How the Grizzlies completed a franchise record 29-point comeback
A 23-point halftime deficit against one of the NBA’S worst teams had Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins puzzled. He couldn’t figure out why the Grizzlies’ defense had so many breakdowns that it allowed the San Antonio Spurs to make 12 first-half 3pointers.
So this time, when Jenkins entered the locker room at halftime, he didn’t have a big message or words of encouragement for the team. The Grizzlies also didn’t watch film. Jenkins simply asked the players, “‘What do you got for me?’ “
The team responded. Jenkins recalled “four or five” players speaking up, and the Grizzlies had honest conversations that helped complete the NBA’S largest comeback this season in a 126-120 road win Friday night against the Spurs at AT&T Center. It was also a franchise record for largest comeback.
The Grizzlies (42-27) trailed by as many as 29 points with 7:50 left in the third quarter before forcing overtime with a late Dillon Brooks 3-pointer. He later made another big 3-pointer in overtime to give the Grizzlies a 124-120 lead. Brooks finished with 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
The comeback win in San Antonio (18-52) can all be traced back to the locker room, where Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones said the team had conversations that may not have taken place earlier in the season.
“All things that we normally talk about, but the guys took that opportunity to rally together; understand there’s still a lot of time left in the game, and we had to do it on our terms,” Jenkins said. “It’s a phrase that we talk about.”
The defensive energy drastically changed. Memphis was active, and Spurs shots weren’t coming as easy. San Antonio shot 8-for-28 on 3-pointers in the second half after a blistering 12-for-24 start through two quarters.
That defensive energy transferred over to offense, where several players stepped and made key plays in the comeback.
Luke Kennard made a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer that got the Grizzlies down to 12 points. Kenneth Lofton Jr. got his first rotation minutes and provided a spark enough to get playing time in the closing minutes, and Desmond Bane scored eight consecutive points to start overtime.
Lofton added 11 points and seven rebounds,
Jones scored 21 points and secured his first career triple-double, and Bane had an all-around night with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
“We came in at halftime, regrouped, talked about it, and just came out firing,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “Luke (Kennard) made that shot at the end of the third. Basically, gave us a lot more juice going into the fourth. If you chip away long enough, you’re going to make some noise.”
Jackson led the Grizzlies with 28 points on 12-for-20 shooting. He also played close to 43 minutes, which was a team high.
While the rest of the team got a boost from the locker room talk, Jackson also had his own other motivation at Friday’s game. His father, Jaren Jackson Sr., was being honored at the game by the Spurs — where he played four seasons and won an NBA championship in 1999.
“I knew he was here, and I wanted to allow myself to play in this game and play well,” Jackson said. “I knew he was here, and I was the tiniest bit nervous if I ever was for a regular season game just because you want to remember this day as where you get acknowledged for winning a championship here. I want to win a championship with my team, so I was embracing the moment. He was out here crying. It was a huge moment for him.”