The Grizzlies gave us all an early Christmas gift Tuesday night, handily dispatching the Utah Jazz 137-128 in Salt Lake City. I think it is safe to call this a revenge game, a payback for last Saturdayโs loss.
Letโs get into it.
The Grizzlies still have an injured list nearly as long as their available players, but that did not stop them from putting a hurting on Utah. It was the epitome of a team win, with seven Memphis players finishing the night in double figures.
The victory comes on the heels of a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, when the Grizzlies gave up 31 points off turnovers.
They did a better job of taking care of the ball last night in Utah, allowing the Jazz only 12 points off 15 turnovers.
Two-way guard Javon Small returned to action, and we got another look at center Christian Koloko, who is with the team on a 10-day hardship contract.
One thing the Grizzlies have done well this season, amid all the injuries, is get top-level effort from the players on the court.
The next-man-up mentality is alive and well with this team. Hate that itโs necessary, but we love to see it.
We got to see GG Jackson in the starting lineup for the first time this season, after spending the past few weeks playing with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G-League affiliate.
Jackson put up 18 points on 7 of 9 overall shooting and 2 of 4 from beyond the arc and grabbed nine defensive rebounds.
Santi Aldama was back in the starting lineup, and he tied his career-high of 37 points, along with five rebounds and seven assists. His seven made three-pointers were a new career high as well.
Iโm ready to start the petition for a new moniker: Santi Claus.
Jaren Jackson Jr. gave us another consistent performance, scoring 21 points off 9 of 16 overall shooting and 2 of 4 from beyond the arc, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and three blocks. And only three fouls.
Jaylen Wells added 12 points, one rebound, four assists, four steals, and one block.
Cam Spencer joined the starting lineup, scoring 11 points, three rebounds, and a new career-high of 13 assists.
The second unit also showed up in a big way, led by a couple of veteran players.
Jock Landale put up 17 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 11 points on 3 of 7 overall shooting, one rebound, three assists, and one steal.
Honorable mention to Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who added 8 points on 2 of 4 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, and three assists.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will return home on December 26th to face off against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.