The two best defensive teams in the NBA went back and forth Wednesday night, like a boxing match with uppercuts and body blows. In the end, the Grizzlies’ dogged defense in the final seconds was enough to secure the home victory over Cleveland.
There were 17 lead changes and nine ties. Both teams gave up double digit leads. The Cavaliers were up by 10 early while Memphis was up by as many as 19 in the third quarter.
The Cavaliers held a one-point lead with 27.4 seconds left, when Jaren Jackson Jr. blocked Darius Garland’s driving layup attempt out of bounds. On Cleveland’s ensuing in-bounds attempt, the Grizzlies forced a five-second violation.
With 17 seconds left in the game, Ja Morant attacked the basket with a floater but it bounced off the rim; however, Steven Adams secured the rebound with a tip in for the go-ahead bucket.
Jackson Jr. praised Steven Adams on the intangibles, “He’s the best screener in NBA history and probably the best offensive rebounder ever. When you do those things, it just saves us time and time again.”
While the 16,892 in attendance chanted “DEFENSE!!,” Cleveland brought the ball upcourt and Dillon Brooks blocked a shot by Garland on the game’s final play to give the Grizzlies a 115-114 victory — their 11th-straight.
The 11-game winning streak for Memphis matches the longest in franchise history, and is the longest-active streak in the NBA. The Grizzlies are now 31-13 for the season and 20-3 at FedExForum.
After the game, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said, “We found a way. I told the guys afterwards that that’s a great team win; that’s a great team that we just played and competed against for 48 minutes.”
Jenkins went on to say, “Timely buckets, and then that last sequence where we got that five-second counter. Guys executed the game plan coming out of the timeout. I chose not to call a timeout. I trusted the guys to go and make plays. We had talked about the spacing we wanted. Ja [Morant] drives, collapses, three guys come to him, and then Steven [Adams] cleans it up. Big winning play at the end of the eight minutes. First game winner, he said, so he’s definitely hyped.”
“And then the defense on the tail end, we had been switching some,” Jenkins added. “They broke off a pick-and-roll. [Dillon Brooks’] one-on-one defense was phenomenal. [Desmond Bane] shifts, gets back, [Dillon Brooks] then gets the block to seal the win. So, clearly, I just said a lot of things because there was a lot going on in that game. It was two competitive teams that played pretty high-level basketball. There were definitely ebbs and flows, highs and lows, but at the end, we made the plays.”
“I told these guys, ‘This is huge to get a game like this tonight,’ especially playing from behind in the last minute or so. I just said this is a game to grow from. The poise, the conversations that our guys were having, as frantic as it was, they were looking at me, they were looking at each other, and we dialed up the defense that we needed down the stretch, despite them making it really hard on us for the meat of the game.”
Jenkins concluded, “So, it’s great for us. We’ll watch the film tomorrow, talk about the winning plays that we made. … We’ve got to build on it because this is not the last time we’re going to see a game like this.”
Desmond Bane finished with a game-high 25 points, four rebounds, four assists, and five 3-pointers. Morant added 24 points and eight assists.
Off the bench, Santi Aldama chipped in 16 points and two rebounds while making a career-high four 3-pointers. Jackson Jr. filled the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals while Adams had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
Aldama credited the team’s chemistry for the winning streak. He said, “I just think that togetherness is what stands out the most. I mean, last year, we were a very good team. I think this year, we have a little bit of a different team, but we just find a way to win games.”
“Today (Wednesday), I think, was a very good test for us,”Aldama added. “I think we haven’t had a game like this in a while. Especially the last two or three possessions were huge for us. We got the five second call. [Jaren Jackson Jr.]’s block before that, [Dillon Brooks]’ game-winning block came, and then the [Steven Adams] tap-in. So, I think that just shows how everybody makes an impact and how together we are, just rooting for each other.”
Memphis’ first 11-game win streak came last season from Dec. 26, 2021 to Jan. 13, 2022. Bane spoke about the difference this time around. He said, “We just take it game by game. Last year, obviously, was our first time doing it, so there was a lot of excitement, but it’s a new season. We’re trying to set new heights and do new things. The past is the past. We’re just focused on one game at a time.”
Up Next
The Grizzlies will embark on a five-game road trip. Friday night is the first meeting with the Lakers this season, where Memphis will be poised to break the franchise record with 12th straight wins. Meanwhile, LeBron James and company will definitely look to spoil the party.
