On Wednesday night, the Grizzlies suffered a brutal 117-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns at FedExForum, splitting this week’s pair of back-to-back games.
There were some familiar faces wreaking havoc against the Grizzlies, with Phoenix holding Memphis to under 100 points for just the second time this season.
If we were performing an autopsy of this game, the cause of death would be Dillon Brooks. The former Grizzly led all scorers with 21 points and a season-high five three-pointers. It did take him 22 shot attempts, which is very on-brand for Brooks.
He wasn’t the only former Grizzly to bring the pain – Grayson Allen put up 19 points off the bench on 7 of 13 overall shooting and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.
All five players of Phoenix’s starting lineup scored double figures.
The Suns blew the doors off from three-point range, finishing the night with 22 made threes to the Grizzlies’ 12. The game was basically lost from the three-point line, and there isn’t much to be done when your opponent scores 30 more points from beyond the arc
Both teams were sloppy, with 18 turnovers, but the Suns converted 25 points off them, while the Grizzlies managed only 17.
Memphis did itself no favors from the free-throw line, going 8 of 14.
In addition to shooting better, the Suns outdid the Grizzlies in almost every statistical category: rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, second-chance points, and fast-break points. Points in the paint were tied at 44.
Jock Landale was the team’s starting center, and he had an uncharacteristically poor night on offense with no points scored, although he did grab eight rebounds and dish out four assists. Then again, if you’re relying on the offensive prowess of Jock Landale to carry you, that is less than ideal.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the team with 19 points, to go with four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. But he had only one foul, so there’s that.
Cam Spencer added 14 points on 5 of 11 overall shooting and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, and added three rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
GG Jackson put up 11 points in his third start of the season, to go along with five rebounds, one assist, and a career-high four steals.
From the second unit, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 14 points on 5 of 10 overall shooting and 2 of 4 from beyond the arc, with three rebounds and two assists.
Javon Small also scored 14 points on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 3 of 4 from three-point range, three rebounds. He added a team-high seven assists, plus one steal and one block.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will continue their homestand Friday night against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.