Tag: Jonas Valanciunas

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Trounce Lakers, Snap 5-Game Losing Streak

via Memphis Grizzlies Twitter


Ja Morant led the Memphis Grizzlies into battle against the Los Angeles Lakers and dealt the Lakers their first road loss to a Western Conference team this season. In their 105-88 victory, the Grizzlies exhibited some lockdown defense and held the Lakers to their season-lowest scoring. Saturday night’s game snapped both a five-game Memphis losing streak and a seven-game Los Angeles winning streak.


Beatdown on Beale Street
This was a nice preview for what a potential first-round playoff series might look like. While still missing some key players due to injury, the shorthanded Grizzlies squad showed no fear as they put their collective foot on their opponent’s neck and didn’t let up. It wasn’t a true wire-to-wire win, but the largest lead the Lakers held was two points in the first quarter, while the Grizzlies led by as much as 22. 

It was a much-needed win for a team that has been in a post-All-Star break slump and a powerful reminder of who the rightful Rookie of the Year should be. Morant had a game-high 27 points and was one of three Memphis starters to finish with 20+ points.

By the Numbers

Ja Morant: 27 points, 14 assists, 6 rebounds.  

Dillon Brooks: 24 points 

Jonas Valanciunas: 22 points, 20 rebounds

Highlights and History-Making
Jonas Valanciunas registered his 29th double-double of the season. He also had a career-high 25 rebounds last night against Sacramento and became the first player in franchise history to grab at least 20 rebounds in consecutive games.

Grizzlies Trounce Lakers, Snap 5-Game Losing Streak

Morant leads all rookies in double-doubles and is the only rookie this season to achieve a triple-double. Last night was Morant’s 11th double-double of the season with 27 points and 14 assists to go with six rebounds. He also became the second rookie in NBA history (Oscar Robertson) to record at least 27 points and 14 assists in a game against the Lakers.

Grizzlies Trounce Lakers, Snap 5-Game Losing Streak (2)

Morant also gave a good-natured, post-game shoutout to a twitter user whose comment he says spurred on his phenomenal effort.

Grizzlies Trounce Lakers, Snap 5-Game Losing Streak (3)


It was briefly the John Konchar show. The shortened roster allowed the two-way guard who has spent most of the season with the Memphis Hustle a chance to show out in his 10th career NBA game. Konchar finished the night with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block on 2-2 shooting, over 12:25 total playing time.  

 

Grizzlies Trounce Lakers, Snap 5-Game Losing Streak (4)


GrzNxtGen = 1st Team all-defense? The Grizzlies held the Lakers to a season-low 88 points, and Lebron James and Anthony Davis to 19 points and 15 points respectively. 

Last night’s win put the Grizzlies 2.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the 8th seed in the West.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies hit the road again for the next three games.
They will face off against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, March 2nd. Tip-off is at 6:30 PM CST

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Morant Saves the Day as Grizzlies Top Wizards 106–99

Ja Morant

Is anyone else sensing a pattern here? It will almost certainly not be the last time we witness Ja Morant put this Grizzlies team on his shoulders, but watching it against the Wizards on Monday reminded me of just how special a player this young man is. Down five heading into the 4th quarter, and by as much as 12 earlier in the match, it seemed as though it was all over but the shouting. Spoiler alert: Reader, it was not. 

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s SuperJa! 

If you didn’t think some variation of that phrase last night during the 4th quarter of the Grizzlies @ Wizards game, do you even basketball? 

Messed Around and Got a Triple-Double
Morant achieved his first ever NBA triple-double against the Wizards. When the dust had cleared, Morant led all scorers with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The Good
Ja Morant’s 4th quarter heroics combined with some lockdown defense won the game, as Memphis was able to hold Washington to just 14 points on 4-25 shooting in the final frame. 

Brandon Clarke finished the night with 9 points and 6 rebounds, including a clutch 3-point make in the 4th that helped spur the team to victory. 

The Grizzlies came up big in the 4th on both the offensive and defensive glass, with 6 offensive rebounds and 17 defensive rebounds. You did read that correctly, Memphis had 23 boards in just the 4th quarter. Most of those rebounds came courtesy of … you guessed it: Ja Morant.
Overall, the Grizzlies won the rebounding battle with 62 total boards to the Wizards 50. 

The Bad and the Ugly
Once again, outside shooting woes plagued the squad, with just 5-of-32 makes from distance. This is the second game in a row where the Grizzlies have struggled to get outside shots to fall. Free throws were also a struggle as the Grizzlies went 15-of-25 from the charity stripe.

Turnovers remain a problem for Memphis as well, as does preventing their opponent from converting those turnovers into points. Case in point – the Wizards scored 18 points off the Grizzlies 15 turnovers. 

The Grizzlies might have the highest assist percentage in the league, but the Wizards came out ahead with 25 assists on 35 made baskets, while Memphis had just 19 assists on 43 made baskets. 

Jaren Jackson Jr.  and Dillon Brooks both got into foul trouble early. Unfortunately, this is a familiar story from Jackson Jr.  and Brooks this season, and an area I hope we will see some improvement on after the All-Star break. 

 

By The Numbers:

Ja Morant – 27 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists 

Kyle Anderson – 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists 

Jaren Jackson Jr. – 14 points, 11 rebounds 

Jonas Valanciunas – 8 points, 18 rebounds, 2 blocks 

Tyus Jones- 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists 

 

Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will return to their home court Wednesday night, as they face off against the Portland Trail Blazers in the last game before the All-Star break. Tip-off is at 7PM CST

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Win Battle of Big Men, Beat Pistons, 96-82

CREDIT: NBA.com

Sharon Brown

Jonas Valanciunas

On throwback jersey night, it was the return of the NBA big men.

Jonas Valanciunas seems to enjoy it when he goes to battle against a true opposing big man. On Monday night he went up against Detroit’s Andre Drummond. Valanciunas led the Grizzlies with a team-high 26 points (13-of-19), 17 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists. His counterpart Drummond was equally impressive with 25 points, 18 rebounds, and four assists. 

Grizzlies Win Battle of Big Men, Beat Pistons, 96-82

Pistons head coach Dwane Casey spoke about centers in the NBA before the matchup and talked about Valanciunas, whom he coached in Toronto. “In the new NBA, that’s what it is,” Casey said. “That’s why I’ve seen a kid like [Jonas] Valanciunas grow. I remember the first few years, he wanted post-ups, he wanted touches and all this. I said, ‘Hey, that’s not the way it is.’” 

Casey continued with praise of Valanciunas, “Every year he got better and better at understanding that those mundane things are just as important as hollow points you might put up, the verticality, the screening, the rolling, the catching and making good decisions. It’s not flashy, your name doesn’t get in the paper, but those teams win when those guys accept those roles and do that job. It’s not fun, but it’s a very valuable position to develop and to be in.”

The Grizzlies defeated the Pistons 96–82, to give rookie coach Taylor Jenkins his 25th win of the season. Memphis is now 25–25 on the season while the Pistons fell to 18–34. 

NBA.com

Taylor Jenkins

On Monday afternoon, Jenkins was named Western Conference Coach of the Month by the NBA for January. This is his first career coach of the month honor. The first-year coach led his team to an 11–4 record in January which tied for the highest winning percentage (.733) in the Western Conference. The last time a Grizzlies coach was named coach of the month was Dave Joerger in November 2014. At age 35, Jenkins is the youngest person to earn Coach of the Month honors since Lawrence Frank in April 2005.

Before the game, Jenkins spoke about the honor: “It is an honor for sure and very humbling. It is something that I am excited about because I am excited for the entire organization  —  from our players to the coaching staff, our entire staff, the performance staff, the front office, everyone that goes into what we did in the month of January.”

He went on to say, “It is a great reflection of all of the hard work and everyone growing every single day. Obviously, it is translating to some success on the court. Just very excited for everyone involved. It was great to get the congratulations from everyone but we are now focused on a great month of February.”

Rookie guard Ja Morant praised Jenkins after the win: “He’s almost the same as me, giving credit to a lot of us, but he deserves it. He has us ready each and every game and pushes us in practice. [Tonight] was just one of those games where he knew what type of game it was, and he knew exactly how to make us come out with a win.”

By the Numbers
After scoring 53 points in the first half, the Pistons were held to just 29 points in the second half. The Pistons only scored 10 points in the third period, while going 3-of-25 from the field. Both numbers are season-lows from Grizzlies opponents this season.   

The Grizzlies won the points in the paint battle 68–50 (+18).

Memphis had a season-high 12 blocks; Detroit had 5 (+7)

The Grizzlies have won 12 of their last 14 games in Memphis after starting the season 3–11 at home. 


Player stats

Grizzlies

Valanciunus also secured his 24th double-double of the season, and it’s the third game this season in which he finished with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds. The big man finished with a +28.

Grizzlies Win Battle of Big Men, Beat Pistons, 96-82 (4)

Dillon Brooks tallied 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists while shooting 7-of-15 from the field. Jaren Jackson Jr. had a bad shooting night (3-of-10) but he ended with 14 points by going 8-of-9 from the charity stripe along with five rebounds, three blocked shots, and two assists. 

Grizzlies Win Battle of Big Men, Beat Pistons, 96-82 (3)

In 21 minutes, Tyus Jones led the bench squad with 13 points and five assists with zero turnovers. Morant finished with 12 points and a team-high seven assists.

The Other Guys

Drummond tallied his 41st double-double of the season, which ties Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo for the most double-doubles of the season. Lang Galloway and Christian Wood finished with 17 points apiece off the bench. 

Up Next

Grizzlies will start a three-game road trip with a stop in Dallas on Wednesday night. The Mavericks will be without Luka Doncic, who is out due to an ankle injury. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Smoke Nuggets in First Wire-to-Wire Win of the Season

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

The Memphis Grizzlies successfully defended their home court Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets, coming away with a 104-96 victory and securing their first wire-to-wire win of the season. And defend it they did, holding Denver to a rare sub-100-point game. 

Larry Kuzniewski

Dillon Brooks, Taylor Jenkins

There were a lot of things to be excited about from this game if you’re a Grizzlies fan. 
Winning is always great, but some of the things they did to secure the win were spectacular to watch. Jaren Jackson Jr. finishing the night with only one personal foul feels like a victory in its own right. As does Memphis scoring 20 points off of 19 Denver turnovers.

By The Numbers:
Dillon Brooks – 24 points, 3 assists
Jonas Valanciunas – 23 points, 12 rebounds
Ja Morant – 14 points, 7 assists, 4 steals
Jaren Jackson Jr. – 10 points, 7 bocks
Brandon Clarke – 12 points, 6 rebounds


We Go Hard in the Paint
The Grizzlies outscored the Nuggets 76-22 in the paint. Yes, you read that correctly —SEVENTY-SIX PAINT POINTS. On a night when making outside shots is a struggle, the ability to score in the paint is especially valuable — a lesson the young Grizzlies appear to have learned.

Per Grizzlies PR: “This is the second-highest paint scoring total in franchise history behind the record of 78 set on Feb. 26, 2011 vs. Sacramento. This is the third time this month that Memphis, the most-prolific paint-scoring team in the NBA this season, has scored at least 70 points in the paint.”


We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends
32 assists on 46 made field goals? Yes, please! This was yet another game in which the Grizzlies had 30 or more assists, bringing that total to 18 games so far this season. Memphis also currently leads the league in assists per game.

Jaren Jackson Jr. Would Like to Invite You to the Block Party
While tying his career-high of 7 blocks, Jackson Jr. also extended his career-best streak of games with multiple threes made and multiple blocks to five games.

Grizzlies Smoke Nuggets in First Wire-to-Wire Win of the Season

Free At Last, Maybe?
With Grayson Allen, Bruno Caboclo, and Jae Crowder all sidelined due to injuries, Coach Jenkins has had to get a bit more creative with lineups. He’s also called up two-way players Yuta Watanabe and John Konchar, as well as swingman Josh Jackson.

John Konchar scored his first NBA points during 12 minutes of playing time. Both Yuta Watanabe and Josh Jackson were listed as DNP-Coach’s Decision.

Time will tell if the calls to #FreeJoshJackson have actually been heeded for real.

Jackson has spent the entirety of the season to date playing with the Grizzlies G-league affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are headed to “The World’s Most Famous Arena” to face off against the New York Knicks on the second game of a back-to-back. Tip-off is at 6:30 PM CST, and a win against the Knicks would put the Grizzlies at .500 for the season. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Fall to Pelicans 126–116

It has become an annual tradition for the Grizzlies to play at home on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in a nationally broadcast game. Unfortunately for them, they finished this 6-game homestand with a loss, snapping a seven-game winning streak in the process. The effort was there from the Grizzlies, but the Pelicans clearly wanted to leave with the W and made it happen.  

 

The Grizzlies showed that defending well is still sometimes a problem, and the whole team struggled with outside shooting. In fact, the Grizzlies closed the night having shot just 9 of 33 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday set a new career high with seven made three pointers, and New Orleans as a whole shot 44 percent from distance.
 

The Grizzlies might have lost the outside shooting battle, but they outscored the Pelicans 70-36 in the paint. The turnover and rebounding battles were other high points, with the Grizzlies out-rebounding the Pelicans 51-43, as well as converting New Orleans’ 17 turnovers into 20 points.  

 

 


By The Numbers:

Four of the five Grizzlies starters finished in double-digits.  

  • Jae Crowder continued to struggle offensively with just 2 points. 
  • Dillon Brooks tied his season-high with 31 points, and his career-high with 9         rebounds and 4 assists. 
  • Jaren Jackson Jr. finished the night with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
  • Ja Morant closed out with 16 points and 9 assists. 
  • Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, for his 21st double-double of the season. 

 

What They Said … 
Grizzlies Head Coach Taylor Jenkins:

“Give the Pelicans tons of credit. They played amazing tonight and were firing on all cylinders. They’ve been playing great, and they proved it again tonight. Jrue Holiday stepped in and set a tone for them, but [Brandon] Ingram’s playing well as are the guys off their bench. They played great, and we didn’t have it today. Just timing was off and all of that. I’m proud of the guys competing, and we cut it down to five. It was definitely ugly for a good majority of the game. It was a product of them playing great and us really not playing that good. I’m proud of the guys, but we’ve just got to turn a corner and get ready for the next game.”

On how much defensive movement affected offensive movement: “I’ll have to go back and watch. I felt like we were trying to switch a lot and just our communication wasn’t there. It was there sporadically throughout, and they ran a whole lot of movement, But if we’re switching, we should be able to stop all that movement and just keep it in front. That’s where I said that they played great but there were miscues on our part for sure. Offensively, I felt like we didn’t really have the timing, regardless of what was going on on the defensive end. We’ll be better. Guys have been playing hard and their spirits were great. They were trying and trying, but we just didn’t have it. We could’ve easily just put our head down and folded, but to take it from a 21-point lead down to five, that’s impressive and indicative of the competitive team we have. They fought until the end as tough as it was.”

 

Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr.:

On how this game demonstrated the team’s ability to fight out of a deficit: “We always do that no matter what the situation is. We’re going to fight; we’re not going to lay down for anybody. We’re not going to go out sad. I’m glad we brought it in the fourth, but we need to bring it earlier.”

On whether this loss is a wake-up call for the matchup with Boston: “Yeah, we have to come out stronger. Boston’s a good team, and especially at their crib, they’re going to be loud. Lot of good scorers there. So, just come out strong, throw the first punch, and keep it going.”

 

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant: 
On team’s performance: “They made shots. They had career nights. We missed shots… It’s just one of those nights, I guess. Nobody likes losing. That’s no good, but we are turning the page. We play in two days, travel and practice tomorrow, watch film and go into the next game as if tonight didn’t happen. I was in the bed for like three quarters. We got a spark in the fourth quarter, but we fell short.”

On the fourth-quarter run: “I think it shows our fight. We just kept playing until the buzzer sounded. They had some tough baskets late that sealed the win. I think we were down almost 30 points, and we cut it to like five points. It just shows our fight with the players we got. It just shows that we are going to compete and never give up.”

 

All Is Not Lost
While it is true that the Grizzlies lost Monday night, it shouldn’t negate the progress we’ve seen from this team in the past 10 games. One thing fans should take comfort in is that the young squad continued to fight right up until the last possession.

 

Who Got Next:

After a six-game homestand, the Grizzlies are heading back on the road. First to Boston, where they will face off against the Celtics on Wednesday, and then off to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Friday.  

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Grizzlies Down Warriors, 122–102

CREDIT: Lawrence Kuzniewski

Adjustments in the second half were the key to the Grizzlies’ victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday evening before more than 16,000 fans at FedExForum.

The Grizzlies improved to 18–22 for the season and extended their win streak to a season-high five straight games. It’s the team’s longest winning streak since November 2018.

Lawrence Kuzniewski

“They were fantastic tonight in the second half,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr about the Grizzlies’ second-half performance. “They are having a really special season, when you think about it. From where they started and it being Taylor’s [Jenkins] first year to where they are now and what they have done the last few weeks, it is really impressive.”

Kerr added, “Tonight was really about Memphis continuing their play. They are one of the best stories in the league this year. What they showed us tonight was a complete effort. They were well-coached. They play hard. They play for each other. They play together. It was a great game for them.”

Playing together has been the Grizzlies’ philosophy all season  —  only now it has started to resonate for the guys on the floor. And that didn’t go unnoticed by Kerr. He said he thought Memphis had more confidence on Sunday night than they did in the game on November 19th. Kerr continued: “Now you can see they believe in what they are doing  — they believe in themselves and each other. I think they are in the eight spot right now if I’m not mistaken, so they are playing for the playoffs, they’re playing for each other, and they’re on a great run.”

The Return of the Big Man
In a recent interview with a Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital patient, Jonas Valanciunas was asked what he would change about the NBA. Valanciunas said, “Bring back the big man.” On Sunday afternoon, he brought back the big man in a decisive way. 

Valanciunas led Memphis with 31 points and 19 rebounds, while going 13 of 17 from the field, plus two blocked shots. He scored 15 of his 31 points in the third quarter. “It was a team win  —  it was not just running a play for me or someone else, you just shoot the ball, play together, find the open man,” said the Lithuanian native. “As I said earlier, it’s fun to play that way. The ball was coming to my hands. Tonight was my night. Maybe the next night, it’s going to be someone else’s night. We play that way, so it’s to our advantage.”

The Grizzlies’ center added, “We have a lot of areas to work on, to grow and get better on, but we’ve started moving towards the right direction, so it’s fun. It’s good to see.”

Lawrence Kuzniewsk

When asked if the team upcoming schedule was important, Valanciunas replied, “Every game is important to us. We play extremely hard. We’re trying to set a mentality that we’re the hardest-playing team on the court. Every second we are trying to play hard. Find a guy on the floor. That’s our mentality. Those good teams coming in, we’ve got to play hard against them.”

This was Valanciunas’ 20th double-double of the season and his second game of at least 30 points and 15 rebounds. Valanciunas and Brandon Clarke combined for 30 of the Grizzlies 60 rebounds. To top it off, the Grizzlies’ center even went 2 of 4 from deep. 

Grizzlies Down Warriors, 122–102

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points (8–15 FG, 3–6 3P) while adding five rebounds and two blocks. Jackson Jr. has made a three-pointer in 28 consecutive games, now the second-longest streak in Grizzlies franchise history (Tyreke Evans, 31 straight games in 2017–18). 

In 19 minutes, Clarke chipped in nine points, a career-high-tying 11 rebounds and two assists while Ja Morant gained his sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 assists plus seven rebounds in 30 minutes. After the game Morant talked about the team’s new-found success. He said, “It’s just we’re learning. We’re learning from our mistakes in the past and just getting better each and every day.”

Off the bench, Grayson Allen finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists, while going 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. 

The Other Guys

The Warriors dropped to 9–32 on the season. D’Angelo Russell led Golden State with a game-high 34 points (12–24 FG, 5–9 3P), seven rebounds, and four assists in 35 minutes. This marked his ninth 30+ point game of the season. Jordan Poole chipped in 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists while Alec Burks added 13 points and six rebounds.

Notable Numbers
The Grizzlies have now scored 110+ points in 11 consecutive games, marking the longest streak in franchise history and the longest active streak in the NBA.

Golden State lost its eighth straight game, the Warriors’ longest losing streak since the 2011–12 season.

Memphis out-rebounded Golden State 60–47 on the night, marking a new season-high for the Grizzlies. The previous season high was 56 on October 25th against the Bulls. The Grizzlies also garnered a new season-high for offensive rebounds in a game with 18. The previous season best was against the Miami Heat on December 16th. 

This is the fifth time in franchise history the team has grabbed 60-plus rebounds and the first time in a regulation game since February 9, 2009 vs New Orleans. The franchise record is 64. 

Memphis, which leads the league in points in the paint per game, recorded its 14th game this season with at least 60 paint points. The Grizzlies scored 62 points in the paint while the Warriors only scored 26. 

Memphis outscored Golden State 37–14 in fast break points, including 12–0 in the first quarter.

The Grizzlies bench outscored the Warriors bench 47–32 on the night.

Quotes from Jaren Jackson, Jr.
On how much the team has changed since last season: “It’s a blessing. You take it for what it’s worth. You understand that it’s because of the work that you’re putting in and you just take every game, enjoy the moment, and you move on. But, in that moment, you just thank God for putting you in the position you’re in to play on a team in which everybody’s personalities are meshing and where everybody is just serving one another to try to get everyone better.”

On the team’s ability to close out games:

“That’s the NBA, so I don’t really get nervous like that anymore about leads. I just know if we keep playing the right way, we’ll be fine, but once I see us getting out of character, that’s when you’ve got to dial back in and focus.”

On the Grizzlies’ ability to pull away in the second half of games:

“It’s the third quarters. We just put an emphasis on it to make sure we correct all the mistakes from the first half. We definitely come in (the locker room) and talk about little things, so we just try to replicate that and just correct all of the mistakes.”

Who Got Next
The Grizzlies continue their homestand against the James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Tuesday at FedExForum. Tip-off at 7 pm CST. 

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Grizzlies Beat Suns: Win Second in a Row on the Road

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. 

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Amid Second Half Woes, Grizzlies Fall to Thunder 126-122

The Grizzlies’ loss to Oklahoma City Wednesday night was easily the most frustrating loss of the season, and unfortunately, it overshadowed the best game of Brandon Clarke’s young NBA career.

Props to OKC because they clearly just wanted this win more, coming back from a 24-point deficit and wearing the Grizzlies down, to take a 126-122 win in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder also had an unexpected X factor — Dennis Schroder, who led all scorers with 31 points, 22 of which came in the second half.


By the numbers:

    *      Brandon Clarke finished the night with a career-high 27 points, 7 rebounds.

  • Jonas Valanciunas had another monster game offensively, with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. 
  • Ja Morant scored 22 points, along with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. 
  • Dillon Brooks finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, shooting 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. 


What went wrong?

While the Grizzlies have notably struggled during 3rd quarters this season, it was in the 4th quarter where the proverbial wheels fell completely off Wednesday night. Things started going downhill towards the end of the 3rd quarter, when the Thunder went on a 19-5 run, capped off with a buzzer-beater by guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder followed that up by outscoring the Grizzlies by 11 points in the 4th quarter.

A few more of the factors that contributed to this dumpster fire of a loss:

  • Turnovers, foul trouble, and free throws.
  • Eight Grizzlies turnovers in the 4th quarter led to 10 points for the Thunder.
    Meanwhile, the Grizzlies only managed to score two points off of four OKC turnovers.
  • Memphis getting into the penalty with five minutes left in the game.
  • OKC shot and made ten free throws in the 4th; Memphis made 2-of-4 free throws.
  • Jaren Jackson Jr. In foul trouble and benched two minutes into the 4th quarter.
  • Ja Morant missing two critical free throws with 1:19 remaining in the game.
  • Poor coaching decisions through the final 10 minutes of the game.

The foul call against Jaren Jackson Jr. at the 10:12 mark should have been contested by Coach Taylor Jenkins. Jackson was called for his 5th personal foul against Thunder center Steven Adams, even though the replay video appeared to show Adams tripping over his own foot.

This is exactly the sort of play where the coach’s challenge should have been utilized. If not on that one, certainly on another bad call on ball possession at the 9:02 mark, which allowed OKC an extra possession which led to a field goal.

Understandably, Jackson was subbed out for Jonas Valanciunas after that 5th personal foul, but it made absolutely zero sense for him to sit the entire rest of the game. There is no universe in which Solomon Hill should be on the floor in a close game situation while Jackson still has one foul remaining.

Let’s hope this was a learning experience for Jenkins as well as the team.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies are headed to Cleveland to face off against the Cavaliers Friday, December 20th, at 6 p.m. CST.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Quarter Season Progress Report, Part Two: Hope on Board

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Larry Kuzniewski

Jae Crowder

This is part two of a three-part series of player progress reports from the first quarter of the season. You can read part one here.

Dillon Brooks – So far Brooks appears to have bounced back well after missing most of last season due to injury. He’s had some tremendous shooting games, and the Grizzlies are undefeated this season when Brooks scores 20 or more points. These are all good things and should be celebrated as such. However, inconsistency in scoring is still an issue with Brooks, as is the number of fouls he’s amassing. None of this is so dire as to make him a liability, at least not yet. His potential far outweighs his shortcomings. B  

 

Jae Crowder – Crowder has been the face of veteran leadership for the Grizzlies, in addition to playing the largest number of minutes of any player on the roster. He does a lot of things well, better than perhaps was expected. Even on the nights that he’s not producing a ton of points, he’s obviously putting in a lot of effort in other ways. His game-winning bucket against the Brooklyn Nets brought the Grizzlies their first victory of the season, and it was just his second made shot of the game. Crowder also has the second-highest number of rebounds for the Grizzlies this season and the third-highest number of assists. Bossman, indeed. A

 

Solomon Hill – Any evaluation of Hill must also come with the knowledge that his arrival in the Bluff City facilitated the departure of Chandler Parsons and his albatross of a contract. For that alone, I’m willing to give him a key to the city. On a team as young and green as the Grizzlies are currently, there is value in having experienced players on the roster. As it stands, Hill has outperformed expectations and offered real contributions on the court. All in all, the Grizzlies are getting more from Hill than just salary cap relief. Given the context in which he was acquired, any actual basketball accomplishments are a bonus. B 

Jonas Valanciunas – The Lithuanian big man is the sole remaining player acquired from the trade that sent Marc Gasol to Toronto last year. Valanciunas has been the picture of doing more with less for the Grizzlies this season. His minutes per game are lower than they were last year after he joined the Grizzlies, but his shooting percentages are higher. As the team’s primary rebounder, I would like to see Valanciunas having more double-digit rebound games. But for a team in the earliest stages of a rebuild, with a new coach and multiple inexperienced players, the Grizzlies are getting their money’s worth out of him so far this season. A

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Blues on Beale: Grizzlies Lose to Jazz 103-94

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

The Memphis Grizzlies suffered their sixth straight defeat, losing to the Utah Jazz on Friday night, 103–94. The Grizzlies’ last win was against those same Jazz on Nov 15th at FedExForum before a national TV audience in the teams’ first matchup. Memphis is now 5–13 on the year. 

Utah outscored Memphis 63–39 in the second half, after the Grizzlies led 55-40 at the half. The Grizzlies shot 45.7 percent in the first half, but the Jazz held them to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half. The Jazz scored 12 straight points to open the third quarter. 

Third-quarter woes continue to plague Memphis early in the season. “We didn’t do what we needed to do in the third quarter, because we let them come out and punch us early and we didn’t respond,” said Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson, Jr. “Credit to them. They were active on the glass, actively just making the right plays, hitting a lot of shots, but we have to know that that’s coming. Especially because we played well in the first half.”

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins didn’t mince words after the game. He said, “Great first half, terrible second half . Credit the Jazz. They came and played a whole lot harder than us in the third quarter, and that’s why they won the ball game.”

Jenkins described how the Jazz set the tone for the second half, “We turned over the first possession. We gave up an offensive rebound. They scored. We controlled the boards in the first half, and then the next possession, they go down and miss a wide-open layup in transition —  get an offensive rebound, put it in, call timeout, come out and continue to get offensive rebounds. I think they had [13] second-chance points in the second half or something along those lines. It’s been a weakness of ours. We just didn’t come ready to play in the third quarter, and they took full advantage of it.”

“We came out with a sense of urgency,” said Utah guard Donovan Mitchell. “We knew we were better than what we showed. So, for us, it was just continuing to battle. It helps when Bojan [Bogdanovic] gets hot. Mike [Conley] made some crucial plays. Royce [O’Neale] had defensive stops, and we all did our best to do our part.”

Difficulties maintaining leads

For the sixth time this season, the Grizzlies blew a double-digit lead — the most in the NBA.

“We just have to execute,” said Jackson. “We have to continue to do the things that we were doing and expect the team to play harder, but we can’t expect them to bring the same energy or drop their energy because they’re losing. They probably got ripped at halftime. They’re probably feeling a type of way, and they’re probably getting amped up. We have to come out there and make sure we deliver.”

Sharon Brown


Playing with the same energy a full 48 minutes

“We have to play all four quarters like we did in the first half,” said rookie guard Ja Morant. “It helped us get out to a bigger lead, I think like 15 points. We just have to do that all four quarters.”

Energy and effort may be an issue. Morant said of the second half, “It was us — high energy just died down and they just took advantage of it.”

“I feel like it was just us mainly coming out in the third quarter with a lack of energy, lack of focus and they capitalized on that,” said Grizzlies rookie forward Brandon Clarke. 

The Grizzlies can’t win when Morant and Jackson combine for 7-of 26 from the field. Morant ended the game with 11 points (4-of-13) and four assists. Jackson chipped in nine points (3-of-13) and four assists plus four blocks. With his fourth block, he reached 100 career blocks and became the third-fastest player in franchise history to tally 100 career blocks, behind only Pau Gasol and Roy Rogers.

For the second consecutive game, Jonas Valanciunas was the Grizzlies high scorer with 22 points and 17 rebounds. He posted his 11th double-double of the season. 

Sharon Brown

Jonas Valanciunas

Clarke tallied 13 points off the bench and went 5-of-6 from the field. Clarke has a 64.3 percent field goal percentage this season.

Utah’s Bojan Bogdanovic tied his season-high with 33 points while shooting 12-of-20 from the field (4–8 from three). He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. Donovan Mitchell added 20 points, while Rudy Gobert notched his 11th double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies will travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Sunday. Tip-off at 2:30 pm, CST.