Ollie earns first win as NBA head coach as Nets beat Grizzlies, 111-86

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dennis Schroder scored 18 points, Dorian Finney-smith added 13 points and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets cruised past the Memphis Grizzlies 111-86 on Monday night, giving Kevin Ollie his first win as an NBA coach.

Cam Thomas had 14 points before leaving the game with 7:23 remaining with a right ankle injury. Lonnie Walker IV added 13 for the Nets.

“Can we make this quick? I’m soaking wet,” Ollie said after a locker room dousing by his team. “They got me good. All my other coaches left me out to dry. They stayed in the back. I should have known something then.”

“It’s phenomenal. They just kept believing. It’s been a couple of up and down days … and they just stayed together,” Ollie said.

Ollie said he got the game ball after the win.

“It’ll go in my office first, I’m definitely going to put it up for my mom in heaven, and my sister in heaven. I know they were watching over me in this first win, so definitely going to raise it up and toast it to them.”

Ollie was named Brooklyn’s interim coach over the All-star break, replacing Jacque Vaughn, and had lost his first two games. The Nets came in having lost seven of eight, all but one by double digits.

This time, the Nets took care of the ball with only 10 turnovers, outscored Memphis 21-7 in secondchance points and 26-7 in fast-break points. Brooklyn had 32 assists on 44 baskets.

“It was just how we played, especially defensively,” Walker said. “Each game we have picked it up. We have taken it to another level. This game especially. We’re improving. We’re getting better. We’re playing better.”

The Grizzlies were out of sync from the start, managing 18 points in the first quarter to match their lowest-scoring opening period of the season.

It didn’t get much better for Memphis from there. Brooklyn led by 27 late in the first half and was ahead 66-40 at halftime. That was a season low in first-half scoring for the Grizzlies.

“We got hit pretty hard in that first half, the first quarter especially,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We were trying, but we were kind of in search mode all night. Just didn’t have anything clicking on the offensive side.”