Evans, Gasol sit in defeat
Road trip for Grizzlies starts with loss to Nets
BROOKLYN – The Grizzlies simply didn’t put their best foot forward in trying to establish a winning streak.
Their two best players - Tyreke Evans and Marc Gasol – didn’t play Monday night during a 118-115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in the Barclays Center.
Gasol sat with flu-like symptoms while Evans’ absence was unexplained. Memphis was coming off a victory Saturday over the Denver Nuggets that ended a 19-game losing streak. The Grizzlies embarked on a three-game road trip that continues Wednesday at Philadelphia and Thursday at Charlotte.
It is not known the status of Evans and Gasol for the rest of the trip. Meanwhile, Andrew Harrison returned from a wrist injury to lead the Grizzlies with 19 points against Brooklyn. Wayne Selden added 17 points off the bench.
The Grizzlies lost despite shooting 53 percent. The Nets capitalized on 16 3-pointers – six more than the Grizzlies – to compensate for 22 turnovers.
Brooklyn ranks second in the NBA in 3-pointers made per game (12.3) and attempts (35).
“There was a stretch in that fourth quarter where we turned the ball over too much,” Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Memphis committed 16 turnovers. Bickerstaff said part of the team’s evaluation of players at this point in the season is putting them in position to operate under duress.
“It’s learning how to win,” Bickerstaff said. “Consistency and learning how to win are the hardest things to do in this league. The only way you learn is through experience. You can watch all of the NBA basketball you want to but until you go through it, you won’t learn.”