Even with Ja Morant back in the lineup, if the Memphis Grizzlies hope to make the play-in tournament — let alone the NBA Playoffs — every game counts.
That’s why later this spring, the team may look back on Wednesday’s 116-111 loss to the Toronto Raptors with regret about a game that slipped away.
“I don’t want to make any excuses,” said Morant, who scored a game-high 28 points. “We need to be better and come out with more energy to get a win on our home floor.”
“I’ve got to get this team better prepared,” Jenkins said after the game. “I thought our (fourth quarter) defense was better. We played fast. There are a couple of possessions I wished I could take back.”
At the end of the first quarter, the Grizzlies trailed the Raptors (30-29). Desmond Bane had a hot first quarter, scoring 12 points and connecting on five of eight shots. He had three assists in the quarter. The Grizzlies led by as many as eight points in the quarter. RJ Barrett, freshly traded from the New York Knicks, had eight points in the quarter for the Raptors.
But listless play from the Grizzlies allowed Toronto to build a double-digit lead in the second quarter. The Raptors outrebounded the Grizzlies 14-8 in the second quarter. Memphis (11-23) only shot 35 percent for the quarter and 39 percent in the first half. The Raptors shot 48 percent from the field and made 11 of 13 free throws in the first half. Toronto outscored the Grizzlies 32-19 in the quarter to take a 62-48 lead into halftime.
“We missed shots,” Morant said. “We had some open guys and took some tough shots. You don’t want to go out there and play like a robot. At the same time, you want to make the right plays. It is about getting a better look.”
Grizz guard Desmond Bane refused to let Jenkins take all the blame for the sluggish second quarter.
“As a coach, you can only do so much,” said Bane, who finished with 22 points and eight assists. “(Coach Jenkins doesn’t) put a jersey on or run up and down the court. It has nothing to do with him.
“We are all grown men. It is on us, we have to be better,” he said.
Toronto came out in the second half and quickly took a 20-point lead over the Grizzlies. Both teams made runs, but the Raptors would survive and take a 93-76 lead into the final quarter. Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley, also traded from the Knicks in the recent deal, scored 10 points in the quarter for Toronto.
In the fourth quarter, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama helped Memphis make it a two-possession game with 3:21 remaining, but ultimately Toronto made timely plays to seal the game away.
The Raptors were led by Quickley with 26 points and 5 assists. Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 7 rebounds. Scotty Barnes had 20 points and 8 assists. Dennis Schroder had 16 points off the bench to go with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Morant nearly had a triple-double with 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Jackson had 24 points and Bane had 22 points. Ziaire Williams scored 18 points off the bench. The Grizzlies were outrebounded 46-43.
The night was a reunion of sorts. Last season, Darko Rajakovic was an assistant coach with the Grizzlies. This season, he’s a first-year head coach with the Raptors, and he was facing his old team for the first time.
“It was awesome,” Jenkins said about coaching against his former colleague. “You could feel his fire down there. He had his guys playing extremely hard tonight. They were playing extremely fast.”
Next up for the Grizzlies: a three-game road trip, starting with the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Jan. 5. Their next home game at FedExForum will be Jan. 12. Bane is looking for the team to play well on the road.
“I just want us to play Grizzlies basketball,” Bane said. “We all know what that looks like and feels like. You can live with the result if you are playing the right way.”
