Big-Time Bench Performance Helps Grizzlies Hang On Against Kings

It was a true team effort from the Memphis Grizzlies that led to their 115-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings, Thursday, and their sixth straight win on the home floor.

Memphis got off to a rocky start. Sacramento came out blazing in the first quarter and built a nine-point lead. The Grizzlies overcame it, but the two teams stayed close, with 20 lead changes throughout.

However, the Grizzlies did themselves no favors by allowing the Kings to score 29 points off their 22 turnovers. Turnovers have been a struggle for this team all season, and Memphis is 28^th in the league in total turnovers and turnovers per game.

The Grizzlies’ bench unit was the real star of the game, outscoring Sacramento’s second unit 60-15 — and their own starting lineup, 60-55.

Memphis beat the Kings 22-9 in fast-break points, a category the in which the Kings lead the league.

Ja Morant’s fourth-quarter ejection on a second technical foul had the potential to derail Memphis, and last season, it almost certainly would have. Morant was assessed a second technical for his reaction to being called for a foul on DeMar DeRozan at the 6:35 mark.

In a postgame interview, officiating Crew Chief Pat Fraher revealed that the foul call on the play that ultimately led to Morant’s ejection was called incorrectly.

Per Fraher: “In live play, the official thought that Morant bumped DeRozan on his jump shot. However, after postgame review, Morant was in legal guarding position and should not have been called for a foul.”

Marcus Smart continues to thrive coming off the bench, in a role that he seems to have fully embraced. I think it speaks to Smart’s level of professionalism that he’s taken losing his spot in the starting lineup to rookie Jaylen Wells in stride.

For the 11th time this season, the Grizzlies had seven players who scored in double figures. Memphis leads the league in games with seven or more players who scored double digits.  

Desmond Bane led the starters with 18 points, and added eight rebounds, and seven assists. Bane was the only starter to finish the game with a positive plus/minus rating.

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished the night with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Jaylen Wells added 10 points and six rebounds.

Marcus Smart led the bench with 18 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals on five-of-nine overall shooting and four-of-eight from beyond the arc.

Santi Aldama finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals on six of eight overall shooting and three of three from three-point range.

Jake LaRavia added 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.

Jay Huff contributed 11 points, four rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.

With the exception of Desmond Bane’s 32:25 minutes, no one else played for more than 29 minutes. This season, winning games with more players playing fewer minutes has been a hallmark of the Grizzlies.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will be on the road for back-to-back games this weekend. They will take on the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics on Saturday night and the league’s worst team, the Washington Wizards, on Sunday. Saturday night’s game tips off at 7 PM CST.