Grizzlies’ win streak at three
For all the talk of the Grizzlies letting it fly, they're still reliant on post play being essential in coach Taylor Jenkins' offense.
In Wednesday's 118-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Grizzlies' inside game delivered the finishing punch at Target Center. Dillon Brooks' dunk on the final possession gave the Grizzlies a franchise-record 80 points in the paint.
It was a fitting end as Jonas Valanciunas had his best game of the season. The Grizzlies center had with 24 points and 16 rebounds as he bested Timberwolves All-star center Karl-anthony Towns, who had 25 points and 14 rebounds.
The Grizzlies (5-6) had 18 points
in the paint in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Timberwolves 38-17 to extend their winning streak to three games.
“That was really good, especially missing Ja (Morant),” Brandon Clarke said about the ankle injury that has sidelined the reigning Rookie of the Year on Dec. 28. “Because Ja and JV are really the main two guys getting the points in the paint. I think it just shows we play really hard and we had a bunch of second chance points in the paint.”
The Grizzlies led the NBA in points in the paint last season and are second this season. As much as taking more shots is part of their identity, so is going inside with a variety of drives and floaters.
Clarke had 14 of his 19 points in the paint. De'anthony Melton added 15 points (12 in the paint) and Xavier
Tillman had 12 points.
The bench helped the Grizzlies rally during a 24-4 run in the fourth quarter. Grayson Allen finished with a season-high 20 points to help offset a tough shooting performance from Brooks and Anderson, who combined to go 6-for-23.
The Grizzlies also improved to 4-1 on the road. They're also 4-4 since losing Morant.
Without Morant, they've had at least 30 assists in their last two games, including 33 on Wednesday. If they win Friday at the Timberwolves, they'll be at .500 for the first time this season.
But if the first two wins on this road trip are any indication, the Grizzlies are learning how to step up and finish games as Morant, Jaren
Jackson Jr. and Justise Winslow remain sidelined. On Monday, it was Brooks hitting a late 3-pointer and making free throws to seal a win over the Cavaliers.
Two days later, it was the Grizzlies collectively getting to the paint and thriving where Morant and Valaciunas usually set the tone.
“It just shows how tough we are,”
Clarke said.
“There's some teams that rack up a bunch of losses when their best player goes down but our team has guys that just play super hard, really, and just guys that can fight, really, and get wins even when it's tough.”
Up Next
The Grizzlies and Timberwolves meet again on Friday (7 p.m., Fox Sports Southeast), which starts back-to-back games as Memphis hosts the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.