Quick Recap: Short-Handed Grizzlies Give All-Out Effort, Come Up Short Against the Kings 103-94.

On the second night of a back to back, and 3rd game in 4 days, the Grizzlies returned to 191 Beale to face the Kings in an uphill battle. Starting the 27th different lineup of the year, the Grizzlies had more players in street clothes on the sideline than in the Beale Street Blues. Hours before tip Matthew Hurt was called up from the Hustle, another player earning NBA minutes, just to field the league minimum of 8 players after Vince Williams Jr. was ruled out. When Taylor Jenkins was asked about the different players he has had to use this year, he responded with “We just go out and have fun.” Fun was had as the Badgered Bruins gutted out another close game, before running out of steam late in a 103-94 loss.

First Quarter

On the heels of a 6-0 start, the Grizzlies turned the heat up early going 7-10 from beyond the arc en route to a 33-18 advantage at the end of the first. The Grizzlies are averaging a +4 advantage from 3 in January and finished this quarter +7. The Kings also don’t defend the paint well, 29th in blocked shots, and the Grizz took full advantage early with 10 points in the paint. The Kings struggled to get their typical hand-off offense going early as the Grizz were shifting and sliding across, stopping the Kings from getting to the rim. The Kings came in averaging 30 points in first quarters and the Grizz held them 12 points below that average, thanks in large part to an 0-9 start from deep. Harrison Barnes, who has been on a heater of late, finished the first 1-6 from the field and 0-5 from deep. Matthew Hurt, local folk hero now, made his presence felt early burying two deep 3’s for his first career NBA points. For this pieced- together team, you couldn’t have asked for a better start.

Second Quarter

The Kings cold start continued with more misses from deep, starting the game 1-13 as the Grizzlies lead grew to 15 at the midway point. The second quarter woes once again kicked in as that lead steadily shrunk, down to 1 at one point, before the Grizz led 50-47 at the break. Jaren imposed his will in the second quarter, bullying Javale McGee with a physical move for a lay up. On the very next possession, he pulled out a nasty behind the back move before a monster slam to get the crowd on their feet.

Scotty Pippen Jr in his first career NBA start lead the defense early, starting the game with 2 steals and a block before halftime. Santia Aldama made his presence felt early by pouring in 3 of 4 threes in the first half, leading either team. The Grizzlies continued attacking the soft middle of the Kings defense, leading to the bonus with over 6 minutes remaining in the half. Domantas Sabonis hit his 28th consecutive double double with 4 minutes to go in the half as he dominated the glass, grabbing 16 boards in the first half. Jaren once again stepped up in the absence of his normal running mates, leading the young players with 15 points at the half. The Grizzlies forced 12 first half turnovers, 1 below the Kings’ season average per game. The Grizzlies needed all of them to hang on to a precarious 3 point lead.

Third Quarter

The shooting woes continued for the Kings in the third quarter as the Grizz built a 15 lead in the third frame. Harrison Barnes started the game 0-7 from beyond the arc but Sabonis continued grabbing boards at an alarming rate. Santi Aldama got the Grizzlies’ first 4 point opportunity of the year on his 5th triple for the night, hitting the free throw to build an early 6 point lead at the 8 minute mark. However, the Kings battled back by winning the battle in the paint with 38 points by the 6:30 mark.

The Kings took their first lead at the 6:17 mark on Harrison Barnes’ first 3 point make, 64-62. Barnes’ next 3 finished a 15-0 run before X laid it in off an Aldama assist. The Grizzlies truly had no answer down low as they cooled down to shoot below 40% on their shots in the painted area and the Kings proved once again to be one of the league’s best rebounding teams with a 15 rebound advantage after 3. Sabonis lead the Kings with 22 rebounds, helping the build a 75-71 heading into the 4^th.

Fourth Quarter

The gritty Grizz battled back to take a 1 point lead early in the 4^th, in what would be a back and fourth final frame. Jaren, with 3 fouls, started imposing his will on both Javale McGee and Trey Lyles, playing aggressive on offense and finding his way to the free throw line. Matthew Hurts’ legacy grew with 10 points in his Grizzlies debut, once again showing the Hustle pipeline is vital to the future of this franchise. Speaking of Hustle, the Grizzlies played incredibly hard in the final frame, especially on the back half of a back to back. From Pippen diving after a loose ball to GG burying a massive 3 midway through the 4^th, the young cubs had the crowd energized and willing them to a win.

Jaren picked up his 5^th foul on a sloppy rebound attempt with 3:43 left in the game and a Kings 1 point lead. De’Aaron Fox immediately went on the attack, adding 4 quick points followed by a Lyles 3 and the Kings were up 5 with 2 minutes to go. Following a much needed timeout, the Grizzlies unfortunately continued their cold shooting 4^th, going 2-9 from three in the final frame. The young team appeared to be running out of steam as the Kings continued to build their lead. The Kings rallied from a double digit deficit for the 6^th time this year and walked away a winner, 103-94.

Domantis Sabonis tied the opponent’s franchise record for rebounds with 26 and the Kings just methodically worked their way back into the game. The Grizzlies battled valiantly until they simply ran out of gas with only 8 players logging minutes. The Beale Street Bruins have nothing to hang their heads about with the effort they gave. It’s appropriate that the G League affiliate is the Hustle, as that’s what this team gives night in and night out. All-out effort from a short handed team and I am proud to have Memphis on my chest tonight.  

The Grizzlies lace them up again on Thursday against Cleveland at 9 pm central