Insider Insights: Grizzlies’ Comeback Attempt Falls Short Against the Raptors

The Grizzlies’ Big Three combined for 74 points and got help from Ziaire Williams, who had 18 points, but Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors were too much in this matchup.

After beginning the game trailing by as many as four points, Ja Morant scored eight of the team’s first 14 points, including back-to-back threes to help the Grizzlies take the lead. After the Grizzlies led by as many as eight points, the Raptors rallied, and a Gary Trent Jr. three-pointer with two seconds remaining helped them regain the lead to end the first quarter (30-28.)

Both teams began the second quarter trading leads until they reached a tie at 37. Then, with the Raptors leading 47-46, despite back-to-back threes from Ziaire Williams, they went on an 11-0 run to take a double-digit lead and kept that going into halftime (62-48.)

The Raptors immediately extended their lead to 20 points as the third quarter began, but the Grizzlies’ Big Three wouldn’t go away, orchestrating a 12-6 run to cut their deficit to 14 points. Then, after the Grizzlies shortened Toronto’s lead to 10 points, the Raptors made back-to-back threes and widened the gap to 93-76 by the end of the third quarter.

The Grizzlies continued to hack away at the lead as much as they could in the fourth quarter, which included another run to cut their deficit to eight with 7:03 remaining. Eventually, the Grizzlies got to within five points, but that was the closest they could get, as the Raptors won 116-111.

As for the takeaways…

Primary Rotation? There Is No Such Thing!

Remember when I said the Grizzlies needed to continue playing their nine-man rotation from the last two games? Scratch that. Derrick Rose is week-to-week again with a Left Hamstring Strain, and Vince Williams Jr. is day-to-day with Left Foot Soreness.

Also, the Grizzlies finally made the starting lineup change that a lot of the fanbase had been begging for, inserting Xavier Tillman back into the lineup over Bismack Biyombo. Tillman started the first five games of the season before a knee injury sidelined him for nine games, and Biyombo replaced him in the starting unit in his second game with the team.

As for the bench, John Konchar got the first call to replace Derrick Rose and Vince Williams Jr. as the second reserve to enter the game after Santi Aldama; he was then followed by Luke Kennard. David Roddy rounded out the first quarter rotation when he was subbed in toward the end of the quarter. Ziaire Williams then came in midway through the second quarter after Ja Morant went to the locker room with an apparent foot injury.

Luckily, Ja Morant did return to the game in the second quarter and finished the game. The rotation mostly remained the same for the rest of the game, minus Konchar and Roddy not getting any minutes in the second half, as Ziaire Williams and Santi Aldama were instrumental in the Grizzlies’ comeback attempt. However, they fell short.

Overall, this is another iteration of this rotation that is continuing to develop chemistry and they will have to continue it on the fly as it seems that the injury bug won’t slow down for more than two games. Sitting at 11-23, this continues not to be ideal for the Grizzlies, but it is the hand they have been dealt all season.

The Big Three’s Undefeated Streak Ends

During the Grizzlies’ recent four-game winning streak, one thing was consistent: the Big Three of Ja Morant, Demond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. They scored at least 20 points in all except one of those games, and in that one, Jaren scored 19 points.

Since then, there had only been one game when at least two of the three scored over 20 points, and that was the last game against the San Antonio Spurs (Ja Morant missed one game due to illness.) The Grizzlies proceeded to go 1-3 in those games, with the only win coming in the game when at least two of the big three scored over 20 points. So, with a 5-0 record (when at least two of the Big Three scored 20+ points) entering the matchup against the Toronto Raptors, the recipe for the Grizzlies to win seemed apparent, right?

Both Desmond Bane and Ja Morant got going in the first quarter against the Raptors, combining for 20 of the Grizzlies’ 28 first-quarter points. Jaren Jackson Jr. picked up some of the scoring load on his end in the second quarter, scoring six points in the period.

As the game started to get away from the Grizzlies in the third quarter, Desmond Bane and Ja Morant helped the Grizzlies go on a run to get the game within ten points as each player entered the 20-point threshold.

The Grizzlies remained persistent in their comeback attempt as Jaren Jackson Jr. rejoined the 20-point club with his other star teammates but, ultimately, the Raptors handed the Grizzlies their first loss this season when all or at least two of the Big Three scored 20-plus points.

Start/Stop/Continue

STOP running an offense that emphasizes three-point shooting when the Grizzlies are the worst three-point percentage team (33.2%) in the league. They attempt the fifth-most three-pointers (38.7 attempts) per game in the NBA. This probably won’t happen, but it’s simple: either get more players that can shoot to play in this system or alter the system to benefit the current players on the team. The Grizzlies shot 35.7% on 42 attempts, versus the Raptors shooting an efficient 46% on only 26 attempts.

Coming Up

The Grizzlies head out west for a three-game road trip beginning in Los Angeles Friday night against the Lakers at 9 PM CST on ESPN, with trips to Phoenix and Dallas to follow.

Final Quote

"I gotta get this team better prepared. We were flat tonight" – Taylor Jenkins #BackToTheGrind

— Parish Sharkey (@DaOne_PShark) January 4, 2024