The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the more prideful teams in the NBA. They had already lost to the Nets twice this season, once by 13 points at FedExForum on Oct. 30 and again by two points at Barclays Center on Nov. 4., so you knew their third meeting with Brooklyn in Memphis on Friday would be circled on the calendar.
Neither team qualified for the knockout rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup, so Friday’s clash at FedExForum was the next-best thing for both fan bases. And the Grizzlies stayed red-hot, walking away with a convincing 135-119 victory to extend their win streak to four games.
The Grizzlies came out fast and furious, and Brooklyn struggled to match their pace early. The Grizzlies, who entered as winners of nine of their last 10 and boast the highest-scoring offense in the league, shot 50% from the field and 40% from three in the first half. All-Star guard Ja Morant poured in 18 points in his first 15 minutes on the court to help Memphis to a 69-56 lead at halftime.
Morant stared down Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez heading into the locker room. Fernandez kept his nerve and did not say a word. His players did the talking for him, responding with a 16-7 run to start the third quarter to cut their deficit to four.
“The officials are the ones that have to see certain things. And again, my job is not to get into any of this,” Fernandez said when asked about Morant’s antics.
He later added: “I think it’s disrespectful, it’s not part of the game.”
But Memphis refused to lay down. Fernandez and Nic Claxton picked up technical fouls in the ensuing minutes. The Grizzles got rolling on offense again getting to the basket, knocking down 3-pointers and getting to the free throw line — and Brooklyn found itself down 12 entering the final frame.
Memphis kept running and never slowed down, outscoring the Nets 28-24 in the fourth quarter to complete its 16-point blowout. It won the paint battle 68-42, made 17 treys, scored 22 points in transition, and turned 18 Nets turnovers into 26 points.
Brooklyn fell to 10-15 with the loss and has now dropped five of its last six. It was the team’s first road loss to a Western Conference opponent this season. The Grizzlies improved to 18-8 and have the second-best record in the Western Conference.
Dorian Finney-Smith finished with a season high 19 points and went 5-for-8 from deep in a losing effort. Four of six Nets reserves finished in double figures, led by Jalen Wilson’s 12 points, helping them to a 53-40 advantage in bench scoring.
Morant led Memphis with 28 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.
The Nets will return to action on Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center.
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