This was supposed to be the game that finally broke the slump.
The Memphis Grizzlies started slow, but they erased the deficit with a furious comeback and the intensity fans have been waiting to see.
Memphis led by four points with 3:38 to go in the fourth quarter. A win was within reach against the Golden State Warriors.
The, the Warriors went on a 14-2 run over the next three minutes and added another loss to the Grizzlies’ rough stretch. This time Memphis fell 134-125 in FedExForum on Tuesday.
Memphis is playing better, but as coach Tuomas Iisalo pointed out, there are no moral victories. Grizzlies players are searching for answers. They feel improvement, but the end result leads to unhappiness.
“It’s frustrating to lose three in a row,” Desmond Bane said. “Very winnable games. I don’t feel like we’re playing bad basketball. We’re definitely not playing good enough to win. Margins are small in this league, and it’s hard to win in this league. We’re not far.”
Memphis ends its three-game homestand with a winless record. Overall, the Grizzlies have lost seven of eight games.
They’re now holding onto the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers are right on their heels.
At this point, there’s no need to sugarcoat the obvious. The urgency for the Grizzlies has to reach new levels.
“Every game it ratchets up,” Jaren Jackson Jr. “It’s got to be at an all-time high now. We know that there’s no time for it to not be as urgent as possible. It’s at an all-time high.”
Defensive problems remain vs Warriors
That urgency starts on the defensive end. That’s where the Grizzlies need to be great in order to fuel their offense.
The Warriors scored 45 points in the first quarter on Tuesday. Stephen Curry poured in a season-high 52 points despite being the primary player Memphis wanted to take away during their pregame scout.
Curry’s aggressiveness was different, multiple Grizzlies players said. He poured in 12 3-pointers and attempted 31 shots overall.
As great as Curry was, Memphis still felt as if it could have done more to limit him and the Warriors.
“We had spurts where we looked very good on the defensive end,” Jaylen Wells said. “I just think it’s being inconsistent just that full 48 minutes. We’re very capable of doing it and we’re showing that.”
Getting Zach Edey going
If there was an encouraging development, Zach Edey’s play was something Memphis wants to build on. Iisalo called his performance against Golden State a base line for what the team wants to see going forward.
Edey finished the game with 10 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.
Iisalo’s increased emphasis on setting screens and having bigs roll to the rim has resulted in Edey being more comfortable. Only six games remain, but the Grizzlies are putting their rookie first-round pick in ...
