Report Card: Grizzlies bounce back to defeat Clippers

The Memphis Grizzlies welcomed the Los Angeles Clippers back to the FedexForum Friday night for the final showdown of two consecutive games. Things looked a little different in the lineup – Jaren Jackson Jr, Desmond Bane, and Tyus Jones returned to the rotation after being ruled out in the loss on Wednesday.

Turnovers and a slow offensive start plagued the Grizzlies in the first. The Grizzlies committed 8 turnovers in the first quarter and shot 0/8 from deep as the Clippers caught fire early and led by as many as 20. The Clippers outscored the Grizzlies 34-21.

The second half was like night and day. The Grizzlies began to play their winning brand of basketball; they turned defense into offense and made spectacular plays in transition. Memphis went on a 36-9 run and finished the half with a four-point lead. David Roddy made every mouth in the Forum drop to the ground during that run with a showtime slam.

Kahwi Leonard sat in the second half for the Clippers due to load management and from there, the Grizzlies simply tore the game open. They outscored the Clippers by 10 in the third and forced multiple turnovers on the Clippers en route to their 49th win of the season.

Let’s dive into some individual performances from the night

Desmond Bane – A+ (22 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 9-18 FG, 2-5 3PT, +21 +/-)

It was yet another vintage performance from Desmond Bane. He struggled to find the basket in the first quarter but immediately shook the rust off. In the second quarter, he had a seven-point outing as he glided downhill to the hole and began to find his three-point shot. His zenith would come in the second half; he became an all-around playmaking and scoring threat for the Grizzlies and flashed his on-ball creation ability with picturesque finishes, handles, and passes, including a dazzling dribble drive to the rim. This was Bane’s fifth straight game with 20+ points, and something tells me he’ll keep this streak going in the stretch run.

Ja Morant – C (10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 8 turnovers, 4-11 FG, 0-3 3PT -4 +/-)

It was an uncharacteristic night to forget for the star point guard. From the gate, Morant was frustrated against a Clippers defense that packed the interior, disrupted his patented paint drives, and caused him to be careless with ball. He could not find any kind of rhythm the whole night inside the arc as he missed multiple close shots, and when the Clippers forced him to attempt shots outside the arc, he did not look any better. It’ll be all about the bounce back for Ja Morant next game.

Jaren Jackson Jr – B- (9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 4-10 FG, 0-2 3PT, -21 +/-)

It was an unusually rather quiet night for another one of the Grizzlies’ cornerstones. Jaren Jackson Jr started hot and scored the team’s first seven points, but he was neutralized the rest of the first half as he got into foul trouble and would only score two points the second half. Jackson had trouble all night matching up with Clippers big man Ivica Zubac down low and, akin to Morant, was unable to find a rhythm most of the game. This did not stop his DPOY candidacy; with his first block of the night, Jackson broke his own Grizzlies franchise record for blocks at 178. The defensive guru now stands at 180 blocks and counting.

Star-Studded Role Players (Luke Kennard, Santi Aldama, Xavier Tillman) – A (44 points, 22 rebounds, 54% FG)

The Memphis Grizzlies do not mark this game down in the win column if not for key contributions from its supporting cast. Luke Kennard came into his own against his former team in the second quarter, hitting four three-pointers and a midrange fadeaway during the momentous comeback run. Xavier Tillman continued to embody his nickname of “Mr. Stay Ready,” as he showed admirable hustle for loose balls and rebounds and finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and a team high 27 plus-minus. Santi Aldama was also impressive, leveraging his physical frame to finish at the rim on multiple occasions in back-to-back double-digit scoring performances.

Overall Grade – B+

Despite a laggy start and rare off-nights from its two franchise building blocks, the Grizzlies were able to fight back and respond to a loss on Wednesday with a very comfortable win. They did have issues protecting the rock (14 turnovers) and generally struggled to shoot the ball, but Desmond Bane and the supporting cast stepped up in a big way.