Overview:
Kings early rebounding dominance and second-chance scoring fueled a win over the Grizzlies on Monday night in Memphis.
The Memphis Grizzlies dropped a 123-114 decision to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night at FedExForum, fighting hard in stretches but never fully escaping the second chances for the Kings that tilted the floor from the start.
It did not unravel all at once. It was stacked.
Sacramento scored 16 second chance points in the first quarter alone and 20 in the first half . By the end of three quarters, the Kings had built a 39-21 advantage on the glass. Every defensive stop felt incomplete. Every rebound felt contested twice.
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo was blunt afterward. “I didn’t think it was very good,” he said, pointing to the early second-shot opportunities and the reality of playing without a traditional five due to injuries. Smaller lineups do not excuse physical lapses. “You’ve got to be the person that hits first,” he added when discussing rebounding battles.
The Grizzlies won the second quarter 36-30. They jumped passing lanes. They pushed pace. They have now recorded 10 or more steals in seven straight games, tying one of the longest such streaks in franchise history. Activity was not the issue; control was.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the game tightened to a manageable margin before Sacramento delivered the defining stretch: a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 104-91 with 8:47 remaining.
The Kings did not rush. They did not panic. They simply executed, stretching possessions long enough for size to matter and short enough for Memphis to feel urgency.
Javon Small continued to look comfortable with responsibility, leading Memphis with 21 points and nine assists. He has become one of the steadier hands in a season defined by change. Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 17 points. GG Jackson II poured in 16 points and added six rebounds, adjusting to minutes at the five in lineups built more on speed than size.
Jackson acknowledged the shift.
“I won’t say it’s like high school, but it’s kind of like high school,” he said, referencing the adjustment of playing without a traditional big and leaning into pace and competitiveness..
Taylor Hendricks, who finished with 12 points, continues to embrace opportunity. He described the expanded role as a blessing and emphasized defensive impact and versatility as his focus.
Iisalo noted that Hendricks’ length and disruption have helped trigger transition chances when Memphis can convert deflections into fastbreaks.
Scotty Pippen Jr., still building back into full game-shape after extended time away, tied a career high with five steals, including four in the second quarter. The effort was visible. The margin for error was not.
Sacramento snapped a 16-game losing streak and ended its 16-game road skid, playing with urgency that matched Memphis’ energy but took advantage of the Kings’ interior size differential.
This was not a collapse. It was another version of a theme that has followed Memphis all season. When you are small, every rebound is a decision. When you are young, every rotation is a test. And when you give a team 20 second chances in a half, the scoreboard eventually tells the truth.
Memphis returns to FedExForum on Wednesday to host the Golden State Warriors.