Ja Morant ties career high in assists, Memphis Grizzlies comeback falls short vs Bucks
No matter who is in or out of the Memphis Grizzlies' lineup, the energy and hustle stats have masked some of the team's weaknesses.
With Desmond Bane, Kyle Anderson, Tyus Jones and Killian Tillie placed in health and safety protocols, free throw and 3-point shooting struggles were magnified against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night. Hustle, energy and Ja Morant kept the Grizzlies in the game, but ultimately the Bucks snapped a two-game losing streak with a 126-114 victory.
The Bucks (28-19) led by as many as 17 points in the first half and 16 in the third quarter. At one point early in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies (31-16) were down seven points with De'Anthony Melton shooting two free throws. He missed both badly, and the Bucks got two quick transition layups. After the Grizzlies kept punching and threatening to get within two possessions, that felt like a dagger blow, but a Morant transition layup cut the deficit to three with two minutes, 32 seconds remaining. The Bucks then went on an 8-0 run.
Coach Taylor Jenkins returned to the sideline after missing the last six games due to health and safety protocols. The Grizzlies went 5-1.
"When we tried to make our run there in that third quarter, they had a response," Jenkins said. "Every time we scored, they scored. Our activity was great when we needed it to cut it down to three. We just couldn't get enough stops there late in the game to try to win."
Morant led the Grizzlies with 33 points and 14 assists. The assists tied his career high set in February 2020 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Here are some observations from Wednesday's game:
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Three-point shooting goes cold
The Grizzlies haven't been a good 3-point shooting team in January. The difference between Wednesday and most nights was that the Grizzlies usually dominate the paint and have shooters like Bane who can't be left open. Without a shooter of Bane's respect, the Bucks focused on guarding the paint and dared the Grizzlies to shoot. Memphis did get 66 paint points, but it shot 9-for-40 from 3-point range.
Milwaukee is one of the NBA's top shooting teams and finished 13-for-37 on 3-pointers. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 33 points and 15 rebounds.
Morant was dared to shoot early and made three first quarter 3-pointers. No other Grizzlies player made a 3-pointer until Melton midway through the third quarter. John Konchar started at shooting guard and shot 0-for-4 on 3-pointers, despite hitting 49% this season.
"My job is to take what the defense gives me and continue to be aggressive at all times," Morant said. "I felt like we got all the shots we wanted tonight. Some just didn't fall."
Point-Culver?
No Jones at backup point guard meant the Grizzlies had to get creative. Jarrett Culver got the first crack at the backup point guard minutes. It was a mixed experience, with Culver getting shooters' good shots or predictable drive-and-kicks. He finished with five points on 2-for-8 shooting and added two assists.
Jenkins said the backup point guard rotation is by committee right now with Morant playing more minutes some games.
"It may be Jarrett one night, it may be (Melton), it may be John (Konchar), Ziaire (Williams)," Jenkins said. "Our subs kind of changed as we were going on runs at different points in the game."
Tale of two halves for Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s first half was forgettable. He picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter. He returned in the third quarter and was a big reason why the Grizzlies got back in the game. He finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Next Up
The Grizzlies travel to Denver on Friday (8 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast) to face MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
Contact Damichael Cole at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @damichaelc
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Live updates, score
