Memphis avoided a four-game losing streak on Monday night with a resounding victory over the Houston Rockets.
The Grizzlies’ defense had been shaky in their last three games, leading to losses by double digits.
Last season, the Grizzlies were known for their defensive prowess. They finished the season with the sixth-best defense in the league.
Fans were agitated following the three-game losing streak, and panic set in as if everything had fallen apart. In addition to those losses, the manner in which they lost was jarring and unsettling.
The question is “Have they made a major shift in the right direction?” Winning masks a wide range of problems.
Defense Wins Games
“It was definitely a much-needed bounce back,” Taylor Jenkins said after snapping the three-game skid. “Obviously I’m really proud of how the guys came out with an edge in that first quarter, 20-point defensive quarter.”
Jenkins wasn’t too thrilled about giving up a ton of points to the lowly Rockets in the second period. He noted, “I got on them at halftime about giving up 36 points in the second quarter — there were too many breakdowns.”
“We knew paint defense was a priority,” he added. “There were a lot of cutters, drives. Our one-on-one defense, our shifts weren’t there. I challenged them to re-find that edge.”
After halftime, his players responded to his call and gained a 40-point lead over the Rockets.
“They came out and it was a 15-point defensive quarter in that third quarter,” Jenkins continued. “Definitely a good bounce back, a mini step in the right direction for embracing our habits. Now we’ve got to get back to work tomorrow and the next two days before our next game.”
Triple J 🦄
On 7-of-14 shooting, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Jackson rebounded from his four-point performance in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 112-101 loss on Saturday.
His coach was impressed by Jackson’s performance. Jenkins said, “A lot of good work inside. I thought he [Jackson] found the right times to seek advantages with some of the small ball they were playing to post up. He shot the ball pretty good from the outside. Defensively, two blocks again. Rebounding, I thought he did a really good job with our pick-and-roll defense as well tonight. We didn’t change any coverages. The discipline to be in the right spots, to man the paint, man the rim, he did a really good job defensively.”
Energy and Effort
In his third game back from injury, Dillon Brooks had 16 points, three assists, and two steals on the night.
Brooks delivered a strong message after the game about the team’s energy. He stated, “That should never die, the energy every single game, every single day, practice … your vitamins, your workouts. You should never lack energy. We’ve been together for so long that every game from now on we should have super energy to play, to prove something every time we come out there.”
The Grizzlies’ leading scorer had a productive and efficient night. Ja Morant netted 22 points (9-15 FG, 4-6 3P) with six rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes of action.
Brooks’ sentiments were echoed by Morant. “Just our energy and effort,” Morant said of the team’s defense. That was my message after the game — we got to play with that same energy and effort every game for a full 48 minutes.”
Then he added, “I feel like tonight we had our brothers back. We didn’t leave anybody on the island. We had great run protection and rotations out of it. We just got to be like that, not saying we want to be in rotations all the time, but when we are, we got to make that run or whatever it is.”
Who Got Next?
Action speaks louder than words. Against the L.A. Clippers, Memphis has a chance to put the words into action on Thursday night. Memphis prevailed 120-114 in their first encounter on October 23rd. Start time will be 7 p.m. CT at the FedExForum.
