Tag: Dillon Brooks

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Grizzlies Blasted by the Rockets, Again

Desmond Bane moves the ball against former Grizzly Dillon Brooks. Credit: Aimee Stiegemeyer

What started as a promising game in the first half turned into a nightmare in the second. With a final score of 103-96, the Memphis Grizzlies have lost their fourth consecutive game and second in the home-and-home set against the Houston Rockets.

Let’s get into it.

It was the return of former Grizzly Dillon Brooks to FedExForum for the first time since he was signed by the Rockets over the summer. A little serendipitous for the Canadian forward, who was originally drafted by Houston and immediately traded to the Grizzlies in 2017.

And in true fitting Dillon the Villain fashion, Brooks was the one who slammed the door on the Grizzlies, first, with a clutch three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining, and then with a steal on the next trip down the floor. Brooks finished the night with a season-high 26 points on 10 of 20 shooting.

It was a tale of two halves, with the Grizzlies competing in the first half only to come out in the second and get dog-walked by the Rockets. Again. They did not help themselves by keeping the ball secure, finishing the night with 18 turnovers that were converted into 16 points for Houston.

A combined 50 points from Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr could not overcome the hole the Grizzlies dug themselves into in the second half. Bane closed out with a game-high 28 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Jackson Jr finished with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocks.

Vince Williams Jr put up 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.

Bismack Biyombo added 10 points and 9 rebounds.

From the second unit, Santi Aldama contributed 11 points and 4 rebounds, and David Roddy added 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.

These are trying times for Grizzlies fans. One more game until the return of Ja Morant.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies are hitting the road for a two-game stretch and will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, December 18th. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Don’t Be So Quick To Retcon the Dillon Brooks Era

Dillon Brooks dunks the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks. (Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies and Dillon Brooks are parting ways after six seasons. It was reported by Shams Charania via Twitter and the Athletic, and the phrasing used was brutal – that Brooks would not be brought back “under any circumstances.”

But don’t be so quick to retcon the Dillon Brooks era.

Suddenly the criticism of Brooks, which had been coming from all angles for his antics during the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers, has been turned on to the franchise itself for throwing Brooks under the bus.

Winning cures everything, and when Brooks was helping the Grizzlies win, his antics off and on the court could be tolerated. Now he’s not, and they aren’t. This isn’t rocket science.

The internet did provide some humor to the situation, and it’s fun to get those jokes off, but when it comes down to it, Dillon Brooks made the Grizzlies a better team for much longer than he didn’t. 

The writing has been on the wall for a while, and anyone who claims to be surprised by this outcome is either lying or living under a rock. And blaming the culture in Memphis and claiming Brooks is being made a scapegoat diminishes the actual basketball reasons the team is correctly moving on from him. He had become a liability on the offensive end, and Coach Jenkins either couldn’t or wouldn’t rein him in.

For all the noise surrounding the Grizzlies and Dillon Brooks, it would be helpful to remember that this team would not be where they are today without his efforts. 

It’s okay to think his outsized trash-talking and at times reckless style of play would have been a detriment to the team going forward and appreciate the hard work and effort he’s shown this franchise for the past six seasons. We can and should do both.

When Dillon was drafted in 2017, the team was wildly different from the Grizzlies of the present day. During the 2017-18 season, the Grizzlies had a total of 24 players who played minutes for them, including such memorable players as Andrew Harrison, Jarell Martin, Ivan Rabb, and (who could forget?) Chandler Parsons. The Grizzlies went through a sudden head-coaching change and finished 14th in the western conference with a 22-60 record. Marc Gasol was still the leader of the team, and Mike Conley was the theoretical co-captain, although he was recovering from injury most of the season. The team Brooks was drafted by is unrecognizable now.

I still remember one of Brooks’ first games in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform. It was a preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and he shot 5 for 5 from beyond the arc, during a period the team was notoriously lacking in outside shooting. In his rookie season, he played 2,350 minutes across all 82 regular season games, and the most total minutes of his career to date.

You will be hard-pressed to find a player who gives 110% effort in every game, but Brooks does. He always wants the toughest defensive assignments, and he prides himself in holding opponents to low-scoring numbers when they face him. He is a genuine asset on the defensive end … most of the time.

But that Dillon Brooks is also the same player who never met a shot he didn’t like, who led the league two years in a row in fouls accumulated, who regularly shoots ill-advised three-point shots only a few seconds into the shot clock. And sometimes, that was exactly what the Grizzlies needed, but that time has passed. As we all must grow and change and adapt, so too does this team.

The Grizzlies have outgrown Dillon Brooks, and that’s okay.

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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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Grizzlies Down Warriors, 133-119

Jaren Jackson, Jr. drives to the basket on Saturday, March 18, 2023 against the Golden State Warriors (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Memphis Grizzlies were back at home against their most hated rival, the Golden State Warriors. 

The Grizzlies controlled the game in the first half, but Golden State came roaring back and put up 41 points in the third quarter to cut the lead to single digits. However, Memphis held the Warriors to 19 points on 7-of-21 shooting (1-8 3P) in the fourth period, and scored 29 points of their own to beat the Warriors 133-119. 

The Grizzlies have won five of their last six games, and have a best-in-the-NBA home winning percentage (.853) after improving to 29-5 at FedExForum this season. Memphis also tied its season high with its eighth consecutive home victory.

With their eleventh consecutive road loss, Golden State dropped back to 7-29 on the road this season. The Warriors have not won a road game since January 27th. 

The Block Panther Game 

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies, tying his season high with 31 points by going 12-of-22 from the field, with seven boards, four blocks, and three assists. 

Jackson Jr. has scored 25+ points in three consecutive games, the longest such streak of his career.

“My teammates are requiring a lot out of me offensively” Jackson, Jr. said on balancing offensive assertiveness and efficiency. “They want me to view the mismatches and find different opportunities for me to score, especially when I have someone smaller than me, but even when I have somebody slower. I have to do both.”

Jackson, Jr. went on to say, “So, when I’m getting that many attempts, especially in the right spots, it’s really just about the spots I’m getting. If I can get in a better spot, higher chances of going in rather than trying to force it when doubles come, trying to find guys to review the double team rather than just go head-to-head without looking. You know, it all helps.”

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said,  “I thought Jaren [Jackson Jr.] played a great game tonight. I thought he was aggressive, he was scoring in the lane, knocked down a few threes as well, but he had it going tonight for sure.” 

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins spoke about Jackson Jr’s improved offensive game. “It’s been a huge growth area for him, for us as a team, for me,” Jenkins said. “It’s all the above. It’s the work he’s been putting in when it comes to post-ISO situations, the reads he’s making off of drives, whether that’s on a go-and-catch, coming off a pick-and-roll situation.” 

“I think what it really comes down to is finding the times to assert himself when it’s in the flow of offense and when we make a call for you, Jenkins added. “He’s finding a lot of success. He’s making angles, he’s making efficient moves to get to the rim. Tonight, a great example of kick-outs and dump-offs for three assists.”

Jenkins concluded, “Huge growth area for him. Just being efficient, as you said, but it’s just within the flow of the offense and when we make play calls for him. Just allowing him to be the decision maker. We know what he does defensively, but when he can give you that production inside out, from the free throw line, some playmaking on top of that, that’s huge for us.”

Jackson Jr. knows he’s a walking mismatch every game. “I feel like that every night, but you have to control it,” said the 23-year-old. “You have to do it in the right form, and if you if you just think like that and you just start jacking it, it just doesn’t look as good. I feel like that, but I’m really just reading how the games go.”

The All-Defensive forward has what it takes to be elite both offensively and defensively, but he has to have balance. “You just got to have the legs to be able to do both,” the All-Star big man said after the game. “So a lot of endurance is needed for that kind of activity. I’m not just doing one thing. So, it’s just about getting enough rest and having your legs. That helps because I know I have enough strength to get it done.”

The Dillon Brooks Effect 

Stephen Curry was limited to 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting, snapping a 17-game streak of scoring 20+ points. Curry was too not thrilled about being asked about his matchup against Brooks. Curry said, “We played the whole Memphis Grizzlies, not just him. That’s my thoughts.”

After the game, Brooks spoke about his plan for guarding Curry. He said, “Just being obsessed about him. Just watching film. Just understanding his whole game, the whole game plan. I love playing against him. He’s a competitor. I don’t think he likes the way I operate, but it’s working, so he’s going to have to figure out how to score on me. But, like I told everybody else, with a guy like him, he’s been doing it for so many years, seen so many defenses, so many coverages that you got to finally do something different. His desire to be the greatest shooter in the NBA, on this Earth, is the same desire that I want to guard him every single night.”

Jenkins had one word to describe Brooks after the game. “Spirited,”said Jenkins. “He’s got great spirit. He’s got great energy. I always say he’s an ultimate competitor. He embodies so many things you want out of a basketball player every single night, just how he lays it on the line. He leads by example, leads on the floor, leads off the floor with his voice. I could probably elaborate more, but you said, ‘How would I describe it?’ I can give you the one word: it’s very spirited.”

Jenkins also said he believes Brooks should be on the NBA All-Defensive team this season. He said, “The numbers don’t lie. The film doesn’t lie, so I think it’s a no-brainer that he should be an All-Defensive player.”

“This is elite level intensity, and he’s a master at it honestly,” Jackson, Jr. said of Brooks’ intensity. “Being able to have that level of intensity and still being able to lock in and have a calm approach to still get stuff done. You can’t just be erratic all the time, so there is a method to his madness for sure.”

Brooks added 18 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3-point range.

The Grizzlies need this version of Brooks going forward. 

Up Next

The second game of a four-game homestand continues when the Dallas Mavericks come to town on Monday night with possibly both Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic available. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Depleted Grizzlies Run Clippers Close in Road Loss

Dillon Brooks guards LeBron James. (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)

It has been tumultuous for the Memphis Grizzlies since Friday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. 

First, Brandon Clarke went down with injury with a torn Achilles (out for the season), Dillon Brooks received his 16th technical foul that caused an automatic one-game suspension, and then there’s Ja Morant, who is away from the team indefinitely after brandishing a gun on his IG Live. 

It was remarkable to see the Grizzlies put up a fight against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night. 

“We have to step up because there are big shoes to fill,” said Jaren Jackson, Jr. after Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the Clippers. “That’s been our motto for a long time. Whenever somebody goes down, everyone’s always ready, everyone’s always working. Come together and do it.”

The Grizzlies put up a 51 point third quarter against the Clippers and had a 15 point lead going into the final period. LA outscored Memphis 38-17 to win the game, 135-129. 

Memphis’ fourth quarter woes continue to rear its ugly head. 

Desmond Bane says that the team isn’t really too concerned about it. 

“We’ve had guys in and out you know pretty much all year, so I think that we’re still kind of figuring out our fourth quarter offense,” he said. “Once we get to half court, Jaren [Jackson, Jr.] is a focal point given his size. We slow the game down and play through him. So if he continues to make the right decisions, I think that is something that we’re gonna grow through for sure.” 

The Grizzlies are ranked 29th in fourth quarter scoring in the association. 

Tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers on TNT, Memphis will have Dillon Brooks back in the starting lineup. 

Memphis is still second place in the Western Conference yet only .5 games ahead of the soaring Sacramento Kings, who are in third. 

The Lakers are trying to make the play-in while LeBron James is out due to a foot injury. 

Tyus Jones isn’t worried about the team after all the adversity. He said Sunday, “I’m confident that the team will move forward. I’m confident we can continue to stay together, ride together. We still have a job to do – we are still striving to improve as a team.”

That next-man-up mentality must be ever present for the Grizzlies if they want to keep second place in the West. Other teams will not lie down for them. 

The secret to their success is giving a full effort for the full 48 minutes. Jenkins must take responsibility for the selection of his lineups and the players have to take responsibility for their play. 

I know it’s going to be a struggle. Can the team handle it with added pressure without Morant? 

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Grizzlies Snap Road Losing Streak

Desmond Bane goes up for a jumper on March 1, 2023 against the Houston Rockets (Credit: Logan Riley/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Grizzlies ended their 8-game losing streak on the road with a 113-99 victory over the Rockets on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center on the second night of a back-to-back. 

It was obvious in the first half that both the Grizzlies and the Rockets were playing the second night of a back-to-back. When it came to scoring early on, both teams struggled, but it was the Grizzlies who eventually pulled ahead. After leading by only three points at halftime, Memphis exploded to a 17-point advantage by the end of the third quarter.

After scoring just 47 points in the first half, Memphis scored 66 second-half points. 

The Grizzlies have now won three in a row to improve to 38-23 on the season while the Rockets have lost 11 straight and dropped to 13-49. 

Desmond Bane led the squad with 30 points while scoring 21 in the second half, nine rebounds, six assists and connecting on 6-of-9 from the 3-point stripe. 

Ja Morant added 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 26 minutes of action. The game was out of hand late in the third period, and Morant sat in the final quarter. 

Jaren Jackson, Jr. finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and five blocks. The Block Panther is now tied for second place with 145 total blocks this season; however, Jackson is the leader at blocks per game at 3.3. 

Dillon Brooks had his best game of the calendar year with 16 points while connecting on four 3-pointers. 

Up Next 

The Grizzlies will battle the Denver Nuggets on Friday at 9pm CT inside Ball Arena. It will be the third and final regular season meeting between the Western Conference top 2 seeded teams. 

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Grizzlies Drop 5th-Straight Game to End Road Trip

Ja Morant shooting the ball on January 27, 2023 against the Minnesota Timberwolves (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)

The Grizzlies finished a five-game, season-long road trip winless, after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday by a score of 111-100.

Yes, Memphis has lost five straight games after going on an 11-game win streak to begin the year.  The road has not been kind for the Grizzlies as the team is 11-15 this season. However, there’s no place like home. Memphis has one of the best home records in the league at 20-3. 

Desmond Bane (right knee pain) and Steven Adams were absent for the Grizzlies on Friday (right knee PCL sprain). John Konchar also is in concussion protocol. With 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, Ja Morant led the Grizzlies, and notched his fourth season triple-double and eighth of his career.

On the season, Morant is averaging 27.3 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds and will surely be selected as an All-Star reserve by NBA head coaches. 

To round off the scoring, Dillon Brooks finished with 17 points, Brandon Clarke added 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, and Jaren Jackson Jr. ended with 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. 

The Timberwolves’ Kyle Anderson finished with a season-high 23 points and six assists, including a season-high four 3-pointers in the win against his former team.

Deficiencies

Free-throw shooting reared its ugly head in losses in the losing streak. The team only shot 80 percent or above in two of the five games. The worst outcome was going 26 of 40 against the Los Angeles Lakers and losing 122-121. 

Memphis shot 26 of 37 against the Golden State Warriors and lost by 2 points, 122-120. This has become a problem that has cost the team regular season games and if not corrected will haunt them come playoff time. 

Memphis tragedy

Prior to the game, a moment of silence was held for Tyre Nichols, who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers earlier this month. Both the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves issued statements prior to the release of the disturbing videos on the deadly encounter. 

Jackson Jr. shared his thoughts on Twitter prior to the game.

After the game Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins spoke to the media:

“There’s way harder things on in the city versus what’s going on with our basketball right now. I’m proud of our guys going out there. We’re playing with heavy hearts, but we’re also playing for our city that’s going through a lot right now.My words will only mean so much. I want to continue to encourage people to put their arms around each other. To put their arms around the Nichols family, the Wells family to remember a beautiful life in Tyre Nichols – who I did not know, but I’m learning about.”

The team’s locker room was closed on Friday after the game and players were not made available to speak with the media. #JusticeForTyre

Up Next 

There’s no place like home. The Grizzlies will look to end their slump on Sunday when they return home to take on the Indiana Pacers at 5 pm CT.

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Memphis Loses to Suns as Late Rally Falls Short

Ja Morant and Steven Adams on January 23, 2023 against Phoenix Suns. (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)

A 38-point fourth quarter from helped the Grizzlies rally from a double-digit deficit and trim the Suns lead to two points, but Phoenix prevailed 112-110 to tie the season series at 2-2. At one point in the game, Phoenix was up as many as 29 points. 

After winning 11 straight games, Memphis has now lost two games in a row by a total of three points. 

Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 27 points, eight assists, and five rebounds and Desmond Bane added 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Ziaire Williams chipped in season-high tying 16 points as a reserve, including a franchise-record 79-foot buzzer-beater to close out the third quarter.

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said he was proud of the team’s effort to get back in the game but he was not happy with the team’s road woes. 

Jenkins said, “I was proud of them, but I said you can’t come out with that mentality on the road. We’re two games, I think, below .500. We’ve got to get better. This is a great learning opportunity, so we still got a long road trip ahead against really good teams. 

“I say we just gotta take it one day at a time,” Jenkins added. “But use this as an opportunity to get better. We haven’t lived up to our standard on the road, but I want to take this as an opportunity, middle of the season, good teams out west — we had this back in December — we’ve got to respond. And I have the belief that our guys will. It may not happen overnight, but luckily they’re aware that we have to be better in these situations.”

Memphis is 11-12 on the road and 20-3 at home. 

“Good teams win at home,” Morant told The Athletic’s Kelly Iko in an exclusive. “Great teams win on the road. That’s been our identity since I got here. Road warriors. This year, we haven’t been bringing that intensity on the road.”

 “Early on, we missed a lot of shots we normally make,” Morant told the media after the loss. “They were making them on the other end. Obviously, basketball is 48 minutes, a game of runs. I just feel like we got to be better, knowing when our shots aren’t falling, know to lock it in even more on defense then getting stops and then pretty much not dropping our heads after a team scores a couple of times or goes on a run; we just got to come out and be ready to fight.”

“You got to create your own energy,” said Dillon Brooks. “The crowd is a big thing in this league, and you have to find a way to create your own energy. The Western Conference is a tougher conference, so [it’s about] finding a way to create our own energy on this road trip and bouncing back after these two losses.”

Tid-Bit

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe apologized for his actions against the Grizzlies on Friday night during the Lakers game on Friday night. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies are in Sacramento Monday to take on a hot Kings team that’s trying to cement its place in the top echelon of the Western Conference. It’s a late tip-off: 9:30 pm CT. 

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Adams, Brooks Lift Memphis to 11th Straight Win

Steven Adams up high Wednesday, January 18, 2023 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

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. 

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Brooks Leads Grizzlies Past Raptors

Dillon Brooks matched up against Gary Trent, Jr. on December 29, 2022 (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Toronto Raptors 119-106 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night after dropping two straight games. 

The victory over the Raptors in Toronto was a welcome relief after they had dropped four of their previous five games, including a crushing loss on Christmas Day to the shorthanded Golden State Warriors. 

The recent slump has dropped them from first place in the Western Conference to third. They are currently one game behind the Western Conference-leading New Orleans Pelicans and Denver Nuggets.

Many questioned their swagger and competitive spirit after the disappointing losses. 

Some were too quick to write off the Grizzlies, but they proved them wrong on Thursday night by just having fun and finding their footing again. The NBA is a long season, and Memphis must continue to take it one game at a time. 

All five of Memphis’ starters scored in double figures. Dillon Brooks led the way for Grizzlies with 25 points and six assists for his homecoming. Brooks is from Mississauga, Ontario near Toronto.

After the game, Brooks revealed his coaches want him to be more of a playmaker. 

On his six assists, Brooks said, “Kudos to me. I tried to shoot the open ones and I work on my game every single day to be confident in my shot.” 

Ja Morant tallied his 12th double-double of the season with 19 points and a career-high 17 assists. 

Desmond Bane added 16 points, five rebounds, and two steals. It’s his best game back since his return from injury.

Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Jackson is averaging 3.0 blocks per game this season. 

Steven Adams posted his eighth double-double of the season with 14 points and 17 rebounds, while John Konchar added 11 points and seven rebounds as a reserve. 

Sharing is Caring 

The Grizzlies recorded a season-high 37 assists. Memphis is 8-0 this season when registering 30 assists. 

With his 17 assists, Morant recorded the highest assist total by a single Grizzlies player since Jason Williams set a franchise record with 19 more than 20 years ago in March 2002. 

Three-Point Shooting

The Grizzlies went 13-of-29 from beyond the arc after going four straight games shooting in the single digits. Brooks shot four, Memphis’ best 3-point shooter Bane connected with three, and Konchar added two 3-point shots.

Up Next 

The Grizzlies will host the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, Dec. 31, at 7 p.m. CT.