Grizzlies were a shot away from upset on Celtics
The Memphis Grizzlies show a ton of fight against the Boston Celtics, but couldn’t come away with a win.
The Memphis Grizzlies came into last night’s game off the second night of a back-to-back, with their “screenshot” long inactive report, and against the Boston Celtics.
Doesn’t sound promising, right?
The Memphis Grizzlies came out with the right level of intensity and focus, as the Celtics never really gained much separation.
Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama spearheaded the efforts — each finishing with 28+ points, 6+ assists, and 6+ three-pointers.
The Grizzlies made big plays down the stretch. Jaren Jackson Jr. blocked a game-sealing dunk on Jrue Holiday to trigger transition offense. Santi Aldama found a clean look from 3, and it didn’t fall. Ziaire Williams got the offensive rebound and attempted a turnaround on Kristaps Porzingis (blocked or fouled, up for debate).
After the rebound, Taylor Jenkins tried to call a timeout, and the officials didn’t notice.
Damn.
Despite the loss, there were several observations the Grizzlies could build on.
Santi at the 3, and more on versatility
Santi Aldama received the start at small forward. Over time, he shifted back down to the 4, his natural position. Foul trouble for Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bismack Biyombo forced him to plays some 5 as well.
The Grizzlies don’t have many players with that sort of positional versatility. And while the ability to play multiple positions is nice, leveraging the versatility is even more important.
And Santi Aldama had a huge night.
Santi Aldama’s skill at his size poses a ton of advantages. He fired a boatload of 3’s, connecting on 6 of his 15 attempts. His shooting opens up the floor and adds another layer of perimeter juice for this shorthanded team. From there, he put the ball on the floor — usually from attacking closeouts — to make decisions off the bounce. He needs to improve as a finisher, but he can get to the rack. He’s also a crafty player for his size, throwing 2 audacious behind-the-back dimes for assists (6 total) — though he had one saucy pass at the end of the game, and it resulted in a crucial turnover.
Losing Jackson and Biyombo for stretches of the game hurts the Grizzlies’ interior game, but Aldama did his best to fortify the glass in his minutes. He hauled in 12 rebounds and showed a good nose for the ball on long rebounds for second-chance offense.
Though Aldama didn’t get the go-ahead 3 to go on his career night, his confidence and production inspire belief he’s someone that’ll amplify the lineup once the team gets to better health.
All-Star Des
Desmond Bane’s creation responsibilities are stacked, but he continues to showcase so much growth in his game. The Celtics threw everything at him — Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown. He still found a way to get to his spots offensively.
Generating cleaner looks would be crucial for Bane, as Ja Morant and Marcus Smart are out of the fray. His growth as a pull-up shooter has been riveting, and his off-ball movement was also crisp. His main struggle offensively was finishing in the rim, as the Celtics had Kristaps Porzingis in center field to protect the rim.
Bane is doing all this as a scorer, while managing the playmaking bulk for this team, as he finished with 8 assists in this game.
Caught underneath his scoring prowess, Bane has been hustling his tail off. He’s making big defensive plays and darting for loose balls. He’s setting an example with his play, while also leveling up his production to help this undermanned team on a nightly basis.
Vince Williams Jr. sighting
Vince Williams Jr. received rotation minutes in this game, and lived up to people’s cases for him to have more playing time.
Williams embraced his defensive role at the point-of-attack and as a switcher with his physicality. He had several big possessions on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He also absorbed Derrick White’s layup attempt in transition.
Williams didn’t do too much offensively, rather letting it all come to him. It paid off for him, as he hit 2 of his 3 three-point attempts.
Williams finished with a team-high +/- of +8. It’s unclear what his role will look like going forward, especially as Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart come back to the fold soon. However, stringing together good performances like this one when his number is called will add more evidence to his case for consistent minutes.
Energy and effort
The Grizzlies’ energy and effort were all the way up, especially considering it was the second night of a back-to-back for a short-handed team. They were also playing arguably the best 2-way team in the league.
Moral victories don’t count in the standings. However, building on good habits eventually translate to wins. And while the Grizzlies can’t control their injury situation, their effort and energy can be constants.
In this game, they played physical and fast. They flew around for 50/50 balls, corralling 14 offensive rebounds. Their togetherness was evident through their 28 assists as well.
While it didn’t result in a win last night, this game — as well as the second half of Saturday’s Spurs game — could help change the tide and lead to momentum towards winning for the Grizzlies.
The Memphis Grizzlies travel to Houston for a quick trip to face the Rockets on Wednesday night, before returning home for In-Season Tournament action against the Phoenix Suns Friday.
Oh, 12 more games until Ja Morant’s return. Officially over halfway there.
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