a 3-1 deficit when facing the a legendary franchise led by one of the best players in NBA history. It will be challenging, but not impossible, to make up the difference. But there is still basketball to be played.

Bane is confident. After the loss he said, “We would have liked to get that one, but I’m feeling good. We get a chance to go back home. We had the best record at home this season — go protect the home floor. We got two opportunities there. And in order to win a series, you’re gonna have to win one game on the road. So when we come back here for Game 6, we’ll come with the right edge, right mentality and steal one on the road and see what happens in Game 7.” 

To be honest, I have no idea. The Grizzlies were in fact competitive in Game 4. At the end, in overtime, they were unable to execute in key moments that cost them the game. It has been clear in this series that the Lakers have taken advantage of that lack of execution. 

The squad has faced a lot of challenges recently, and this loss is only the latest blow. Do they have what it takes to band together and upset a King who seems determined to retain his dominance? We will see how they perform Wednesday night in Game 5 at 6:30pm CT at FedExForum — maybe for the last time in this unforgettable season. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Routed by Lakers in Game 3

Ja Morant throws it back against LeBron James. (Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies played one of their worst games of basketball of the year. Unfortunately, it happened in national television and in the first round of the NBA playoffs. When the final buzzer sounded, the score was 111-101 with the Los Angeles Lakers on top and taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Let’s get into it.

Y’all. This was a mess. In the first quarter, the Lakers outscored the Grizzlies 35-9. Yes, the Grizzlies only scored NINE POINTS in the first quarter. Lowest-scoring quarter in franchise history.

In that first quarter, Memphis shot 12% (3 of 25) overall and 7.7% (1 of 13) from three-point range. They also turned the ball over six times, which the Lakers converted into 10 points.

The second quarter saw the Grizzlies playing better and managing to cut the Lakers’ lead to 16 points by halftime. They outscored the Lakers 28-18 in the second quarter, even after giving up seven points off five turnovers.

Dillon Brooks managed to get ejected 17 seconds into the third period for clocking LeBron James in the groin area. But that might have been an unexpected gift to this Memphis team, which played considerably better once Brooks left the game. The Grizzlies outscored the Lakers in the second half 64-58, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit created by their nine-point first quarter.

Dillon Brooks talked a lot of smack about LeBron after Game 2, and predictably, his comments were picked up by all the major sports media outlets. LeBron James might be old (for an NBA player) but he is still one of the greatest players of all time.

Let’s be clear, the Grizzlies are by no means out of this series, but they are going to have to play a lot better than they did Saturday night. Poor shot selection, careless ball handling, weak defense, and Dillon Brooks acting a fool — these are all things the Grizzlies need to shore up between now and Game 4 on Monday.

The one bright spot in this whole mess was Ja Morant returning to the lineup and putting up a masterful performance.

Hopefully, the Grizzlies treat this game as a learning experience and come out playing with a greater sense of urgency in Game 4.

By The Numbers:

Morant led all scorers with 45 points, 9 rebounds, and 13 assists while shooting 6 of 10 from three-point range and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line.

Desmond Bane finished the night with 18 points, 5 rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

Jaren Jackson Jr had a quiet night offensively, with just 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday, April 24th and once again tip-off will be at 9 PM CDT.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Lakers Take Game 1 Over Grizzlies

Jaren Jackson, Jr. goes up for a layup in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

After Sunday’s 128-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Memphis, the Grizzlies find themselves down 1-0 in the best-of-7 series. 

The Lakers won the battle on the boards and in second-chance scoring (22 points) and scored 26 points off of fast breaks. Los Angeles shot 27-of-40 from the field (.675) and 11-of-19 from 3-point range (.579) in the second half and outscored Memphis 69-47. 

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins on the reasons for the loss: “We didn’t execute the priorities of the game plan. Get back, execute half court defense and get rebounds.”

But he did have a positive message for his team after the disappointment. “I told the guys, ‘Hey, we talked about this before the playoffs started at the beginning of the week, it’s first to four. It’s one game at a time.’ We’ve shown a lot of resiliency in previous playoffs and throughout the season. We’ve just got to focus on that. Come out, just continue to put our work in each day. We did some good things tonight. We did some not so good things tonight. We’ve just got to clean it up, and we’ve just got to keep taking it one game at a time. Guys were in really good spirits. Obviously, disappointing. You’re definitely pissed off after a game when you take a loss to start off a series, but we’ve been in this position before. We’ve just got to focus on tomorrow’s day.”

More Injuries 

After landing hard on his right hand, Ja Morant missed the final five minutes of the game. It appeared that Morant landed on his wrist after colliding with Los Angeles’ Anthony Davis on a drive to the basket. The 23-year-old frantically hurried to the locker room as he grasped his right hand. He returned to the bench with his hand and wrist covered but did not return to the game.

Jenkins told reporters that X-rays for Morant’s hand were negative and that more evaluations would occur over the next two days before Game 2. However after the game, Morant acknowledged that his status for Game 2 might be in jeopardy and that his pain level was about a 10. 

“It’s tough, man,” Morant said somberly. “Especially with everything I’ve been through, pretty much this season. My main focus is to be out there for my guys. Now another incident where that’s pretty much in jeopardy. It’s pretty much how much I can tolerate. If I feel like I can go out there, be somewhat myself, I’ll probably play. But I don’t want to do anything to hurt the team. [It’s] very tough, stressful. I’m pretty much taking in what happened. I don’t know, man, I’m pretty much numb. Not even surprised. It’s one thing after another.”

The Unicorn

Jaren Jackson, Jr. had a good game. He put up a game-high 31 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

“I thought he played extremely well, aggressive,” said Jenkins. “Obviously, they’re going to probably start throwing double-teams at him, so we’re kind of figuring that out. But I thought when he got to his spots on the floor, he found the angles to get separation, have a nice finishing game, obviously knocking down threes, free throws, doing what he does on the defensive side. I mean, he was huge for us. Just trying to find him different ways to be aggressive, whether it’s on the perimeter or on the inside. I thought he did a really good job tonight, and it’s going to be interesting to see what their game plan is and adjustments we’ve got to be ready for.”

 Shy’s Point of View

The team is not in panic mode. Desmond Bane said after the game, “We won Game 1 my rookie year, but last year we lost Game 1 in both series. We went on to win against Minnesota, of course. We’re obviously in good spirits. We felt like we played well; we could definitely play a whole lot better. We still felt like we had our chances; it’s definitely encouraging.” Bane ended the night with 22 points but shot just 6-of-18 from the floor and 3-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc. He also added five rebounds and six assists.

Missing Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke in this series might be the difference between advancing and a first-round exit. But all is not lost. The series is not over. It has to be one game at a time. Nw the team has to put their focus on Game 2. 

A different storyline would be unfolding right now if Memphis had been able to execute better in the last minutes. If Morant can’t play, Tyus Jones will be up for the challenge to start in his place. Jackson, Jr. must remain dominant on both ends of the court. And Memphis needed more offense from Luke Kennard, who went 2 for 5 from the field and connected on just one three-pointer. 

Up Next 

The Grizzlies will have a chance to even the series on Wednesday inside of FedExForum at 6:30 pm CT. Fans can watch locally on Bally Sports Southeast or nationally on TNT.