The Memphis Grizzlies embarrassed the Milwaukee Bucks to rebound from a home loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets a day beforehand. Giannis Antetokounpo had the Beale Street Blues at the free throw line, and the FedEx Forum crowd let the visitors hear some celebratory high notes. Taylor Jenkins and the fans also got a few SportsCenter-worthy highlights from Ja Morant.
One came while the All-Star was sitting down on the job. Jenkins praised the vision of the team’s All-Star point guard but also made a bold claim following Morant’s jaw-dropping dunk. Jenkins even claimed to have seen it coming.
“I don’t know. I think there were maybe three or four defenders swarming around him,” Jenkins recalled. “And there was a guy popping to the three on the wing and to the corner. Then just something came out of me to say ‘Is there gonna be a lob that happens here?’ I could just see Ja lob it up and then he found (Santi Aldama) on the dunk.”
The Grizzlies group chat fueled by Morant and Yuki Kawamura‘s friendship might not be the best team connection of the season. Santi Aldama has been scorching hot to start the season and a lot of that success comes from being on the same page as Morant.
“(Morant and Aldama) have a great connection,” Jenkins shared. “But I mean we know Ja is so gifted. In those situations, he has unbelievable creativity and ingenuity. That is definitely one I think should be a SportsCenter highlight tonight.”
Ja Morant’s Grizzlies get back on track vs. Bucks
Taylor Jenkins has been preaching defense at Grizzlies’ practices with a bit more intensity lately and it showed up on Damian Lillard’s stat sheet. Morant and the Grizzlies let Giannis Antetokoumpo score 37 largely meaningless points. Lillard made a single bucket, going 1-0f-12 from the field and 0-of-6 from three-point range.
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Doc Rivers and the Bucks are in a bundle of trouble. Milwaukee has lost four straight with no easy games in sight. Memphis has a far more manageable schedule and a supporting cast that is getting back on track. Sure, Morant’s triple-double (26 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds) will be the leading story for the Grizzlies. Santi Aldama (19 points, nine rebounds) and Scotty Pippen Jr. (16 points, seven rebounds) also played a big part in building a 31-point cushion.
All five Grizzlies starters scored in double figures, as did reserve swingman Jake LaRavia. Next up is a two-game road swing to see the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Memphis owes Brooklyn a bit of payback. Philadelphia is dealing with injuries to Paul George and Joel Embiid. Meanwhile, Jenkins is one good G.G. Jackson update away from working with a full roster.
That is the kind of good news Morant and Jenkins need to get the inconsistent Grizzlies back on track.