The Memphis Grizzlies, once seen as “Net killers,” seem to have been declawed. Whether that happened when Dillon Brooks started poking other bears, their head coaching change, or when they cashed out on Desmond Bane, they’re no long the ferocious, ursine creatures they resembled in the early 2020s.
Still, they were able to rip the Nets up tonight.
In fairness, Brooklyn dosed themselves in honey and bacon grease by going into this one without Michael Porter Jr. With the Nets beginning a back-to-back sequence in Memphis, they opted to rest their offensive savant in today’s matinee. Unrelated or not, there’s no shortage of trade smoke around MPJ this week as well.
Danny Wolf, making his third career start, filled in for him aside the usual opening five, but Porter Jr.’s absence was immediately felt. Brooklyn’s first shot of the game was a Noah Clowney air-ball, which only indicated how the offense would fair minus its leading scorer. Shooting just 9-25 on field goals to begin the game, the Nets trailed by as many as 16 in the opening period.
For Memphis, Cedric Coward was anything but timid, spraying the Nets with 13 first quarter points after shooting 5-6 from the field. The Grizzlies did well dictating the game’s pace early, surely helped by Brooklyn’s bevy of misses which invited the Memphis offense to push against a un-set defense.
To keep us from falling into blowout territory early for a second straight game, the Nets needed a few unlikely heroes to step up to the plate, and Nolan Traoré was first in the box. The Brooklyn Bugatti was assertive looking to touch the paint and create for others. He took his first steps toward earning a “giant slayer” badge to close the first quarter as well…
By all accounts, Traoré and Day’Ron Sharpe were best part of the first half for the Nets. They looked comfortable operating around each other as pick-and-roll dance partners and momentarily slowed the Memphis offense. By halftime, Sharpe pitched in eight points, seven rebounds, a steal, a block, and an assist in eight minutes of play.
Tyrese Martin also joined Sharpe and Traoré as a dark horse contributor. He fielded nine first quarter minutes after riding bench all of last week. Martin even the Nets at half with 11 points after going a perfect 3-3 from deep. He also came up with two steals, helping the Nets secure 15 points off turnovers, and get their deficit down to six points early in the second. However, Memphis managed to pump the lead back up to double digits by halftime, still shooting better than Brooklyn from the field and three while also earning a +6 rebounding advantage.
But the Nets would make another bid for the lead early in the third. They did so with the same thing that’s gotten them a handful of victories, or at least moral ones, over the past few weeks: their defense.
Brooklyn began the third on 14-6 run which made it a three point game roughly halfway through the period. Rotating with greater precision and poise than in previous half, the Nets subjected Memphis to a 3-11 start from the field and 0-5 from deep. In the process, Wolf found a second him in the corner, canning two triples from there in the period. His second tied the game up at the 6:20 point of the third.
Wolf also contributed to Brooklyn’s resurgent defense in the second half, clawing at the ball and making extra efforts to coral rebounds. He also also helped stall the once speedy Memphis offense, which ran down nine fast break points in the first quarter but mustered just eight for the rest of the game. In the period, Wolf grabbed eight points on 3-6 shooting, along with a steal an three boards. That helped him get his first career double-double, tallying 11 points and 10 boards for the game while shooting 4-11 from the field and 2-5 from deep.
Jalen Wilson, who also rejoined the rotation tonight, hit a triple soon after to give the Nets a one point lead with 2:20 to go in the third, but a scoring recoil in favor of Memphis put them back in front by three entering the fourth. The Grizzlies dominated the Nets in the paint almost all afternoon, and the third was no different, as the Grizz rocked and rolled their way to 16 points in that frame.
In the fourth, Sharpe and Traoré continued to feed off each other, making effort plays at both ends of the floor…
However, Cam Thomas, who only had two points before it, had the highlight of the period, hitting from near-logo range to keep the pressure up on the scoreboard. Thomas ended up with seven points in the fourth to give him nine for the game while shooting 4-11 from the field. He did not play beyond the 5:12 mark of the fourth.
But a few minutes after Thomas’ three, Wilson again gave the Nets the lead with one of his own, pulling a catch-and-release jumper after a cross-court dime from Traoré. The Nets proceeded to go up 98-90 with around two to play — only for Cam Spencer and Coward to respond with back-to-back triples. Those makes, plus a weight-room take from Santi Aldama over Clowney, knotted things up again with 1:37 remaining.
Coward, still fearless, then hit another with the Net defense out of sync following two straight offensive rebounds from Jock Landale.
Brooklyn had extra shots as well. With the ball and down three, the Nets got two looks for Clowney via an offensive rebound from Wolf, but he failed to connect on either of them. Clowney hoisted a career-high 15 attempts from deep today, but probably could have done with one less. Not only did Clowney go 4-15 for the game, but on his last attempt, also had Danny Wolf open at the top of the key for a better look at a possible equalizer.
Instead, Clowney found the side of the backboard, and on Memphis’ next possession, Landale found the ball before any other Nets on the defensive glass. That gave the Grizzlies the ball with only 11 seconds to go, and essentially the game.
Final: Memphis Grizzlies 103, Brooklyn Nets 98
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The Nets will stay on the road to complete their seventh back-to-back season against Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks. While they may have three more wins to their name, including one over Brooklyn already this year, it’s hard to find a team having a rockier season than the Mavs. We’ll see if the Nets can add further insult to injury Monday at 8:30 p.m. EST.