Tag: sacramento kings

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Fall to Kings to Ring In the New Year

Ja Morant takes the ball to the basket against Domantas Sabonis.
Ja Morant takes the ball to the basket against Domantas Sabonis. Credit: NBAE/Getty Images.

Defensive struggles continue as the third Grizzlies opponent in as many games shot 50 percent or better overall. With a final score of 123-92, the Sacramento Kings thumped the Grizzlies at FedExForum in the last game of the year. The return of Luke Kennard and his shooting 5 of 8 from three-point range could not put the Grizzlies over the hump.

Let’s get into it.

Woof. That is the first word that comes to mind to describe how the Kings outworked Memphis on both ends of the floor. Sacramento put up a season-high 59 rebounds to the Grizzlies 34. In no universe was it acceptable for the Grizzlies to only have one offensive rebound in the entire game, but the fact that the Kings could grab 25 more rebounds than Memphis adds insult to injury. The Grizzlies also recorded just one block for the game.

 Combine that with beating the Grizzlies in made threes (16 to 12), made field goals (47 to 30), and points in the paint (58 to 32), and Sacramento handed them one of their worst losses of the season.

The Kings’ bench unit outscored the Grizzlies’ bench 58 to 28, with Malik Monk scoring a game-high 27 points in 21 minutes on 4 of 5 three-point shooting and 10 of 13 overall. One player nearly outscoring the entire second unit is nasty and overshadows the return of Luke Kennard in his first game since November 17.

When head coach Taylor Jenkins was asked postgame about the defense allowing opponents to shoot 50 percent in the past three games, he had this to say:

“We’ve got to look at the trends that we’ve seen all season long. Obviously small sample size, looking more at the last two games, it’s definitely things we’ve been talking about, pick-and-roll coverages, what we can do a little bit better there, our shifting obviously, teams are really hurting us in the high quad, how we can clean that up. That’s something that we got to talk about, some of the second chance kick outs as well, pickup points, discipline there. It’s definitely something that we’re seeing a lot and obviously we’ve regressed the last couple of games.”

Emphasis mine. Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious.

It was a low-scoring night for Memphis, being held under 100 points, and their usual big three struggled offensively.

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with a team-high 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

Three players finished with 17 points: Ja Morant had 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists; Desmond Bane closed out with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists; and Luke Kennard put up 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists on 6 of 9 overall shooting and 5 of 8 from beyond the arc.

The only other Grizzlies player to end the night in double figures was Marcus Smart with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will play at home again Tuesday night, January 2nd, facing off against one of the few teams with a worse record in the West, the San Antonio Spurs. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Happy New Year, Grizz Nation. I hope everyone is eating their black-eyed peas and greens because we need all the luck we can get.

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Sports

Grizzlies Fall to Kings 113-109

Ja Morant drives to the basket against Domantas Sabonis. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Grizzlies played their final game before the Thanksgiving holiday, facing off against the Sacramento Kings. It did not end in the Grizzlies’ favor.  

Let’s get into it.  

This was one of the most frustrating games of the young season, and it illustrated once again just how important Desmond Bane is to this team.

Props to the Kings, who are having their best season in recent memory. Harrison Barnes remains a Grizz killer, and De’Aaron Fox seems to have picked up that vibe as well.  

Even the early return of Ja Morant, who put up a career-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, was not enough to save this game. Not having their best three-point shooter has certainly put Memphis at a disadvantage. As a team, without Bane, they shot an abysmal 27 percent from beyond the arc.  

Another area that hurt Memphis was bad ball security – they gave up 23 points off 18 turnovers.  

Here’s a (not so) fun fact: Memphis is currently the worst free throw shooting team in the league, and Tuesday was no exception, with the Grizzlies shooting 19 of 30 from the foul line. That is 11 points they left on the table in a game they lost by 4 points.  

This is becoming a pattern for Memphis.

In their 8 losses so far this season, 5 were lost by fewer points than the number of free throws missed by the Grizzlies. Fix it.  

A public service announcement from the Ministry of Making Your Fucking Free Throws

By the Numbers:  

Ja Morant had a game-high 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, with a career-high 20 points scored in the 4th quarter.  

Jaren Jackson Jr put up 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 5 blocks.  

Dillon Brooks finished the night with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. 

John Konchar closed out with 10 points and 9 rebounds.  

Who Got Next?  

The Grizzlies will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, November 25th. Tip-off is at 7 PM. 

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Defeat Kings 112-104

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

If you watched Friday night’s home game against the Sacramento Kings, you know the first quarter was the Jaren Jackson show. On the first offensive possession of the game, the Grizzlies pitched it to Jackson in the low post, and he scored as easily as one pours syrup on a pancake.
Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies leapt out to a 15-2 run, fueled by Jackson’s nine points, including a made three-pointer and at-will scoring in the post. It helps when your post footwork is ahead of schedule and your touch is softer than an infant’s hair. Nemanja Bjelica couldn’t guard him for beans, and had a rough go while guarded by Jackson on the other end.

Grizzlies Defeat Kings 112-104 (2)

Memphis also benefited from 66.7 percent three-point shooting in the first quarter, with Jackson, Garrett Temple, Omri Casspi, and MarShon Brooks each sinking a three.

The Kings got going near the end of the first period, however, with help from a speedy and electric De’Aaron Fox. He converted on a buzzer-beater to get the Kings to within one point heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter was defined by two nasty Wayne Selden dunks. Selden attacked the rim three times from the arc, finishing with two jams and an and-one elevated lay-in.

Fans were also treated to more of Jackson versus the Kings’ number-two draft pick, Marvin Bagley, and Jackson dominated the matchup. In one sequence, Jackson blocked Bagley in the post (he ate his lunch y’all), and finished over him on the other end.

Did the Kings fumble the Bagley by not drafting Jaren Ja… *special ops shoots me in the neck with a tranquilizer.

The Kings took the lead briefly in the middle of the second quarter, but the Grizzlies battled back and went into halftime up 62-51, after Conley hit a floater with 3.4 seconds left. Fox got a shot off on the other end, but Jaren Jackson blocked it at the buzzer.
Larry Kuzniewski

The Grizzlies never trailed in the second half. On one of the first possessions of the third quarter, Conley no-look deflected a pass that resulted in Marc Gasol getting fouled at the other end. The Grizzlies defense is scary good.

Memphis went back to their bread and butter to start the game in the second half, tossing the ball down low to Jackson and letting him feast. The Kings simply had no answer for him. He set his NBA career high in points (27), converting an alley-oop lob from MarShon Brooks. Jackson also finished the night with six boards (four of which came in the first quarter).

In his postgame press conference, Coach J.B. Bickerstaff lauded Jackson’s performance and potential, saying: “He’s just figuring it out. That’s the blessing of it, is that he doesn’t even understand how good he truly is yet.”

Bickerstaff didn’t finish the game with Jackson, however, opting to sit him in the final minutes, again. Familiar face Troy Williams made some clutch plays for the Kings and sank a couple triples down the stretch, and Sacramento got within three points in the final minutes of the game, but the Grizzlies managed to pull away just enough to close it out.

Two possessions at the end stood out. One featured the Kings’ Iman Shumpert getting a second-chance opportunity in the corner. He waved off his teammates and shot a turnaround three-point airball over Garrett Temple.

The other happened when the Kings trailed by three with 1:41 to go, and an ultra-aggressive Gasol drove through all sorts of contact and for an and-one finish. Gasol would end the night with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and set the Grizzlies’ franchise rebounding record (with former record-holder Zach Randolph in attendance, no less!).
Larry Kuzniewski

Conley had another solid scoring night, tallying 19 points on 7-16 shooting. He only hit 1-4 from three, but facilitated the offense well and notched six assists. It must be nice for both Conley and Gasol to be able to feed the rock to Jackson to start the game and the second half, and let him get his own buckets without either of the Grizzlies’ elder statesmen having to exert much energy.

De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield led the way for the Kings, combining for 35 points. Fox finished the game with a game-high 10 assists, and was the fiery engine for the Kings’ offense for most of the night. Their high level of play wasn’t enough to earn the win on this go against the Grizzlies, however.

The Grizzlies were back to their usual ways of protecting the rock in this game, turning the ball over only 13 times to the Kings’ 21. Memphis also won the battle in the paint 54-42.

One weak spot for the Grizzlies was their free throw shooting. Conley missed consecutive free throws for the second time this season, and the team shot only 62.5 percent on 24 shots from the charity stripe. The Grizzlies also continued to give up a hearty helping of open looks from deep, and are lucky that the Kings converted on just 12 of their 33 attempts.

While ZBo has yet to suit up for the Kings this season, nothing was going to stop him from seeing his daughter sing in the Lausanne choir at FedExForum Friday night. He also caught up with old teammates, coaches, and FedExForum employees.

Grizzlies Defeat Kings 112-104

The Grizzlies return to action when they take on the Jimmy Butler-less Timberwolves in Minnesota on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies trade Deyonta Davis and Ben McLemore for Garrett Temple

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Deyonta Davis and Ben McLemore are Grizzlies no longer. Both arrived in Memphis as physically and athletically-gifted prospects with loads of unreckoned potential at a low cost. Deyonta Davis had been a projected lottery pick, and tantalized with the makings of a modern rim-protector that could roll to the rim on the pick-and-roll. Ben McLemore was the 7th pick in his draft, and shot nearly 40 percent from deep in the season before joining the Grizzlies.

Why did Deyonta fall so far in the draft? Tom Izzo blamed his shyness. Why didn’t McLemore live up to expectations in Sacramento? He languished under four head coaches in the turbulent Boogie era. Both were good buy-low bets on tremendous potential. Neither worked out, and it was time to move on.

Larry Kuzniewski

Deyonta Davis had ample opportunity to show progress as the only real backup center once Wright left. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to use his size, strength, and bounce to his advantage, with defenders routinely pushing him out of position for rebounds, or Davis never making a strong enough effort to get into good positioning. He may have fared better had he played more games with the Grizzlies’ developmental league affiliate, but roster constraints in Memphis didn’t afford him that opportunity.

If he’d been here during the Zach Randolph years, perhaps ZBO would’ve imbued Davis with his fiery drive to rassle for position and clean the glass. Those guys should really link up! But it was time to pull the plug on DD’s time in Memphis, especially with Triple-J on the horizon. At least we have the memory of Vince Carter building Deyonta a room in his house (that Davis never visited).

Grizzlies trade Deyonta Davis and Ben McLemore for Garrett Temple (2)

Ben McLemore’s time with the Grizzlies feels like the distant memory of a hazy dream. He broke his foot in a pickup game before the season began, and by the time he returned from injury and joined the team, Conley was injured and the season was a wash. BMac does leave Memphis with one lasting impression, maybe the most memorable play of the last few seasons.

Grizzlies trade Deyonta Davis and Ben McLemore for Garrett Temple

The Grizzlies have turned the page on longshots for high potential this offseason. For now, it appears they’re done with rolling the dice on unproven players that theoretically could widly outperform their contracts. Instead, they’re turning to players seen as “sure things” that are safer bets. We saw this when the Grizzlies signed Kyle Anderson. We’re seeing it again with Memphis shipping off DD and BMac for Garrett Temple. They want players who understand what they can do, and who can operate at a high level within a team context. They want guys who are reliable and have a high basketball IQ.

Adding Garrett Temple while shaving down the roster size and shipping off two players that won’t work in this Grizzlies era is a win, even if they had to pay Sacramento to do it. He’s a good 3-point shooter, and has proven his efficacy with good teams before joining the Kings. He’s a much better bet to improve after leaving Sacramento than McLemore ever was. I think the Grizzlies are on the right track picking solid players that should improve the stability of their rotations.

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Farewell, Grit ’n Grind

My early NBA memories from FedExForum are hazy. I remember a late-season game in 2005 against the Spurs, who were supposed to be “resting.” The Grizzlies ultimately won despite the persistence of Manu Ginobili, back when he had hair. Since then I’ve groaned “Ugggh, this friggin’ guy” every time our teams meet — which is too frequently, if you ask me.

I saw Yao Ming vomit on the baseline once, and I’m pretty sure he stayed in the game. Among vague recollections of J-Will passes and Mike Miller threes are visions of Pau Gasol checking his nose for blood. Thanks to a holiday ticket promotion during the lowest point of the Iavaroni era, I sat courtside when Chris Paul’s Hornets came to town. The thing I remember most about that game was my husband’s ruthless heckling of Peja Stojaković’s shoes, which were still prettier than the home team’s defense.

Either I picked the worst games to attend, or the Forum was a different place before it became the Grindhouse. (Pretty sure it’s the latter.) The memories start to crystallize around the time Zach Randolph arrived: The first home game of the 2009 season felt more like the beginning of a crazy experiment than a basketball game. I felt dizzy in the top row, growl towel aloft, that April afternoon in 2011 when the Grizzlies shocked the Spurs and everyone else who assumed they were just happy to be there. I can tell you where I was sitting and what I was wearing that Friday night in 2013 as we jingled our keys at that former Hornets star who had become a pesky, detested Los Angeles Flopper. At the risk of revising history, it wasn’t always sunshine. But every season, at least, felt like a chapter in a story.

Zach Randolph, the basketball player, made the Grizzlies relevant. Then Tony Allen, the basketball player, made them fun. Together, as people, they made them relatable. We knew in our minds a day would come when Memphis, the community, would need them as people more than the Grizzlies needed them as players on the court. We knew one day they’d decide their bodies had given enough to the grind of training camps and ice baths, media avails, and six months on the road. We hoped in our hearts the dates would align. It’s more than basketball, until it’s only basketball, and you realize you’ve invested too much emotional capital in some dudes who chase a ball around. They tried to prepare us, but some data is just too painful to take. Such is life in a one-sport town.

Tony Allen and Zach Randolph

Zach Randolph and Tony Allen are beloved by Memphians for a lot of reasons — their “blue collar player” and “all heart, grit, grind” philosophies are engraved in the team’s mythology. But more than anything, to me they embody the fundamental contradictions the city represents. Tough but generous. Proud but flawed and extremely misunderstood. Stubborn and a little anachronistic. They “get it” because they lived it.

Like most of my friends who move away, Z-Bo just got a better job offer out of town. He still loves Memphis so deeply that a rumor he’d covered the city’s outstanding utility bills on his way out of town was completely believable. Sometimes business is business, though. That’s another one of the city’s contradictions, sadly — we love you, but we just can’t, y’know, pay you. Loyalty is priceless but damn, $24 million for two years’ work is impossible to turn down.

For at least three years, national sportswriters have warned the end of “grit and grind” was approaching. Slowly suffocating opposing teams with defense was no longer a sustainable strategy in “today’s NBA,” they said. The eulogies began as soon as Tony Allen cryptically deleted “currently grinding for the Memphis Grizzlies” from his Twitter profile. Maybe “#GnG” is over, if the term is shorthand for an era, like the Bad Boy Pistons or Showtime Lakers. But just because the most beloved player is wearing a different jersey and the Grindfather is more like a forefather doesn’t mean the Memphis Grizzlies’ best days are behind them. Mike Conley’s annual All-Star snubs will continue. The games won’t be nationally televised, and when they are, everyone’s names will be mispronounced. As long as they can continue to weaponize underdogism, small-market disrespect, and our paradoxical need to prove outsiders wrong despite claiming not to care, the culture lives on.

Jen Clarke is an unapologetic Memphian and a digital marketing specialist.