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The last two days have perfectly summed up the Memphis Grizzlies’ season since the All-Star break.
Coming out of the All-Star break, Memphis was in a strong position to capture a top-two seed in the Western Conference for the third time in four years. And then that all came crashing down in recent weeks.
Memphis entered Thursday with two games against Western Conference foes and a chance to earn a top-six seed, guaranteeing a playoff spot.
First, the Grizzlies loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then they fell 117-109 against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night at Ball Arena.
Losing one of the two games was bearable, but losing both unlocked the worst case scenario. Memphis will now be the No. 8 seed and open its postseason run on the road in a play-in game.
"Yeah, it definitely stings but at the end of the day I think it is stuff we can control," Santi Aldama said. "I think we did a good job for the most part. It was a tough turn around, we all know that, but it is not an excuse. We have dug ourselves in the hole and now we are going to try to get out of it and we still got to find a way."
Ja Morant knocked down a 3-pointer and did his new celebration as the Grizzlies took a 9-7 lead over the Nuggets. Memphis didn’t trail for the remainder of the first, second or third quarters after that.
It wasn’t until 2:46 left in the fourth when Memphis lost its lead. And when that lead was gone, it was gone. The Grizzlies never led again.
Familiar offensive issues and late-game execution woes were on display. The Grizzlies scored 14 points in the fourth quarter after totaling at least 24 in the first three frames.
Memphis shot 4-for-18 in the fourth quarter. Desmond Bane had two crucial turnovers, Ja Morant made one of his six shots and Jaren Jackson Jr. didn’t have a point or rebound.
Memphis needed its frontcourt to play an A-game against the Nuggets, and that wasn't the case. The Grizzlies used Jackson and Santi Aldama against reigning Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic. The result was Jokic finishing with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists.
Zach Edey played the roamer position that Jackson often occupies against Aaron Gordon, but that didn't work out, either. Gordon used his quickness against Edey and his power when matched up against other Grizzlies players. He finished with eight dunks and a game-high 33 points.
Memphis is now locked into the No. 8 seed and will wait on the wildness of the West to play out before learning where it will travel to open the postseason.
Before the postseason starts, Memphis will close its regular season against the Dallas Mavericks at home on Sunday (2:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network). Since the Grizzlies are locked into the eighth seed, they could rest several of their key players.
The Timberwolves, Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors are all possible opponents based on Sunday’s results.
"The season is definitely not over," Aldama said. "I mean, we just got to find a way. Once you make it to the postseason it doesn't really matter what happened before. So, for us it is just regroup because we have another game in two days, find a way to win that game and do good stuff. We have however many days we have before we play the Play-In game or playoff game, whatever it is, and we will go from there. We will go one game at a time."
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Grizzlies playoff hopes take hit after loss to Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Continue reading...
Coming out of the All-Star break, Memphis was in a strong position to capture a top-two seed in the Western Conference for the third time in four years. And then that all came crashing down in recent weeks.
Memphis entered Thursday with two games against Western Conference foes and a chance to earn a top-six seed, guaranteeing a playoff spot.
First, the Grizzlies loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then they fell 117-109 against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night at Ball Arena.
Losing one of the two games was bearable, but losing both unlocked the worst case scenario. Memphis will now be the No. 8 seed and open its postseason run on the road in a play-in game.
"Yeah, it definitely stings but at the end of the day I think it is stuff we can control," Santi Aldama said. "I think we did a good job for the most part. It was a tough turn around, we all know that, but it is not an excuse. We have dug ourselves in the hole and now we are going to try to get out of it and we still got to find a way."
How the lead got away
Ja Morant knocked down a 3-pointer and did his new celebration as the Grizzlies took a 9-7 lead over the Nuggets. Memphis didn’t trail for the remainder of the first, second or third quarters after that.
It wasn’t until 2:46 left in the fourth when Memphis lost its lead. And when that lead was gone, it was gone. The Grizzlies never led again.
Familiar offensive issues and late-game execution woes were on display. The Grizzlies scored 14 points in the fourth quarter after totaling at least 24 in the first three frames.
Memphis shot 4-for-18 in the fourth quarter. Desmond Bane had two crucial turnovers, Ja Morant made one of his six shots and Jaren Jackson Jr. didn’t have a point or rebound.
Losing the frontcourt battle
Memphis needed its frontcourt to play an A-game against the Nuggets, and that wasn't the case. The Grizzlies used Jackson and Santi Aldama against reigning Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic. The result was Jokic finishing with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists.
Zach Edey played the roamer position that Jackson often occupies against Aaron Gordon, but that didn't work out, either. Gordon used his quickness against Edey and his power when matched up against other Grizzlies players. He finished with eight dunks and a game-high 33 points.
What’s next
Memphis is now locked into the No. 8 seed and will wait on the wildness of the West to play out before learning where it will travel to open the postseason.
Before the postseason starts, Memphis will close its regular season against the Dallas Mavericks at home on Sunday (2:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network). Since the Grizzlies are locked into the eighth seed, they could rest several of their key players.
The Timberwolves, Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors are all possible opponents based on Sunday’s results.
"The season is definitely not over," Aldama said. "I mean, we just got to find a way. Once you make it to the postseason it doesn't really matter what happened before. So, for us it is just regroup because we have another game in two days, find a way to win that game and do good stuff. We have however many days we have before we play the Play-In game or playoff game, whatever it is, and we will go from there. We will go one game at a time."
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Grizzlies playoff hopes take hit after loss to Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Continue reading...
