NBA: Morant likely to be game-time decision for Grizzlies

LOS ANGELES — Memphis guard Ja Morant has bruised his already-injured right hand and his status for Wednesday's NBA playoff contest will be a "game-time decision," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Tuesday.

An MRI exam showed the soft-tissue injury was aggravated by Morant late in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies' 128-112 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Sunday's opener of their first-round best-of-seven series.

"Symptoms are slightly improving from the other night," Jenkins said. "He's going to be a game-time decision."

Morant, whose hand was already taped after being injured the week before, leaped into the air driving to the basket against Lakers big man Anthony Davis and after their collision fell awkwardly, injuring his hand.

Morant rose, grabbed his hand and ran off the court to the locker room.

Morant dribbled and took some shots with his right hand during a Tuesday workout, but the practice offered no clear answers on Morant's availability for the rematch with the Lakers.

"He's progressing," Jenkins said. "He is dribbling and shooting as much as he can.

"He has got some pain he's dealing with, so it's kind of a tolerance thing. He has got some stiffness in his hand that he's kind of slowly getting through."

Morant said after the game that his ability to play in game two was "in jeopardy" with Jenkins saying x-rays were negative but Morant was in pain.

Morant scored 18 points against the Lakers before his early exit.

Agence France-Presse

Ja, dominant Grizzlies cruise past Magic

Ja Morant had 25 points and 7 assists, Desmond Bane scored 24 points and the host Memphis Grizzlies completed a season sweep of the Orlando Magic with a 124-96 victory on Saturday night.

Memphis shot 50 percent in the 1st half, highlighted by an 11-for-20 effort from 3-point range as Morant and reserve guard Tyus Jones each had 3 triples, en route to a commanding 68-45 halftime lead. The Grizzlies pulled ahead by 32 points in the 4th quarter as the Magic lost in Memphis for the 17th time in 21 overall meetings.

Morant played 28 minutes and went 9-for-17, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. Jones finished with 14 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. converted 9 of 11 free throws and scored 13 points for Memphis, which also defeated Orlando 135-115 on February 5.

Saturday's rematch saw the Grizzlies shoot 50 percent from the floor and 14 for 34 (41 percent) from long range. Brandon Clarke contributed 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals and Kyle Anderson, who was questionable because of left foot soreness, scored 7 of his 9 points in the 1st quarter.

The Magic, who fell to 2-12 playing the 2nd game of a back-to-back, were led by Cole Anthony's 19 points and Franz Wagner's 15 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Mo Wagner totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench after missing 9 consecutive games with a left rib contusion.

Ignas Brazdeikis scored 12 points, Mo Bamba had 10 points and Markelle Fultz came off the bench for six points and three assists in his third game of the season.

Orlando was without starters Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. Suggs did not play after spraining his right ankle late in the fourth quarter of Orlando's 103-97 win at Toronto on Friday, while Carter was out for the second straight game due to a non-COVID illness.

Franz Wagner, Chuma Okeke, R.J. Hampton, Anthony and Bamba made up Orlando's starting unit for the second time this season. The Magic trailed 31-29 after the first quarter, but Memphis outscored Orlando 37-16 in the second stanza highlighted by a Ziaire Williams one-handed dunk in transition off Morant's alley-oop pass.

-reuters

NBA fines Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks for ripping refs

Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks has been fined $25,000 for “aggressively confronting a game official” and failing to depart the court when he was ejected from a game midweek, the NBA said Friday.

Byron Spruell, president of league operations, announced the fine two days after Brooks went ballistic in the Grizzlies’ 104-96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Game officials handed out six technical fouls in the contest, and Brooks was tossed when he earned his second technical of the night with less than a minute remaining.

Brooks thought he was fouled by Kristaps Porzingis on a drive to the basket, but no foul was called even though he hit the court.

He assailed a referee, and had to be held back by assistant coaches before finally leaving the court.

After the game he didn’t hold back in criticizing the officiating crew.

“As you saw in the game, we’ve been playing physical basketball for about a week now. And all of a sudden, new officials come in here and they call an inconsistent game.

“They want to call ticky-tack in the first half and then in the second half they want to call nothing. And then you got guys getting undercut, being getting hit on the floor, no call.

“There’s a lack of protection of the players and that’s the main thing, I felt like this crew came out there and just made it about them and that’s bull.”

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Lakers get by Grizzlies to avoid 0-3 start

Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points off the bench to help lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-118 win against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday evening.

Anthony Davis had 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, LeBron James finished with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Russell Westbrook had 13 points and 13 assists for the Lakers, who avoided starting 0-3 for the second time in four years.

Ja Morant had 40 points and 10 assists, Desmond Bane scored 17 points and Steven Adams contributed 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who were trying to start 3-0.

Morant had a chance to tie the score with 1.9 seconds left after getting fouled on a desperation 3-point attempt. He made the first two free throws, but missed the third.

Anthony grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He sank both free throws to seal the win. Anthony, who went 6-for-8 from 3-point range, passed Moses Malone for ninth all-time in NBA scoring.

Anthony made a high-arcing 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 97-94 lead with 9:03 left in the game. He was left alone on the next possession and made a wide-open 3-pointer to make it 100-94 with 8:22 remaining.

Morant and James traded 3s before Malik Monk made a 3 for a 106-97 lead with 7:03 to go.

The Lakers had a chance to extend the lead back to double figures, but Monk missed a driving layup with 6:26 left and Melton capped a 5-0 run with a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to 106-102 with 5:37 left.

Both teams held double-digit leads in the first half before the game stayed tight in the third quarter. The Grizzlies eventually took a 90-87 lead into the fourth.

The Lakers fell behind by 10 points five minutes into the game, but found their touch with help from Anthony, who replaced starting center DeAndre Jordan and scored the final five points in a 7-0 run to close the opening quarter and give the Lakers a 29-24 lead.

Anthony then sank a 3-pointer on the first possession of the second quarter to extend the Lakers' run to 10-0 and give them a 32-24 lead.

-reuters

NBA: Grizzlies win 2nd straight to open season, defeat Clippers

Ja Morant took his high-flying act on the road, as the visiting Memphis Grizzlies ran past the host Los Angeles Clippers 120-114 on Saturday night.

Morant finished with 28 points and eight assists as the Grizzlies improved to 2-0 this season. The Clippers dropped to 0-2 in losing their home opener.

De'Anthony Melton added 22 points and seven rebounds, while Jaren Jackson Jr. contributed 21 points and seven rebounds. Steven Adams posted 17 points and nine board.

All five starters finished in double figures for the Grizzlies, rounded out by 19 points from Desmond Bane.

Paul George paced the Clippers with game highs of 41 points and 10 rebounds, and he added four assists.

Reggie Jackson got back on track after finishing with just 11 points, none in the first half, in the Clippers' season-opening loss at Golden State Warriors. Jackson totaled 17 against the Grizzlies.

Eric Bledsoe finished with 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Luke Kennard added 10 points off the bench. The Clippers shot just 43.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line.

Los Angeles took a 34-25 lead in the opening quarter on the strength of 10 points by George. The Clippers shot 6-of-12 from the 3-point line and finished the first quarter on a 10-0 run.

Los Angeles led by as many as 13 in the second quarter, but Memphis cut the deficit to 62-59 at halftime.

Memphis took its first lead since the first quarter on a Morant drive in transition, giving his team a 68-66 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The Grizzlies extended that lead to 16 points, but the Clippers finished the quarter on a 14-6 run, cutting the Grizzlies' lead to 97-89 at the end of the third.

Los Angeles would get within two points with under a minute left in the fourth quarter on driving George lay-in, but the Grizzlies closed it out with a Jaren Jackson 3-pointer from the wing.

The Clippers finish their homestand with games against Portland and Cleveland. Memphis continues a four-game road trip out West with games against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors.

-reuters-

Last-place Grizzlies stun Blazers

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With a 10-day contract to make an impression, MarShon Brooks got off to a very nice start.

Brooks scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter in his first game with Memphis, helping the last-place Grizzlies beat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-103 on Wednesday night.

Brooks made each of his four 3-point attempts in the final period in his first NBA appearance since April 16, 2014, with the Lakers. He signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on Tuesday.

“You don’t really have time to get comfortable on a 10-day. You just don’t,” Brooks said. “Thank God I made shots. That helps.”

Brooks, who averaged 36.6 points for the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association this year, was 7 for 12 from the field.

Dillon Brooks had 18 points for the Grizzlies (21-54), who trailed 93-86 with 7 minutes left. Chandler Parsons finished with 15 in Memphis’ second straight win.

CJ McCollum led Portland (46-29) with 42 points, and Wade Baldwin IV added 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

The Trail Blazers went 3 for 8 at the line in the final 7 minutes. A handful of turnovers in the fourth only made matters worse.

“In the fourth quarter, you have to make free throws,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “You can’t miss free throws, and you have to guard better. You can’t give up 32 points in the fourth quarter and have turnovers and missed free throws. Not going to win many games like that.”

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who had 41 points in Tuesday’s win over New Orleans, was not with the team after the birth of his son.

TIP-INS

Trail Blazers: Played their third game in four days. … Shabazz Napier started his eighth game of the season in place of Lillard. … Portland had won seven in a row on the road. … The Blazers have scored at least 100 points in 18 straight games. … McCollum’s 42 points were his second-highest of the season. He scored 50 on Jan. 31 against Chicago.


Grizzlies: Had not won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak from Jan. 15-19. … Jarell Martin had a career-high 14 rebounds. … Of Memphis’ 21 victories this season, 11 have come against teams currently in playoff spots.

PLAYOFF WATCH

The Trail Blazers hold a two-game lead over fourth-place Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings.

DRAFT WATCH

The Grizzlies moved into a tie with Atlanta for the second-worst record in the NBA. The Hawks lost Wednesday night to Minnesota. Both still have a better record than the Phoenix Suns.

LAST WORD

“He’s a bucket-getter.” — Memphis interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff on MarShon Brooks.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday

Grizzlies: Play the Jazz in Utah on Friday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Grizzlies’ Gasol to miss rest of season after foot op

WASHINGTON, United States — Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has had surgery on his broken right foot and will miss the rest of the NBA season, the team said on Tuesday.

The Grizzlies said Spain’s Gasol had surgery on Saturday. The towering center exited early from a February 8 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers, but had complained of pain in the days before that.

An MRI scan then confirmed a fracture in his right foot.

Gasol played in 52 games this season and finished his campaign with averages of 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.35 blocks in 34.4 minutes per game.

“Marc remains a cornerstone of our franchise and we are pleased to hear that the surgery went according to plan,” Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Nets nab needed win in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tennessee—The struggling Brooklyn Nets seized a much-needed NBA victory Saturday with a 97-88 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Brook Lopez, in his second game back from an ankle injury, took charge in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 20 points in the final period to help the Nets seal the win.

Lopez, who was sidelined for seven games, added nine rebounds, Joe Johnson scored 27 points and Andray Blatche chipped in 21 for the Nets, who showed renewed energy in bouncing back from a 114-95 loss at Houston on Friday.

Coach Jason Kidd benched most of his starters for the entire second half of that game, but Brooklyn came out strong against the Grizzlies, taking a 48-37 halftime lead and thwarting Memphis’ efforts to rally.

“Some of us, man, we have to look in the mirror,” Johnson said of the Nets’ early-season struggles. They had lost seven of the previous eight games.

“As the coaching staff said, they don’t think we’re giving it our all or we’re not playing hard. Everybody has to check themselves.”

Quincy Pondexter scored for 20 of his 22 points in the final 13 minutes, but it wasn’t enough for the Grizzlies.

Mike Conley had 16 points and 10 assists in the defeat, Memphis’s third in their last four games.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden hurt in Rockets rout of Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Houston Rockets guard James Harden was listed as day-to-day after leaving Friday night’s preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a right knee bruise.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale said after Houston’s 92-73 victory that his star guard bumped knees with Memphis’ Quincy Pondexter in the first quarter. Harden did not return after the injury.

”He iced it, and stuff, and we’ll see how he feels (Saturday),” McHale said indicating that he didn’t think the injury was serious.

Harden, who entered the game as the team’s leading scorer in the preseason with a 20.8 average, connected on a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4:35 left in the first quarter and went down to the court in front of the Rockets bench when he was fouled by Pondexter.

Harden eventually got up, made the ensuing free throw and went straight to the locker room at the next stoppage of play.

Harden finished with six points and four rebounds in his 7-plus minutes before the injury.

Omri Casspi scored 11 points, Donatas Motiejunas finished with 10 for Houston.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 17 points, but connected on only 4 of 13 shots.

The game was a bit chippy at times with Gasol and the Rockets Dwight Howard earning double technicals in the first half, and Memphis forward Ed Davis drawing an ejection with a flagrant foul in the fourth.

source: sports.inquirer.net