Tag: Desmond Bane

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Grizzlies Overpower Nets, Move to 3–1 on the Season

Ja Morant handles the ball against Ben Simmons. (Credit: Aimee Stiegemeyer)

What’s good, Grizz Nation? Your Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Brooklyn Nets 134-124 in the second home game of the season.  

Let’s get into it.  

Drama plagued Brooklyn in the offseason, with one of their star players, Kevin Durant, requesting to be traded and that Nets’ owner Joe Tsai fire general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. None of those things happened, and Durant opted to remain with the team. Judging from his performance in Monday night’s game, any residual awkwardness from Durant’s off-season behavior has not affected his on-court ability. Durant and Kyrie Irving each scored 37 points in the loss. 

The Grizzlies welcomed the return of Dillon Brooks, who played for the first time this season. Brooks had a quiet night offensively but still brought his signature defensive effort, culminating in him and Kevin Durant receiving double technical fouls in the first half.  

But the real dynamic duo of the night turned out to be Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. Their combined 76 points set a new franchise record for combined points by two teammates. Morant and Bane each put up 38 points, with the latter setting new career highs in scoring and three-pointers made.  

Desmond Bane launching from distance
Desmond Bane launches from behind the three-point line. (Credit: Aimee Stiegemeyer)

By the Numbers:  

Ja Morant closed out the night with 38 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and two steals while shooting 4 of 6 from three-point range. Morant is currently leading the league in total points scored (141) and in highest-scoring game (49). 

Desmond Bane also finished with 38 points and 7 assists, shooting 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. Bane scored 32 of his points in the second half.  

Santi Aldama had 17 points and 4 rebounds; Brandon Clarke dropped 13 points from the bench on 4 of 5 field goal attempts.  

Steven Adams put up 9 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.  

Who Got Next?  

The Grizzlies are embarking on a 4-game road trip, with their first stop in Sacramento to face off against the Kings Thursday night. Tip-off is at 9 PM CDT. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Do or Die: The Grizzlies Must Win in San Francisco

Growl Towels: Ain't Ducking No Smoke from Game 5 - Warriors at Grizzlies (Credit: Sharon Brown)

Wednesday night’s 134-95 victory over the Golden State Warriors demonstrated the Grizzlies’ “next-man up” mentality in face of elimination. 

Ja Morant is doubtful throughout the remainder of the playoffs with a right knee bone bruise. 

“I mean, this is definitely impressive, but to use our player’s phrase, we deep,” said Taylor Jenkins on winning without Morant. “I mean, we’re deep. It’s as simple as that. I think we say that, not arrogantly. We say that confidently because anybody that steps out on the floor can make an impact for us.”

Jenkins added, “A lot of different guys stepped up. It’s really impressive, no matter who’s out. Ja’s out, anyone else goes out, our guys rally and compete, and tonight was a big win for us.”

“Next man up mentality,” said Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks about playing without Morant. “We know how to respond. … We know how to play with each other better than any team in the NBA. We continuously find ways to keep up in our play. So, it’s just a fun style to play and it starts with the defensive end. Everyone bought in on the defensive end. Guarding, trying to get deflections, rebounding, and it builds into our offense.”

“It almost seems like whenever somebody thinks we can’t do something,” said Desmond Bane after the massive win, “we end up doing it. I never want to put a limit on what we can do, because anything’s possible.”

Tonight the Grizzlies will face the Warriors in San Francisco for Game 6 and will be a must-win to avoid elimination. Here are some things Memphis should do to force Game 7 in Memphis: 

Go big again

With Steven Adams back in the starting lineup, the Grizzlies dominated the offensive glass and outrebounded the Warriors for the first time during the series. Rebounding helped the team finish the regular season with the second-best record in the league. 

Memphis’ +18 rebounding advantage (55-37) in Game 5 swung the game in their favor. As a result, they had a 24-5 advantage in second-chance points. 

Prior to the last game, the Warriors have been winning the rebounding battle. Adams is a key factor for the Grizzlies both offensively and defensively.

“Steve-O [Steven Adams] will find a way to feed them in the paint,” said Brooks. “Same with Jaren, and once we get able to establish the paint, it’s easy for us to make threes. We relentlessly crash the boards. Relentlessly played off the catch and drag their close-outs.” 

“Then, ultimately, it opens up the three, so we have a complete game tonight,” continued Brooks. “It lets me know we’ve got to bring that on the road and keep that same effort and energy on the defensive.”

Make JJJ the focal point on offense

In Game 5, Jenkins made it a point to go to Jaren Jackson Jr. early and often. He finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. JJJ converted on 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. 

He’s been hearing a lot lately about how he needs to be more aggressive.

After the blowout win against the Warriors, Jackson told reporters, “Be aggressive. Take what they give me. Depending on who’s guarding me, probably depends on what I’m going to do. I mean, they want me to be aggressive, so I’m just doing me.”

Tyus Jones said, “It makes my job easy. I tell Jaren every night, dominate. That should be his mindset.”

Jenkins said after Wednesday’s game, “I want to get him going early in the game because I knew he was going to be a big factor early in the game, late in the game. He’s going to be a big factor for the rest of the series.”

“He’s the key,” Brooks told reporters after Game 5. “They got no one to guard him. No one to stop him. He needs to keep demanding the ball. The Warriors are going to have to adjust and double team him soon, and he’s going to have to learn how to pass the ball out to get his teammates shots, and that’s what he needs to do.”

Brooks added, “I try to tell him to stay aggressive, and you’re a walking mismatch out there for every single player that guards you. So just keep attacking.”

Jackson also needs to stay out of foul trouble. 

Everybody eats

Jones and Bane must replicate their performances from Wednesday. 

Jones ended the game with 21 points, nine assists, two steals, and zero turnovers plus he shot 4 of 7 from the three point line. Game 6 has to be the best game of his career as a scorer, passer and playmaker. He has run a consistent offense to avoid getting stagnant like it did late in Game 4. 

“We’re hungry — we’re fighting,” Jones said. “We’re fighting because our season is on the line at this point. And so, you know, we’re just fighting. We’re going to need these guys every single night from here on out. Simple as that. They stepped up. They showed up for us. We’re going to need that again Friday.”

Bane finished with 21 points like both Jackson and Jones. He connected with 4 of 6 three point shots. The Grizzlies need him to shoot lights out like he did in the first round series against the Timberwolves. 

The bench squad has to show up and show out. Last game Memphis bench outscored the Warriors reserves 52-35. Brandon Clarke and company must produce in order to extend the series. 

Will these young Grizzlies continue to do the impossible? Will they upset the Warriors and advance to the Western Conference Finals?

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Advance to Semifinals to Face Warriors

Desmond Bane goes up for a jumper in Game 6 (Photo cred: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The saying goes, “It’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish.”

On Friday night, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-106, in the Game 6 elimination game. Memphis won 4-2, despite a lackluster performance in most of the games. 

The Grizzlies will face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals after advancing.

The team’s ability to prevail in this series is incredible; the tenacity they displayed in the face of enormous odds is truly remarkable.

With the exception of one game, Memphis trailed the Timberwolves by double digits before rallying in the final minutes to claim three of the series’ four wins.

That’s unbelievable, to say the least. In those victories, the Grizzlies appeared to cruise through the first three quarters and then demoralized the Wolves in the fourth quarter. It was go time. 

In their final three wins, Memphis won the fourth quarters 37-12, 37-24, and 40-22. 

For most of the series, the Timberwolves held a lead for more minutes but Memphis outscored them by a total of 62 points in five fourth quarters. 

Resiliency

Taylor Jenkins spoke about the team’s resiliency and poise after the victory. 

Dillon Brooks, who finished with 23 points while connecting on 5-of-6 three pointers, said, “We always try to fight and always have confidence in each other. And that’s why we’re able to pull out the game. 

“I wish we got better starts so we don’t have to put ourselves in that predicament,” Brooks added. “But we are always gonna find a way to fight and like coach [Jenkins] said in the locker room — there’s not one way to win in the NBA Playoffs. There’s a lot of ways to win, and we just figured out one way.”

Ja Morant had a walk-off interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “It’s big-time for us man, super excited,” Morant said about the series win. “We got it done. It was ugly but we battled through, battled back, and got the win. We got the four wins, but we’ve got to be better in the next round — we can’t come out again like we did in this series.”

“Tired physically, mentally — this series was a battle,” said a visibly exhausted Morant while speaking in the postgame presser. “Coming in we knew, with this team, that we weren’t winning the series in one game. We knew that every game would be a dogfight. And that we had to come in locked in and bring our energy from the start. Obviously, the wins were pretty ugly outside of Game 2, but we got it done.”

Morant continued, “That’s all we can worry about now. We enjoyed our moment, our celebration but it’s time to turn the page.”

The Murray State standout tallied 17 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds in the elimination game.

“I feel like we’re always confident, no matter what the score is,” the All-Star guard said about the fourth quarter comebacks. “We treat it as pretty much zero-zero.”

He went on to say, “We try to win the quarter and late in this series, the last couple of games since after Game 2, we were down double digits plenty of times and came back and won. So going into this one we had our same message, continue to stay together, play together, and we know the game is not over until you notice zeros hit at the end of the fourth quarter. We just got stops and some shots on the other hand that allowed us to win the game.” 

Desmond Bane responded, “Same thing we’ve been doing all year — next man up, playing well, not playing well. We stick together, stay on the same page, and I think it really showed on the big stage, this series.”

Bane scored 23 points and grabbed rebounds while connecting on 5 of 8 three-point shots. He finished the series with 27 made three-pointers, the most in Grizzlies postseason history. 

The second-year guard led the Grizzlies in the series with 23.6 points per game on a true shooting percentage of 66.6 and 46.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Breakout Game for JJJ 

Jaren Jackson Jr.’s availability was limited for most of the series due to foul trouble. It’s worth noting that he played for more than 34 minutes in the elimination game. He ended up with 18 points as well as 14 boards (season-high), three triples, and two blocked shots.

Jackson spoke to Grizzlies sideline reporter Rob Fischer after the game: 

“Yeah, it’s a good feeling being up,” said Jackson after the victory. “Still not satisfied. We’ve got to keep taking the good and bad with each game. Even when you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, you gotta have the same approach, like even when it’s a good game, you gotta just learn from it.”

An emotional Jackson shared a moment with his father, Jaren Jackson Sr.: 

Brandon Clarke Delivers Again 

Brandon Clarke had 17 points, 11 rebounds to go along with five assists and three blocks in the series finale. Clarke averaged 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in the regular season to 16.5 points and 9.0 in the postseason. In addition to his five offensive boards on Friday, he had totaled 23 rebounds on the offensive end of the floor. 

The Gonzaga alum is a big reason the Grizzlies are advancing to the second round. 

Clarke also was instrumental in icing the game that led to a dunk from Jackson with 36 seconds left on the clock. 

“His energy and activity were phenomenal,” coach Jenkins said. “We don’t win the series without what he did. … The boost he gives us off the bench, he runs the floor, he’s just ‘Johnny on the spot’ wherever the ball is, a loose ball, an offensive rebound, a tap-out. His teammates have a lot of trust in him when he’s picking and rolling. … And defensively taking a lot of tough assignments — switching on the guards, guarding Towns for a good portion of the series.”

Jenkins said Clarke elevated his game and made a huge statement in the first round series. 

Next Up

No rest for the weary. The Grizzlies have less than one day to prepare for the Warriors in the second round. 

Schedule – All times are central. 

Game 1

Sunday, May 1 in Memphis @ 2:30 p.m. on ABC

Game 2

Tuesday, May 3 in Memphis @ 8:30 p.m. on TNT

Game 3

Saturday, May 7 in San Francisco @ 7:30 p.m. on ABC

Game 4

Monday, May 9 in San Francisco @ 9 p.m. on TNT

Game 5, (if necessary) Wednesday, May 11 in Memphis – time and broadcast TBD 

Game 6, (if necessary) Friday, May 13 in San Francisco – start time and broadcast TBD 

Game 7, (if necessary) Monday, May 16 in Memphis – start time and broadcast TBD 

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Ja Morant Wins NBA’s “Most Improved Player” Award

Ja Morant had a record-breaking season. The third-year player was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player on Monday, beating out fellow finalists Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dejounte Murray of the San Antonio Spurs for the award. 

He is the first Grizzlies player to receive the honor – and the first player in NBA history to have won both Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player.

Last season, the 22-year-old averaged 19.1 points per game while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three-point range. This season, he averaged 27.5 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three-point range. His improved play also led to Morant being named as an NBA All-Star. 

A year ago, Memphis finished 38-34 and qualified for the playoffs after defeating the Spurs and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Play In Tournament. Morant led the Grizzlies to franchise tying 56-26 record this year, with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Currently Memphis is locked in a 2-2 playoff battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

“It’s definitely big-time,” Morant said about his honor. “This award goes to me, but I feel like it’s a team effort.”

“That pretty much just shows our work ethic, as a whole, as a team,” Morant added. “We all push each other. We all want to be better. I thought we all have that ‘never satisfied’ mindset and that’s why you see three guys from the same team receiving votes for this award.”

The All-Star guard said he spent the off-season working to become more consistent from the 3-point line and trying to get better from the midrange. 

“Those were pretty much the two main areas I worked on this past summer,” Morant said on TNT.. “It allowed me to take a big leap in my game, as you can see from my scoring.”

Morant campaigned heavily for his teammate Desmond Bane to receive the honor. Bane finished fifth in the MIP voting. 

In his rookie year Bane, the No. 30 overall 2020 draft pick, averaged 9.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. This season,  he put up 18.2 points per game, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

In the end, Morant surprised his teammate with the award. 

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Grizzlies Splash Past Warriors

Desmond Bane goes up for a jumper against the Warriors. (Photo cred: Memphis Grizzlies Twitter)

With a 123-95 win over the Golden State Warriors at FedexForum Monday night, the Memphis Grizzlies improved to 53-23 on the season. Memphis now has a five-game lead over the Warriors for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with six games left in the regular season, and are primed to make noise in the 2022 NBA playoffs. The team currently is on a five-game winning streak.

The Grizzlies are 18-2 without All-Star guard Ja Morant this season. Onlookers outside of Memphis keep saying the team is better without Morant. Which is far from the truth. This is a complete team that has a great coaching staff, led by Taylor Jenkins.

Meanwhile, Morant doesn’t care about the noise. He supports his teammates and loves to see them shine. He’s the best player on the team, and his enthusiasm makes everyone better. 

The Grizzlies have been blowing teams out by large margins this season. In their four-game home stand, Memphis won by an average of 23.8 points, extending their home winning streak to a season-high eight games. Clinching the 2-seed in the Western Conference will give the Grizzlies home court advantage throughout most of the playoffs if the team makes a deep run. 

By the Numbers

Desmond Bane finished with 22 points and made 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Bane has scored 20+ points in five consecutive games and tied the franchise record (Mike Miller and Jaren Jackson Jr.) with his 13th straight game with multiple 3-pointers made.

“You know, it all starts with our mentality,” Bane said about his team after the win.” Being aggressive but playing the right way, moving the ball. It’s everybody eats. I mean we got a bunch of dudes playing well right now and I think it’s because the ball is moving and everybody’s making their plays.”

Everyone has been eating for sure. 

De’Anthony Melton had 21 points as a reserve, and has averaged 20.6 points during the Grizzlies’ five-game winning streak. Melton also has broken franchise records in 3-point makes. The 23-year old made 5+ 3-pointers in four straight games and 4+ 3-pointers in five straight games. 

Oh and he can dunk too. 

Bane said he knew the Melton dunk would happen. He said, “He was doing it all day. I was making jokes in the locker room like, shoot threes, dunking on people getting steals. What’s next? You rapping? He does it all, so they call ‘Mr. Do Something’.”

Both Bane and Melton have been lights-out from three lately.

“We talked about it on the bench, when both of us are out there and we’re running — it’s tough, because if he’s bringing the ball up the floor, he’s a threat to shoot it,” Bane said about Melton’s hot shooting. “If I’m bringing the ball to floor, I’m a threat to shoot it, and we just kind of balance off each other and play off each other. He’s playing great basketball. I’m really happy for him. He’s put the work and put the time in and the results are showing.”

To round it out, Dillon Brooks ended with 21 points, 15 of which were in the second period, when Memphis outscored the Warriors 43-21. 

After the game, Brooks talked about the Grizzlies playing as a team. He said, “It’s great. (De’Anthony Melton) has always been a good shooter. His form looks like it’s perfect. And he’s finally getting arc on his shots so it’s just dropping in. And (Desmond Bane), both those guys work on their craft, come every single day with a positive attitude and work hard and you can see in the games it’s coming in fruition.

Brooks continued, “And we all tell both those guys keep shooting because they open up the floor for us and you get driving angles and able to work in space. So that’s where we’re built and it’s fun to play. It’s fun to watch as well. 

“We always get up for those games — the games like Indiana and like one of those trap games that, last year, we couldn’t get done,” the Oregon alum revealed about the four game home-stand. “This year, we’re finally growing and taking care of business. And like on our last road trip against Atlanta, we let one slip but then we come back on this home stand and not let the Indiana game slip, not the Milwaukee game slip, so it’s just coming in every single day — locked in and trying to get each other better, because we want to go into the playoffs with momentum.” 

Brooks said it’s difficult to enjoy the ride at the moment. “It’s very hard to because when you when you start talking about it, gets you relaxed. But it’s an amazing feeling, to keep making history, like Des getting the most 3-pointers in a season and (Steven Adams) the most (offensive) rebounds, it’s an amazing feeling to be a part of that. And then you keep winning and you make history in Memphis and it just goes to show that we’re here to build something great. Our fans see it and you can see — it’s getting thicker in there every single night and we play for our fans and especially [they] play for us as well.”

Who Got Next 

The Grizzlies head to San Antonio to take on Southwest Division rivals San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Desmond Bane Leads Grizzlies Over Pacers … Again

Desmond Bane (Photo credit: Memphis Grizzlies Twitter)

Another day, another Grizzlies win by 30 points against the Pacers, as Memphis’ team beat Indiana, 133-103. If it feels like we’ve been here before, it’s because we have.  

Let’s get into it.  

After meeting the Pacers on their home turf on March 15th, this time, the Grizzlies hosted the Pacers in the Grindhouse. Different arena, same outcome.  

Once again, the Grizzlies were without their star point guard Ja Morant. Once again, everyone on the squad stepped up, once again led by the offensive prowess of Desmond Bane.  

Memphis is two games into a four-game homestand and quickly approaching the end of the regular season. Thursday night’s victory clinched a playoff berth for the Grizzlies, who as of this moment are sitting comfortably in the second seed in the Western Conference.  

This victory is slightly overshadowed by the announcement that Morant will be sidelined for at least another two weeks. With just eight regular-season games remaining over the next two weeks, it seems unlikely Morant will return before the postseason.  

The Grizzlies have shown that this team is more than capable of holding their own without Morant during the regular season, and it is a testament to just how well constructed this roster is. But the playoffs are another thing entirely. 

By the Numbers:  

Desmond Bane led all scorers with 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists while shooting 12 of 15 overall and 5 of 7 from three-point range. Bane has also set a new franchise record for most three-pointers made in a season, passing Mike Miller’s 2006-2007 record of 203 three-pointers made.  

Jaren Jackson Jr. closed out with 20 points on the night, including shooting 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.  

De’Anthony Melton led the bench with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 5 of 9 from distance. Mr. Do Something did a little of everything.  

John Konchar put together a solid game, finishing the night with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.  

Xavier Tillman also contributed double figures from the bench, finishing with 16 points and 5 rebounds.  

Who Got Next?  

The Grizzlies continue their homestand Saturday night when they face off against the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off is 7 p.m. CDT.  

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grit ’N Grind Plus Swagger Lift Grizzlies Past Nets

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 also made Grizzlies history on the night. 

Mike Miller also was in attendance to see Bane break his franchise 3-point record. 

Bane spoke to ESPN’s Malika Andrews in the walk-off interview. 

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. 

“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.”

Who Got Next

The Grizzlies look to improve to 51 wins as they will host the Indiana Pacers tonight at 7 p.m.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Desmond Bane Leads Grizzlies to 135–102 Victory Over Pacers

Jaren Jackson Jr. throws down a dunk against the Indiana Pacers

The Grizzlies were in Indiana Tuesday night to take on the Pacers. Although, “take on” is not the best description for what this Memphis team did to Indiana inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “Massacred” would be more apt.

Let’s get into it.  

Leave aside for a moment the fact that the Pacers are not a good team this year, because as we have seen recently with the Rockets, playing a bad team does not in any way guarantee a Grizzlies win. But this was as complete a win as any we have seen this season.  

It’s no secret that since the all-star break the Grizzlies have struggled to put together 48 minutes of cohesive basketball, but this game is evidence that’s a problem they are in the process of solving. The Grizzlies are a team right now where everybody steps up, everybody contributes, and everybody eats. 

The squad was without their leader and star point guard Ja Morant, who was sidelined with a sore back. If you thought that Morant being out was going to put victory in danger, you would be incorrect.

The performance of this team without their captain is a testament to just how deep their talent runs — and perhaps a preview of just how dangerous they will be in the postseason.  

Tyus Jones entered the starting lineup in place of Morant and what he lacked in scoring he more than made up for in assists (and lack of turnovers). Jones has been the league leader in assists to turnovers ratio since 2019, a feat he started in Minnesota and has carried into his time in Memphis. 

By the Numbers: 

Eatin’ good in the neighborhood — 13 players took the floor for the Grizzlies and 12 of them scored at least two field goals.  

A 33-point victory means I probably shouldn’t harp on the team shooting 60 percent from the charity stripe in this game. But it’s certainly less than ideal.  

The bench mob showed out — 64 of 135 points came from the bench. 

Indiana native Desmond Bane put on a show for the crowd and led all scorers with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and two steals. Bane had a group of fans attending to watch him play, and he did not disappoint. 

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished the night with 19 points, 8 rebounds, two steals, and 3 blocks. He currently leads the league in blocks per game (2.2) and total blocks (154), which has earned him the nickname the Block Panther. If he isn’t in serious consideration for Defensive Player of the Year honors, we riot.  

Did someone ask for Trip highlights?

De’Anthony Melton led the second unit in scoring with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals while shooting 4 of 8 from beyond the three-point line.  

Steven Adams closed out with 13 points and 13 rebounds, scoring on 6 of his 7 field goal attempts.  

Brandon Clarke also finished the night with 13 points and 3 blocks while shooting a perfect 6 for 6 in field-goal attempts. 

Ziaire Williams put up 11 points while shooting 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. 

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will continue on to the second leg of this four-game road trip, facing off against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, March 18th. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Desmond Bane Selected as a 2022 NBA Rising Star

Desmond Bane lines up a shot against the Sixers. (Photo via @memgrizz)

The Memphis Grizzlies second-year guard Desmond Bane will be joining his teammate Ja Morant in Cleveland during the 2022 NBA All-Star weekend. 

The NBA All-Star 2022 Rising Stars will take place on Friday, February 18th, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, with Bane selected to take part.

Averaging 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.10 steals in 30.2 minutes per game this season, the 23-year-old has started all 49 of his appearances so far this season.

The TCU alum also is in the conversation for the Most Improved Player honors after nearly doubling his scoring average (9.2) from his rookie campaign 

According to the Grizzlies, “For the first time, Rising Stars will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games. The pool of 28 players will consist of 12 first-year NBA players, 12 second-year NBA players, and four players from NBA G League Ignite. The competition will consist of a ‘race to 75’ points in honor of the NBA’s landmark 75th Anniversary Season.  The semifinal games will be played to a final target score of 50 and the final game will be played to a final target score of 25. Rising Stars will air live at 8 p.m. CT on TNT.”

Bane will be the 19th Grizzlies player to represent Memphis in the Rising Stars game. Recent players selected as Rising Stars in past seasons were Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brandon Clarke.

Morant and Jackson Jr. took to Twitter to celebrate their teammate. 

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Fall to Sixers in OT

Desmond Bane lines up a shot against the Sixers. (Photo via @memgrizz)

The Grizzlies fought hard Monday night in Philadelphia against the Sixers but ultimately were not able to close out in overtime. Memphis’ team lost to the 76ers 119 to 122.

Let’s get into it.  

As far as losses go, this one isn’t entirely disappointing. Not entirely, but still a little. There are many upsides to point out from this game, even in defeat. But there are also some lingering issues that continue to plague this Grizzlies team. Issues that need to be addressed sooner rather than later if they are going to make a deep postseason run. 

The Sixers were without their star big man Joel Embiid, but Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey picked up the slack and helped secure victory for Philadelphia. Harris and Maxey combined for 64 points, more than half of the points scored by the Sixers. 

But win or lose, the best player on the court was inarguably Ja Morant, with Desmond Bane in a supporting role. Morant and Bane are one of the most dynamic, exciting-to-watch backcourts in the league this year.

Ja-countability? Like the leader he is shaping up to be, Morant expressed in the postgame press conference that he feels responsible for the loss, citing key missed free throws and poor three-point shooting.

By the Numbers: 

Before I get into individual stats, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed — missed free throws are hurting this team in a bad way. Overall free throw shooting for the Grizzlies was a dismal 68 percent. The team missed a collective 9 free throws in a game they lost by 3 and there is absolutely no excuse for it.  

A public service announcement from the Ministry of Making Your Fucking Free Throws

As bad as the free throw shooting was, the three-point shooting was even worse. Shoutout to Desmond Bane for hitting 5 of the 6 made three-pointers. Unfortunately, that is not a typo — the Grizzlies shot an abysmal 6 of 30 from beyond the arc.  

But it wasn’t all bad for the Grizzlies — they scored 30 points off 21 turnovers, 29 fast break points, and 72 points in the paint.  

Ja Morant led all scorers with 37 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. This makes the seventh consecutive game where Morant has scored 30 or more points, a career record for him and a franchise record for the Grizzlies.  

Desmond Bane closed out with a career-high 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals, including 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.  

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

Rookie Ziaire Williams ended up with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists, including 2 of 2 from the free-throw line. 

This dish from Morant to Williams was next-level nasty:

Behind the back passing? Yes, please!

Who Got Next? 

The Grizzlies continue their three-game road trip with an appearance Wednesday night at the World’s Most Famous Arena, to face off against the New York Knicks. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. CST.