Finding a silver lining from Monday’s Memphis Grizzlies game against the Brooklyn Nets would be tough. Brooklyn dominated the game on offense and defense.
Memphis (20-38) fell behind after a sluggish first quarter and didn’t threaten in a 111-86 blowout loss at FedExForum.
Lamar Stevens led the Grizzlies in scoring with 17 points. They finished their five-game homestand with two wins and three losses.
Brooklyn (22-35), with one of the league’s worst offenses this month, snapped a four-game losing streak, getting balanced contributions from starters and the bench. All five Nets starters reached double figures, led by Dennis Schroder’s 18 points.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
Lack of energy
This didn’t look like the same Grizzlies team that has matched the energy of opponents despite what the game results show. Memphis looked slower and didn’t match the intensity of the Nets, with no second-chance points and just four transition points in the first half.
The Nets had a combined 26 transition and second-chance points in the same stretch. Memphis ended up losing that battle 47-14.
Losing the center battle
Jaren Jackson Jr. has been a constant source of offense, scoring 20 or more points in nine of his past 10 games. The exception was 18 points in a win against the Houston Rockets, but Monday was different. Jackson made one of his first seven field goals while dealing with 6-foot-11 center Nic Claxton. He finished with 15 points on 2-for-12 shooting. That was Jackson’s lowest scoring total since Jan. 24.
Trey Jemison was inactive due to his game limitations for the remainder of the season. He can play in only 15 more games this season. Recently signed two-way player Jordan Goodwin was also inactive.
Offense struggles, but Lamar Stevens impresses
Neither the offense or defense was good, but the offensive struggles stood out. The Grizzlies struggled to make shots and didn’t have a high assist night because of it. The free-throw line was their best offense most of the game.
The one positive on offense was Stevens’ continued assertiveness in the small-ball center role. He has a knack for creating off the dribble while being guarded against slower players. For what the 6-6 forward loses in the height battle, he makes up for it with his 230-pound frame. Stevens had five rebounds and made eight of his nine shots.
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What’s next
Memphis will go on the road for the first time since Feb. 10 and face the Timberwolves in Minnesota. The Grizzlies already have lost three times to them.
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