On Sunday night, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Sacramento Kings, 123-112, behind another commanding performance by guard Ty Jerome. On Monday, Jerome was named Western Conference Player of the Week, earning his such first award.
The Grizzlies are now undefeated through the first three games of the season and are off to their best start since 2017.
These things are definitely related. This is Ty Jerome’s team now, and so far, the show has been exemplary.
Let’s get into it.
In the first quarter, Memphis and Sacramento looked evenly matched, trading baskets and the lead throughout, with the Kings finishing up by three.
It was the second quarter when the Grizzlies’ shooting heated up, making 7 of 14 from beyond the arc in the period to take a 67-59 lead into halftime. Memphis had seven players who scored from three-point range in the first half.
The Kings cut the Grizzlies’ lead and tied the game 106-106 in the fourth quarter with 5:41 remaining, but Memphis responded with force to come away with the win. A three-point play from Isaiah Stewart, a Cedric Coward bucket, and a three from Jerome shut the door.
Watching this team close out a quarter — and a game — is night and day from what we saw last season.
Please enjoy this sequence of beautiful basketball:
While Jerome led the way with 31 points, all five Grizzlies starters finished the night in double figures.
Jaylen Wells and Cameron Boozer scored 16 apiece, the former on 6-for-8 overall shooting and the latter on 6-for-21.
Cedric Coward returned from sitting out against Golden State to score 15 points and grab 11 rebounds.
Veteran big man Isaiah Stewart got his first Grizzlies start and finished with 13 points on a very respectable showing, shooting 4-for-8 overall and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Cam Spencer led the second unit with 13 points on 5-of-9 overall shooting and 3-for-6 from three-point range.
Zach Edey was sidelined against the Kings for injury management but is slated to play in Monday night’s game against the Utah Jazz. I would not be surprised if that is the protocol for Edey throughout the season on back-to-back games.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will continue their four-game road trip on Monday night against the Utah Jazz. Tip-off is at 8 PM CDT.
