Tag: Desmond Bane

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The Young Grizzlies Have Put the NBA On Notice

Ja Morant after a windmill dunk against the Washington Wizards (Photo credit: Memphis Grizzlies)

Recently, Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane told BasketballNews.com, “I think [why it clicks] has to do with our culture, with our locker room. We don’t have any egos. I mean, I think it starts at the top with Ja Morant, Jaren [Jackson Jr.], Dillon Brooks, myself — we’re all on one agenda, and that’s winning basketball games. Nothing really gets in the way of that mentality and that mindset. It’s always about winning.”

That culture is a big reason why the Memphis Grizzlies currently sit third in the Western conference with a record of 35-17. The second youngest team in the league has put the rest of the NBA on notice. 

Ja Morant has been on a tear this season and was selected as starter for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, which was announced last Thursday. Morant is the the first Grizzlies guard to appear in the game, and the youngest Grizzlies player to compete in the event at 22 years old. He will become the second Grizzlies player to start an NBA All-Star Game, joining Marc Gasol (2015) and fourth All-Star in franchise history (Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph).

Currently, the Murray State alum has a franchise record of six consecutive games of 30 point-performances. On Friday night in a win 119-109 against the Utah Jazz, Morant secured his first triple-double of the season with 30 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds that marked the highest-scoring triple-double in franchise history.  It was his fourth career triple-double.

After the win against the Jazz, Morant was thankful for the All-Star nod and was happy about being able to see his family, especially his grandmother who is battling illness. He said, “It has been big time — it was much needed getting to see my family during this time. Getting the All-Star starting nod and being with them when my name was called, obviously was something I wanted to do, to be able to do, and I was able to do that. Thankful for the organization letting me be able to go spend time with my grandma. Coming back, I was the same Ja as before the announcement was made, go out and prove myself to try to win the game.”

Morant was more happy about the win than he was about the triple-double.

The Grizzlies strive with the next-man-up mentality. Players and coaches have been out due to injury and the NBA’s health and safety protocols (Covid-19). And the team has kept winning through it all. 

After the 115-95 victory against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, Taylor Jenkins with emphasis said, “Great effort by our guys. We don’t care about the schedule, we just come out and play.”

No matter who the opponent is, the Grizzlies always try to give maximum effort in win or losses. 

Last November in their first meeting, the Wizards routed the Grizzlies 115-87. And the players remembered to return the favor. Bane said after the game, “Most definitely, we are a much different team now than what we were then. We were trying to find our identity earlier in the year.They smacked us pretty good at their place, so we definitely wanted to come out and set the tone tonight. Even just coming off of a game last night.”

Let’s not forget the sequence of the year!  The block-to-dunk might go down as the highlight of the NBA season. 

Jenkins described it as “Incredible. He was actually joking with the bench,” he said. “We call them ‘cycles,’ defense to offense. Multiple possessions together. Desmond [Bane] has the incredible block. That was, on top of what Ja did earlier in the year, one of the best blocks I’ve probably ever seen, especially in transition. Des going up there and meeting the guy up at the rim and it turns into that highlight reel on the other end. What a sequence there. Incredible on both ends.”

He added, “I, internally, was celebrating big time because I recognized the sequence that had just happened. I think I was sitting down on the bench when Des [Desmond Bane] goes up neck and neck to block that shot. That got me out of my chair. Then I see the quick outlet. Then I see Jaren [Jackson Jr.] making a selfless play for his teammate. The highlight was just a stamp on it. In a way, it was like an awe and pause. I had to catch myself there. What an unbelievable sequence.”

When the Grizzlies are having fun on the court, they are hard to beat. “It’s the ultimate fun,” said Jenkins. “I love this group, love what they stand for. They stand for having fun with each other and competing with each other. That’s what I tell myself before every game. We’ve got to go out there and do that. Luckily, we don’t have to repeat that to the group that much because they own it. It’s a credit to them.”

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Grizzlies Extend Winning Streak to 11

Grizzlies players pose after their 11th straight victory (Photo credit: Memphis Grizzlies Twitter)

With little more than five minutes left on the clock, the game was tied 98-98. Ja Morant put up a wide-open three-pointer that hit off the rim twice, then out of nowhere, John Konchar went up for the putback slam to put the Grizzlies up 100-98. 

This game wasn’t pretty but it sure was Jitty. That’s because Konchar, also known as Jitty, was a big reason for the Grizzlies’ 11th straight win, a 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night. With the win, the Grizzlies improve to 30-14 on the season and third in the Western Conference.

Konchar gave Memphis a huge lift off the bench with 15 points (6-7 FG, 3-4 3P) and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds. For one night, he was “Jitty for Da City” in honor of the man himself, Zach Randolph. 

Konchar was one rebound shy of matching Randolph’s franchise record for rebounds coming off the bench (18). (Montrezl Harrell of the Washington Wizards had the most rebounds by a bench player this season with 18 against the Charlotte Hornets back in November.)

The Illinois native described his rebounding knack after the game: “I don’t know, sometimes they just come to me. I don’t know how to describe that, I guess. I just know where the ball is going to go. If it’s short, or whoever is shooting it, you just have tendencies for that guy — if he’s been shooting it long, short, or whatever. You just build off that.”

He continued, “I always stay in the work room. I’ve been trying to do lower body  a lot. Just trying to get stronger so that I can box out and get the rebound instead of trying to jump over somebody. Just try to stay in the weight room year round.”

Grizzlies acting head coach Darko Rajakovic said of Konchar: “He’s just fearless, he’s willing to go after every rebound. He’s always in a good spot and has been working a lot with his body. Athletically, he’s been improving over the course of the year.” 

“He’s just always in the right spot — it’s crazy,” Desmond Bane said of Konchar’s rebounding performance. “Both offensively and defensively, he happens to be in the right spot. He’s around the ball. Obviously, 17 rebounds, but getting deflections and being in the mix. He’s a glue guy. Someone that brings the team together. I think that he’s been huge for us since we’ve really been winning games.”

The undrafted guard out of Purdue Fort Wayne was congratulated by all of his teammates during his walk-off interview with Fox Sports Southeast sideline reporter, Rob Fischer. 

“It’s awesome,” Konchar said of his teammates’ gesture. “We’re a close-knit group. It’s really fun playing with everybody. We just get along very well on and off the court. It’s a great time.”

Ja Morant was also proud of his teammate. “Man, he just does a lot on the floor for us,” Morant said. “Seventeen boards at the guard position is pretty tough to do. I looked up and saw he had 15. And then shotmaking … you really can’t leave him open. He’s knocking down shots — he does the hustle plays for us, gets all the 50/50 balls. He’s able to defend. He’s just a spark for us. Coming off the bench, he never complained. With his role, he does it at a very high level and tonight helped us get a win. With that big shot late and putbacks, it’s bigtime. He’s a special player for us who helps us get wins.” 

Thursday night against the Timberwolves, Konchar was gettin’ Jitty with it and helped his team keep their winning streak alive. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies are hoping to extend their winning streak to 12 games against the Dallas Mavericks Friday night. In November, the Mavericks ended the Grizzlies’ 5-game winning streak when Morant was sidelined with a knee injury. Bally Sports Southeast and ESPN will broadcast the game live beginning at 9 p.m. CT.

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Monday was a “Good Day” for Ja Morant

Screen grab from video of Ja Morant’s vicious dunk over Nets forward James Johnson

As Monday came to an end, one can only imagine that Ja Morant said, in the words of Ice Cube, “Today was a good day.”

First, on Monday afternoon, the league announced that Grizzlies guard had been named the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week. This is Morant’s first time being honored as player of the week, and the 11th overall for the team. 

The Murray State standout tallied 34.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.33 steals during three straight victories from December 27 to January 2, 2022, while shooting 55.7 percent from the field (39-70 FG) and 80.0 percent from 3-point range (12-15 3P).

Then on Monday night, Morant solidified himself as one of the NBA’s superstars as he put on a masterclass against Brooklyn with 36 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. He messed around and almost got a triple-double as I can hear him say, “Today was a good day.” It was the fourth time in as many games that Morant had scored 30 or more points, which set a new team record. 

Morant with a full head of steam for the slam
Now the slam in sloooooooomooooooooow motion.

The 22-year-old even received MVP chants in Barclays Center as he was at the line shooting free throws. Morant led Memphis to their fifth straight victory, knocking off the Nets 118-104 as the Grizzlies moved to 24-14 on the season. 

After the game, Kevin Durant had nice words to say about Morant. “He’s just controlling the game. Always been an efficient player who can run the point guard spot,” Durant said.

“He’s developed into a major scorer as well,” Durant added. “He just plays at a great pace out there — plays with joy and enthusiasm. You see him blossom in front of our eyes. Since college he’s been on this trajectory. As a basketball fan you can’t wait to see what it’s like years going forward.”

“He’s special,” Desmond Bane said about Morant. “People are debating whether or not he should be an All-Star. I think we should be debating whether he’s the best point guard in the league. I don’t think it’s any question if he’s an All-Star. The real conversation is, ‘Is he the best point guard in the league?’” Bane finished the night with 29 points, eight rebounds, and two steals. 

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins wholeheartedly believes Morant is an All-Star. “I have come out and said he’s absolutely an All-Star,” Jenkins said. “But I think the follow-up to that is that he should be because he impacts winning with his style of play. It’s whatever his teammates need, it’s multiple assists, the rebounding and taking on defensive assignments. Then, obviously, there’s the scoring ability. It comes in the paint, from the free-throw line and the 3-point line. His decision making is just constantly getting better game after game.”

“With a performance like that, like I’ve said before, all he cares about is winning, let’s keep winning. Obviously, he’s a huge piece to us winning. He empowers his teammates.”

When asked about the All-Star talk, Morant said, “I really don’t focus on it too much, honestly. Everybody who knows me, including my teammates, people throughout the organization know I’m a very humble guy, but I’m also confident. 

“So I’m gonna let my teammates continue to talk for me,” he added. I’m gonna just go out there and do what I can on the floor to help prove their case right even more.”

As for the MVP chants inside the Barclays Center, Morant was appreciative. He said, “It was surreal, obviously something I’ve been working for and to prove that I’m one of the top players in this league and my play as of late helping me with that and obviously giving me a lot more recognition from our fans to away fans.” He has heard multiple MVP chants at the FedExForum. 

Morant continued, “But to hear MVP chants on the road is different. It’s probably people who are rooting for the home team at a time, but still showing me love and respect — it’s big time; obviously, something I work for though. I just have to continue to work, go out there and play my game on the floor and do whatever I can to help my team win. That’s pretty much my main goal.” 

For Morant, statistics, honors, and recognition mean nothing until they lead to wins for his team.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Morant should be heading to Cleveland for his first career NBA All-Star selection next month. 

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Grizzlies Topple Lakers 104-99

Ja Morant defends LeBron James

Wednesday night your Memphis Grizzlies faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers. After struggling in the first half, the Grizzlies were able to cut into the lead the Lakers had built, and then a blend of good offense and defense in the fourth quarter helped guide the Grizzlies to a win.

A familiar face was on the sidelines for the opposing team. Lakers assistant coach (and former Grizzlies head coach) David Fizdale assumed head coaching duties this game as head coach Frank Vogel was in league health and safety protocols.

The Lakers have a roster full of recognizable names, players who have proven themselves on other teams. LeBron James, obviously, plus Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Avery Bradley. But for the amount of collective basketball ability the Lakers possess, they have had some very forgettable performances this season.

The Grizzlies on the other hand? We are all watching this young team grow into its own in real-time.  

By the Numbers:

Ja Morant continues to lead the way for the Grizzlies and has largely returned to his earlier season form. Morant leads all scorers with 41 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Desmond Bane continues to shine, and he finished the night with 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Only one other Grizzlies player scored in double figures — Jaren Jackson Jr. closed out with 15 points, four rebounds, three steals, and a block.

Kyle Anderson finished with 8 points, four rebounds, and two assists, and Xavier Tillman Sr. led the bench unit with 6 points, two steals, and a block.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will play their last game of the year against the San Antonio Spurs Friday night at FedExForum. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

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Suns Scorch Grizzlies, 119-94

Ja Morant goes for a floater. (Photo cred: Memphis Grizzlies on Twitter)

Tidbits from the Grizzlies’ 119-94 loss to the Suns. 

There’s a bit of a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde vibe going on in Memphis. The Grizzlies haven’t decided what type of team they want to be yet.

The Suns took a commanding lead from start to finish and were up by as many as 38 points.

Phoenix shot 48.9 percent from the field and 48.6 percent at the three-point line, while Memphis was 37.8 percent from the field and 21.2 percent at the three-point line. A season-high 18 3-pointers were made by the Suns in this game.

In the last four games, the Grizzlies have given up more than 115 points.

After the loss, Taylor Jenkins didn’t hold back. He said, “I’d just say we’ve got two versions of the Grizzlies: the six wins, we play disciplined basketball, we make shots, we do what we need to do defensively, and then outside of the Lakers game, the ones where we’ve gotten smacked, our defense hasn’t been disciplined and we’ve missed a lot of shots. You’re not going to win games when you shoot 38 percent and 21 percent [from the 3-point line].”

“I’m not going to use youth as an excuse or anything like that,” Jenkins continued. “It’s just a matter of just finding consistency and just going out there and just playing better.”

For the time being, Ja Morant appears to be the only consistent Grizzlies player. He finished the game with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists as the Grizzlies fell to 6-6 for the season. 

When he’s on the bench, it seems like everything goes downhill.

Just two points were scored by the bench in the first half. Nine shots were attempted, but only one was successful. The Phoenix bench outscored the Grizzlies bench 48-32, including a 33-7 advantage in the first three quarters.

However, Morant has a solution for the team’s problems. “Play harder, for 48 minutes,” he re-enforced. “Games we won, it is that simple, ready to play to the end, all four quarters.”

In addition to Morant, Jaren Jackson, Jr. was the only other Memphis player to score in double digits. Jackson tallied 19 points, four rebounds, and two blocks on 7-of-18 shooting from the field.

Two-year guard Desmond Bane shared his thoughts on what it takes for the team to get back on track. He said, “A strong defensive effort. I think we need to get back to enjoying playing defense and flying around for 48 minutes. I feel like our defense has let us down in the games we lose. We are better when we get out in transition, and are able to run, play at a faster pace. We have not been able to do that, because teams are scoring at a high rate.”

Bane continued, “It goes back to defense. We are not being consistent guarding, and we dig ourselves a hole. It’s tough to climb out [of]. We have had a tough start to the season, played a bunch of good teams. Almost all of our losses will probably be to playoff teams this year, or last year. We just have to bounce back, but we have a resilient group, so I think we will be fine.”

He went on to say, “It is a lack of discipline. It showed in the games we have lost. Whether it has been coverages, schemes, or game plan. When we are not making shots on the offense end, those things usually start to magnify.”

Bane scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked two shots.

The time has come for the group to step it up a notch. As a result, a faster start is required. In many cases, they often fall behind early and have to fight their way back. However, they’ve got another 70 games to work through it. Hopefully they’ll figure it out sooner rather than later.

Up Next

Even if things go south, there’s always hope for a turnaround in the NBA. The Grizzlies and Pelicans meet tonight at 6 p.m. CT in New Orleans for an early tip-off. The Grizzlies will face Jonas Valanciunas for the first time since he was traded to New Orleans. Valanciunas spent three seasons in Memphis.

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The Grizzlies Fall to the Blazers in Portland

Second year guard Desmond Bane (photo courtesy of Memphis Grizzlies Twitter account)

There was rain in Memphis on Wednesday night, and it disrupted the Memphis Grizzlies’ game in Portland, Oregon.

There was no flow to the Grizzlies offense; Steven Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr. were both in foul trouble. To make matters worse, Portland did a great job of keeping Ja Morant out of the paint where he’s most efficient.

Morant broke down why there was a lack of execution on both ends of the court. He said, “They were blitzing and doubling me off ball-screens. We just had to make shots. I feel like we let our offensive struggles affect us on the other end of the floor and missing assignments. Really wasn’t locked into the game plan really that much. We just let our mistakes turn into more mistakes and they got hot and won the game.”

“It was just one of those games — we just felt like we didn’t really get rolling,” Grizzlies backup point guard Tyus Jones said of the defeat. “We are usually able to kind of hit a point in the game where we feel like we’re clicking, go on a decent run as well, and we just didn’t get to that point tonight. It was just one of those nights and luckily we play in 24 hours, so we get a chance to correct it right away.”

Memphis led 57-51 at halftime, but the Blazers outscored the Grizzlies 65-39 in the second half. 

“We didn’t play well tonight,” Taylor Jenkins said after the loss. We got an opportunity tomorrow. Our guys have always bounced back and competed [in] the next opportunity — so learn from it, get better, and play better tomorrow.”

Jenkins continued, “We knew they were an aggressive defense — give them credit — they played hard and turned us over but we still had plenty of opportunities to kill runs and stay in this ball game and we didn’t take advantage.” Portland forced 21 turnovers.

According to Jones, the Blazers’ defense, “were up on ball screens, showing hands, being active, and they just deflected a good amount of passes.” If the team is not extremely careful with the ball, precise with passes, they’ll force a lot of turnovers then they get out and run and hit shots. “They hit a lot of shots, a lot of contested shots so it kind of played into their hands a little bit. They were up on ball screens. We just got to do a better job capitalizing on that.”

Despite the gloomy conditions inside Moda Center, Desmond Bane was the bright spot for the Grizzlies on Wednesday night. The TCU alum led Memphis with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He continued his streak of connecting on multiple three-pointers while going 4-of-7.

After taking an accidental elbow to the head from Blazers forward Larry Nance Jr., Bane left the game late in the third quarter. Because of the blow, Bane’s blood spilled onto the court, and he needed six stitches to close the wound.

Bane is poised to take the second year leap. Through four games, the 6’5” guard is averaging 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 28.5 minutes of play for Memphis. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies will face the 4-0 Golden State Warriors, tonight at the Chase Center to wrap its four game West road trip. Tip-off starts at
9 p.m. CT.

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Ja Morant Pushes Grizzlies to Victory in Season Opener

Ja Morant in the air (Photo courtesy of the Memphis Grizzlies on Twitter)

Season openers are not too kind to the Memphis Grizzlies, however, Ja Morant took care of business on Wednesday night to lift the Grizzlies past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 132-121. Morant’s performance was so impressive at one point during the game, the crowd chanted, “MVP, MVP, MVP.”  The Murray State alum admitted he was a little distracted by the chant but knew he had to make his free throws.

Morant showed off his out-of-this world athleticism on both ends of the court during the game. Take a look:

Massive Block

The 22-year old was stunned on how high he went in the air for the block. After the game he said, “I did surprise myself on the block, though. The layup was kind of high. When I had seen the replay I had to duck my head a little bit. My main focus right now is to try to be more active on the defensive end, and I feel like we’re a better team when I’m locked in.”

Eye-popping Dunk

In 34 minutes, Morant led the Grizzlies with 37 points while going 17-of-29 from the field to go with six rebounds, six assists, and two blocks.

If Morant was Captain America during the season opener, then Desmond Bane and De’Anthony Melton were his Falcon and Winter Soldier. 

Bane put on a show with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and swagger that wasn’t seen in his rookie campaign. “Last year, I didn’t want anything to do with the paint,” Bane said after the victory over the Cavs. “I was strictly catch and shoot, getting out in transition every once in a while. Coach has given me more freedom. Darko [Rajakovic] and the whole staff, we worked tirelessly all offseason for positions like this and I feel comfortable for sure.”

“He’s in year three, I’m in year two. Hopefully, by year five or six, it will be something special,” Bane continued, touching on his connection with Morant. “Just keep chipping away and growing — both of us are obviously tireless workers. I think the chemistry will continue to grow. I’m looking forward to playing with him hopefully for a long time.”

The TCU alum went on to say, “He’s an electric athlete, and I can shoot threes. It takes a little pressure off of him and gives him space to work. When they decide to collapse, I’m there for an open look to shoot it, drive it, whatever. I think it’s a good fit.”

De’Anthony Melton knew what his responsibility was, and he didn’t disappoint. On his first start of the season, Melton said, “It felt great — my name was called and I knew the assignment. I knew go in, play my game, play hard, play defense, get stops and get out. I was just doing what I knew how to do.”

In his first start of the season, the California native finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists. One of Melton’s assists was to Morant for a massive dunk. Melton spoke about a lob to Morant, saying, “I probably saw him around half. Once Ja starts full-speed sprinting, then you already know where he wants to go. I just threw it up there. If it didn’t get tipped, he was going to catch it. I just threw it high enough to where only he could get it. He did the rest with it.”

Tidbits

Morant shared a moment with Grizzlies legend Zach Randolph.

Jarrett Allen is a good basketball player and he still has a cool fro. Allen led Cleveland with 25 points while going a perfect 11-of-11 from the field. 

Up Next

They are going on a brutal four-game road trip out West. First up are the Clippers on Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. CT. 

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The Memphis Grizzlies are Playoff Bound

Dillon Brooks hugs Ja Morant after he hit a go ahead bucket late in overtime. (Photo via Grizzlies Twitter)

The Memphis Grizzlies are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Marc Gasol won’t be present, Zach Randolph has officially retired, Tony Allen hasn’t played in a long time, and Mike Conley will be suiting up for Memphis’ first-round opponent, the Utah Jazz. A 21-year old second-year guard is the leader on this team, and he showed up in one of the biggest games of his young career. 

That’s right, Ja Morant put on a show and sealed the victory in OT of the NBA’s play-in elimination game against the Golden State Warriors, 117-112.

After defeating the Spurs on Wednesday, Morant said the team planned to pack for a three-game road trip having confidence his team would make the playoffs. Those were bold words and he backed it up in an emphatic way. 

Morant showed poise from the start, and the young star isn’t afraid to play against any team. He put on another breakout performance like he did in last season’s play-in tournament elimination game against the Portland Trailblazers. The Murray State alum finished with a team-high 35 points, six rebounds, six assists to go along with four steals in 45 minutes of play. Morant also connected on a career-high 5 of 10 from the three-point line. 

Morant and company heard the noise that most thought the team had absolutely no chance to upset the Warriors inside the Chase Center. The team proved the NBA world wrong again by eliminating both the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors in the second season of a team rebuild. 

Morant spoke to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols after the game.

The real Grizzlies bench showed up and showed out.

Earlier on Friday, I stated in a play-in preview, “Simply put, Memphis cannot and will not win this game if there’s not a good performance from its bench.” And the bench players came up huge after being outworked in the past two games against the Warriors last Sunday and the Spurs on Wednesday. 

The second unit had 40 points behind Grayson Allen, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Desmond Bane. With that performance, the Grizzlies bench proved why they were a top-10 bench in the league during the regular season. 

In 25 minutes, Allen finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and four steals plus some big three-point shots during the overtime period. Allen went 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. 

Tillman played 23 minutes and chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Tillman was huge for Memphis on both ends of the floor and was one of the reasons for the win. The rookie put on a great performance before a national audience after Jonas Valanciunas fouled out and Jaren Jackson Jr. was on the bench. 

Rookie Desmond Bane played the most minutes of the second unit at 29; he added 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists. When most of the bench was struggling, Bane had the trust of the coaching staff to be on the court with the starters. 

Analysis

This truly is a remarkable story for the Memphis Grizzlies to make the playoffs in the second year of a rebuild after defying all the odds and overachieving with the deck stacked against them. 

Memphis should be proud of this team’s resilience and poise. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies will take on Conley and the Utah Jazz in the first round of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the NBA Playoffs. Here is the schedule: 

Note: All times are Central.

Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | Grizzlies at Jazz, 8:30 p.m on TNT

Game 2:  Wednesday, May 26 | Grizzlies at Jazz, 9 p.m on TNT

Game 3:  Saturday, May 29 | Jazz at Grizzlies, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN

Game 4:  Monday, May 31 | Jazz at Grizzlies, 8:30 p.m on TNT

Game 5:  Wednesday, June 2 | Grizzlies at Jazz, TBD (if necessary)

Game 6:  Friday, June 4 | Jazz at Grizzlies, TBD (if necessary)

Game 7:  Sunday, June 6 | Grizzlies at Jazz, TBD (if necessary)

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Houston Had a Problem Against Memphis Sunday Night

CREDIT: NBA.com

Justise Winslow found his groove on Sunday night against the Houston Rockets by going 4-of-4 from the field early on. In just his fourth game back after a lengthy absence, Winslow led the Grizzlies with 20 points and two blocks off the bench in a decisive victory over the Rockets 133–84. This is the first time Winslow scored 20 or more points since October of 2019 while a member of the Miami Heat. An emotional Winslow spoke after the game:

Houston Had a Problem Against Memphis Sunday Night

Houston Had a Problem Against Memphis Sunday Night (3)

Brandon Clarke notched his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 7-of-9 from the field.

De’Anthony Melton finished with 14 points, five assists, and four steals. Tyus Jones had a complete game with 13 points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. The Grizzlies had a season-high 16 steals and 56 rebounds.

Desmond Bane had 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals with a +38 +/- net rating to help the Grizzlies move to 15–15 on the season in his fourth career start. Bane even had a nasty highlight dunk. 

Houston Had a Problem Against Memphis Sunday Night (2)

Very impressive victory by our group,” Taylor Jenkins said after the game. A very impressive victory, indeed. 

The Grizzlies bench set a franchise record with 85 points by outscoring the entire Rockets team. Memphis also set a franchise record with the largest margin of victory with the 49 point smashing while handing Houston its 11th straight loss. Memphis held the Rockets to a franchise-low 27.7 percent from the field and 4-for-45 on 3-pointers.

Next Up:

The Grizzlies will take on Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, March 2, at the Capital One Arena. Tip-off is set at 6 p.m. CT.
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Barrage Of Threes Helps Grizzlies Maul Hornets

Wednesday night, the Memphis Grizzlies wanted to avoid a five-game losing streak. A franchise-record shooting night with 23 three-pointers sealed the deal, as the Grizzlies defeated the Charlotte Hornets 130–114 at FedEx Forum. Memphis improves to 10-10 on the season. 

Kyle Anderson led the Grizzlies with 27 points while hitting a career high 6 of 8 from the three-point stripe. Anderson spoke about his massive third quarter. He said, “I think I had knocked down a corner three in the first half, and it just felt good. So, it came to me about four or five times in a row again in the second half, just how their defense was guarding pick-and-roll.

“Teams have been getting away with that lately, being up on Ja (Morant) and making him get it out of his hands,” Anderson continued. “So I knew after these last few games that today I’ve got to just be able to make shots when he does give it up.”

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Dillon Brooks added 20 points and four assists on 8-of-13 shooting. Brooks also converted on 4-of-8 from three to get out of his shooting funk. 

Desmond Bane continued to improve his game with his second career start, finishing with a career-high 18 points, two assists, and two steals. 

Barrage Of Threes Helps Grizzlies Maul Hornets

Morant tallied his third double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and a game-high 11 assists.

“I feel like we have a very dangerous team, knocking down shots,” Morant said after the victory. “We encourage everybody from the first man to the last man to shoot it and let it fly. We all got that confidence in each other.”

After the game, Morant’s work wasn’t entirely done, apparently. He was back on the court putting up shots.

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“As far as my shooting after (the game), I feel like I have to be better on the court in all areas,” Morant explained. “I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t satisfied, so I just wanted to finish getting some extra work in. That’s really about it.”

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Grayson Allen

Grayson Allen led the bench unit with 18 points and three assists while setting a season-high of 3-pointers made with five.

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For the Hornets, Terry Rozier’s (aka Scary Terry) game-high 34 points weren’t enough to overcome the hot-shooting Grizzlies. LaMelo Ball chipped in 17 points while Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges both finished with 15 each as Charlotte slipped to 12–14 on the season.

Up Next

The Grizzlies travel out west for a two-game road trip. First up is LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night with a 9 pm CST tip.