On a series of 7 consecutive wins, the Grizzlies traveled to Los Angeles to face the Clippers, but double bad news before the game: Ja Morant absent, affected in the thigh, and Taylor Jenkins in COVID protocol. Not enough to destabilize them, they who are particularly used to playing without Ja.
“Our guys stuck together. We are doing well, ”says Brad Jones, interim coach. “They believe in our system and in their teammates. It’s really cool when the players talk about it and the coaches don’t have to. “
“We have played with 5 different all season”, explains Desmond Bane. “I think it helped us in those situations. Being able to play with different guys will help us when the playoffs come. “
The start was not perfect as the Grizzlies were 12 points behind in the first quarter, and lost Dillon Brooks, but they then spent several runs to take the lead in the wake of an excellent duo Years Jackson Jr. (26 points at 7/17 including 2/6 at 3-pts, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 5 blocks) – Desmond Bane (23 points at 9/15 including 5/8 at 3-pts, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 interceptions)
“They did a little run at the start which woke us up. We knew what we had to do to beat them. Jaren Jackson Jr.
In the absence of Stevens Adams and Ja Morant, JJJ took responsibility and was very present on both sides of the field. It’s his 13th game of the season with at least 20 points and he matches his season record for blocks.
“One of the great things about Jaren is that he’s very versatile,” said Brad Jones. “Steve Adams is an important element for us, but without him Jaren had over 5 minutes at the post today,” said Jones. “I really think it helps offensively. He really poses problems for the other teams. The Clippers struggled to deal with it today. They have Zubac, but they tend to want to put a smaller player on him so he can kick them. He is so versatile and talented. “
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPT7HyL8DCU
Via Grizzlies.com
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