Ja Morant tallies double-double in preseason opener victory
The Memphis Grizzlies won their preseason opener with a 107-105 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center on Saturday night. They closed the third quarter with a 10-2 run and were able to hang on in the fourth.
Rookies Desmond Bane and Xavier
Tillman made their debuts. The Grizzlies tried a number of guard-heavy lineups with four forwards, including Jaren Jackson Jr. and Justise Winslow out due to injuries.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s game in Minneapolis.
Double-double for Ja Morant
Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant had a double-double with 20 points and 11 assists.
He owned the first half by scoring efficiently in a variety of ways. He floated in for a putback dunk. He splashed a transition 3-pointer on a fast break. He drove the lane forcefully and created three-point opportunities for his teammates. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year made seven of his first eight shots and had six assists by halftime.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said before the game that his plan was to start Morant’s minutes off in the mid-20s and increase them as the preseason progresses. He played a total of 25 minutes, with most coming in the first half.
“Just great for Ja to have a really, really good first game after all the work he put in this past summer,” Jenkins said. “He’s really worked a lot on his body, worked on a lot of different parts of his
game. I talked about how I wanted him to get better in every part of his game and I think that showed tonight.”
Desmond Bane shines in debut
Bane, the rookie from TCU, scored his first NBA field goal on a layup off of a nice feed from Jon Konchar. He kept the momentum going, making his first three shots. He finished with 12 points on 5of-8 shooting. Tillman scored his first field goal late in the fourth quarter.
“I really loved how Des came out aggressive,” Jenkins said. “He found the right times to score. He got downhill a couple of times. He’s going to be a dynamic playmaker. Also being unselfish sharing the ball, too.”
Slow start for Grayson Allen and Dillon Brooks
With so many forwards out, the Grizzlies went with Grayson Allen and Dillon Brooks in the starting line up.
They missed a combined 17 of their 20 shots. Brooks also found himself in foul trouble with four midway through the third quarter. Brooks had five assists.
Efficient minutes from De’anthony Melton
De’anthony Melton gave the Grizzlies quality minutes at the backup point guard spot.
He had a nice dish to Gorgui Dieng in the fourth quarter and finished 4-9 shooting and a pair of assists in 20 minutes.
Anthony Edwards looked like a rookie
It was also the debut for Anthony Edwards, who was drafted No.1 overall.
The 6-foot-5 guard was 2-of-9 shooting and air-balled a 3-pointer in the first half. He hit a 3-pointer and a mid-range jumper in the second quarter, but struggled to find offense outside of that in his 26 minutes on the floor.
Next Up
The Grizzlies will play Minnesota again on Monday in Minneapolis at 7 p.m. After that, the Grizzlies will close out the preseason with a pair of home games against the Atlanta Hawks starting next Saturday.