The Grizzlies kicked off their two-game road trip Monday night with a definitive 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. It was the third meeting between these two teams this season, and the Grizzlies have won all three.
Let’s get into it.
Y’all. Jaren Jackson Jr. was all the way in his bag, in his best performance of the season. This game right here? THIS is why he got paid this summer. He’s struggled in the new system but appears to be working his way out of that slump.
According to Jackson’s postgame comments, Ja Morant told him before the game to “go get 30.” Clearly, he listened, because he went out and scored a season-high 31 points.
In my head canon, JJJ saw all the social media comments about him and said, “Oh, bet.”
The Clippers came out swinging and led by as many as nine in the first quarter, but the Grizzlies quickly closed that gap.
By the end of the first quarter, they had cut the Clippers’ lead to two points and erased it in the second, carrying an eight-point lead into the second half.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 21 of his 31 points in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Grizzlies looked like they were playing with their food, and in the fourth quarter, they went in for the kill.
The Clippers managed a brief two-point lead for a few moments in the third quarter, but it was short-lived.
Every time Los Angeles tried to go on a run, Memphis answered with one of their own. It is precisely how you want the team to respond in that situation.
There were a few mishaps, such as the 21 points they gave up on 11 turnovers, but overall, this was a solid win for the Grizzlies.
Fun fact for the fans: the Grizzlies are currently undefeated in the platinum jerseys they wore last night.
There were a lot of player notables from this game – four of five starters finished the night in double figures.
As noted above, Jaren Jackson Jr. put up a season-high 31 points on 13 of 18 overall shooting and 4 of 5 from three-point range, four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and five blocks. FIVE.
Jaylen Wells scored 16 points on 5 of 10 overall shooting, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Cedric Coward added 12 points on 5 of 9 overall shooting, including this beautiful bucket over James Harden:
Ja Morant also scored 12 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Morant tweaked his ankle towards the end of the fourth quarter and immediately left the game. Hopefully, there isn’t any lasting damage to sideline him.
Off the bench, Cam Spencer put up a career-high 27 points on 9 of 13 overall shooting and 7 of 10 from beyond the arc, and added three rebounds, six assists, and one steal.
Spencer has been on a heater, scoring in double figures off the bench in the last ten games, currently the longest streak in the NBA.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will head to Minnesota to play the Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.