Buckets

Don’t let them Memphis boys get hot! The Grizzlies traveled to Orlando on short rest, played without Brandon Clark and Desmond Bane for a interconference Thursday night tilt and extended their win streak to 5 games. The Grizzlies played an incredible three and a half quarters of basketball, took their foot off he gas late, but hung on for a 123-115 road win. Ja and Jaren Jackson, Jr. both broke 30 on the night, 32 and 31 respectively, and JJJ was dominate from start to finish finishing with a double double on 12 for 14 shooting. He was in every sense the Block Panther, blocking 3 shots in the first quarter, and altering almost every Magic drive when he was in the game. Jaren looked the part of superstar tonight on both ends of the floor with a net rating of +22. When he decided he was going to score, the Magic had no answer. His shot was falling, his post moves were working, and he took advantage of his hot start to help build a commanding Grizzlies lead. This was his first 30+ game since July 2020 and hopefully it gives him the confidence he needs to become an elite scorer. Tyus Jones finished his 28th consecutive game without a turnover, which in today’s NBA is an incredible feat. Tyus has been an incredible back up to Ja this year. Signing him, along with Steven Adams, is paying dividens so far. When Tyus is in the offense rarely misses a beat and his shot can get very hot when they need it. Plus, having him in with Ja frees up Ja to make superstar plays and finish acrobatic lobs.

This game showed the young Grizz have some moxie. The Magic are by no means one of the top dogs in the East, yet. They are extremely talented but young. Paoloa Banchero is a future star and finished with his own 30 point night, including 20 in the third. Franz Wagner had 22 and is a guy the Grizzlies have struggled against historically, averaging 17 points against them. However, last night the Grizzlies were effective for much of the game in taking the brunt of this 1-2 punch and controlling the rest. The Grizzlies were able to dictate the pace of the game and play their style. For much of the first 3 quarters the Magic just could not keep up. Then, when the Magic rallied late the Grizzlies were able to weather the storm and pull out the victory. Scoring 123 without Desmond Bane was a huge lift to the offensive confidence as well. Bane and Morant are the 2 best scorers and the fact that they dominated without one of them is a good sign.

Last night also saw the return of Ziaire Williams’ shot off the bench. Ziaire finished with 16 on 6 of 7 shooting for his best game since returning from injury. Xaiver Tillman continued his solid play off the bench on a night they needed it without the services of Brandon Clark, finishing with a +13 net rating. X’s stat sheet won’t show any huge numbers but his timely rebounds and ability to facilitate from the high post was very effective last night.

The Grizzlies continued their hot streak last night and looked like the Grizz of old. Ja was flying to the rim, and on a few occasions in that tightly contested 4th quarter, took over and got a high percentage shot to stop Orlando’s momentum. A 43 point second quarter was the difference maker though, as the Magic got hot in the 4th and outscored the Grizzlies 72-58 in the second half. The late run was not enough and the road team found a way to hang on. Road wins are great no matter what happens or who the opponent is. The Grizzlies continued beating teams they are suppose to beat and were able to rest Bane as he is still recovering from his toe injury. Seeing Jaren and Ziaire find success on offensive was a great sign of things to come. Having both of them contributing along side Ja will be key for the Grizz as the schedule gets tougher from here. Last night was a great win over a young and hungry team, proving the Grizz can hold on when the other team cannot miss late. This team continues to get better and are putting the league on notice.

The Grizzlies play again on Sunday 1/8/23 at home against the Utah Jazz who are up 2-0 on the Grizzlies this season. Time to get one back!