Devin Booker – Memphis Flyer

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.

Memphis went 2–0 on a road back-to-back as they held off the Phoenix Suns 121-114 on Sunday night. The Grizzlies shot 54.2 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Memphis also recorded a new single-season franchise record with 30 or more assists for the 14th time this season. The Grizzlies entered the night ranked second in the NBA in assists per game, behind only the Suns. Memphis won the assist battle against Phoenix 31-25.

Jonas Valanciunas

Jonas Valanciunas was the high scorer for Memphis with 30 points, including 14 in the first quarter, when he finished with 5-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point range. “I’m just trying to get some open buckets,” the seven-year center said about his big game. “We’re trying to execute, get some open shots. Spacing is a big key for me so yeah, I was just trying to find my role.”

Valanciunas added eight rebounds and four assists (12-16 FG, 3-4 3P). It was his seventh career 30-point game and his second this season.

Dillon Brooks scored 19 points to go with four rebounds and two assists on the night. Brooks went 5 of 11 from the 3-point line.

The Grizzlies shot 18-of-42 from three-point range, matching the 18 they made against the LA Clippers in a win on Saturday afternoon. It was the first time the Grizzlies have made at least 18 three-pointers in back-to-back games in franchise history.

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Ja Morant finished with 13 points and seven assists. The Grizzlies bench was led by Brandon Clarke and Solomon Hill, who both tallied 10 points. The Grizzlies’ reserves outscored the Suns second unit 41-25.

Phoenix was led by Devin Booker, who knocked down 40 points and added six assists and two rebounds. Booker became the first player in Suns history to post 30-or-more points in four consecutive games. Kelly Oubre Jr. notched a double-double for Phoenix with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists. Deandre Ayton also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Memphis is now 15–22 for the season and a half game back on the San Antonio Spurs for the eight spot in the Western Conference. Don’t look now, but the Grizzlies may very well be playing for playoff contention if they can keep putting things together.

Quotes from Taylor Jenkins
“Proud of the guys — tough start to the road trip, but to come away with back to back wins against good teams,” said the first year coach. “I’m impressed with our guys, really proud of the defensive activity, that’s the reason why we’re able to build these 20-point leads.”

Jenkins went on to say, “We’ve got to find ways to get better. Credit to our guys, it got a little scary there in the end, in the fourth, but we just find a way to execute against their pressure, come up with some big stops down the stretch. The unselfishness, which is what I keep continuing to talk about, 31 assists.”

“Obviously, guys are shooting the ball great but when the ball is moving around and we’re backing up our defensive activity with this great offensive play, it’s awesome,” Jenkins continued. “I told the guys we’ve just got to find ways to get better, especially when we build those leads, we know teams are going to give a great charge. Credit the Suns, they kept fighting. They’re a heck of a team, but I’m proud of our guys coming away with a big road win.”

Who got next
The Grizzlies will return home for a six-game home stand, on Tuesday January 7th to face the Minnesota Timberwolves inside FedExForum. Tip-Off at 7pm CST.