New Orleans Pelicans – Memphis Flyer

Morant, Bane Propel Grizzlies to Win Over Pelicans

The Memphis Grizzlies edged out the undermanned New Orleans Pelicans 107-104 in a closely contested matchup Sunday night.

The Grizzlies are gaining momentum, having won two consecutive games after a dismal 1-4 performance on their recent 5-game homestand. The slump caused them to drop from second to fourth seed in the Western Conference.

Memphis dominated on the glass against New Orleans, grabbing 57 rebounds and scoring 24 second-chance points versus New Orleans’ 39 rebounds and 11 second-chance points.

The Grizzlies faced a 65-57 halftime deficit after surrendering 37 points in the second quarter. However, they regrouped and limited the Pelicans to just 15 points in the third quarter, seizing an 89-79 advantage heading into the final period.

Ja Morant had a standout performance, leading Memphis with 32 points to go along with six assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Morant has now scored 30-plus points in his last two games. His season average is 21.2 points per game.

In a post-game interview with FanDuel Sports Network’s Rob Fischer, Ja Morant noted that despite the win, there are still areas where his team needs to improve.

“Just came out with more energy,” Morant said of the third quarter difference. “We just once again man — our first half, we just be giving up easy baskets, not really engaged, locked in defensively, and then it takes a little wake up call, which is unacceptable for us. We got to be locked in as soon as the ball goes up in the air and so we won’t be in situations like this.”

Morant also acknowledged a slight improvement in the team’s defense, but emphasized that there is still significant room for growth and that they cannot be satisfied with their defensive performance over the last two games.

Desmond Bane put on a show, falling just shy of a triple-double with 30 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals, as Memphis improved to 40-24 on the season.

Morant sang the praises of his backcourt partner, Bane.

“Very impressive — but I know the work he put in. I know the situations and the talks we have with each other. He’s built for it. And he’s showing it, night in and night out, as you saw tonight.

Morant continued, “He filled up the stat sheet. I think it was a couple off, triple-double again and that’s big-time play for us, a will to win. We have a guy like that.part of leading the charge and everybody else follows. So we just got to continue to keep grinding, keep going, keep getting better and just play hard.”

Off the bench Scotty Pippen Jr. added 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Grizzlies will host the Phoenix Suns Monday night at FedExForum, kicking off a four-game homestand. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.

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.