Two Bucks Sports

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Temetrius Jamel “Ja” Morant is a living, breathing super star. The NBA is calling it the dunk of the century on Twitter. If you haven’t seen it, google “Ja Morant Pacers dunk.” Ja reached back to Muncy and dunked all over the entire Pacers team. The Memphis bench erupted. Kevin Durant commented on the NBA tweet. My Twitter timeline was full of Ja Morant tweets from across the spectrum of sports. The Memphis Grizzlies have a certified star on their hands. He is 1 of 1. Ja is one of the most athletic players in the NBA right now. He was the beneficiary of several lobs, quick passes, and transition dunks on a night the Grizzlies created many high flying plays. The Grizzlies were usually on the other end of highlight reels and now we make our own. They were the team you didn’t want to play because of the low scoring and physicality of the game. Now you don’t want to play Memphis because you might end up on a poster with Ja.

On a night full of Ja’s high flying antics, Desmond Bane paced the Grizzlies in a monster road win at Indiana, 130-112. The win makes 9 in a row for the Grizzlies as the solid play continues. Bane, in his home state, finished the night with 25 on 52% shooting from the field. Jaren continued his march to the Defensive Player of the Year award with another strong defensive night. Steven Adams was back in true form in the paint and dominate the boards. The Grizzlies looked like the team we know they can be. The focus, effort, and drive tonight were that of a championship caliber team. The bench got a lot of quality minutes tonight thanks to starters running up a monster lead late in the game. All that being said, the night belonged to Ja.

Late in the first half, Ja was racing down the court trailing a fast break. As the ball floated up towards the back board, Ja came flying in for a moment that will live forever. Ja blocked the ball just before it touched the back board, half way up, and sent it into the stands. Ja then had to move his head to keep from heading to the bench on the concussion protocol.

Ja is a human highlight reel. His potential is limitless and he will continue to flourish in today’s high paced NBA. Ja has generational talent and is wearing a Memphis uniform. Gone are the days of nobodies and mid level talent, no offense to anyone of course. The Grizzlies have had some really good players on teams in the past but we have a legit superstar on this year’s team. Ja at any given time can light up NBA Twitter like no player ever in the 901. Ja has the potential to end a career with a posterizing dunk anytime down the floor. Every game is must see tv because you might see something never done before in the NBA. The hits keep coming and the Grizz keep winning! Buckle up, it is going to be an incredible second half of the season. It’s a parade inside my city yeahhhhhh!!

The Grizzlies play again on Monday against the Phoenix Suns at 6 pm central as they celebrate MLK day.

The Grizzlies 7 game win streak was in real jeopardy late in the 4th tonight. The Grizzlies hosted the San Antonio Spurs for the second time this week and they proved to be a scrappy team once again. The Grizzlies lead through the game, at one point by as much as 19 in the third quarter. The Spurs cut it down as close as 3 with under 3 minutes to go in the game. Once again Steven Adams aka “Aquamane” stepped in a big way late in the game with a big block on a drive by the Spurs and followed it up with a tap in for a lead the Grizz would not surrender. It is no secret that I am a huge Aquamane fan. He is such a Memphis player – gritty, scrappy, unappreciated by most outside of the franchise, but he steps up in the biggest moments. Steven Adams continues to play an intricate role time after time in clutch moments for the Memphis Grizzlies. Steven finished with 11 points, 17 rebounds, and a +13 net rating, in a night that needed all 48 minutes to put away the Spurs, 135-129. The Grizzlies have the league’s longest winning streak at 8 games.

Jaren Jackson Jr finished with a double double at 22 and 12 rebounds as his hot streak continues. On the defensive end he was stellar once again with 2 blocks and altering so many more in the lane as his Defensive Player of the Year award momentum continues to grow. He is now the odds on favorite to win it in Vegas. Ja, in his first game back after a few nights off for a sore thigh, scored 38 points, the last 2 coming off a put back on his own miss to ice the game. Ja said after the game that you have to have toughness to win games like this, and the Grizz showed that toughness tonight. He also continues to shine as an ambassador for the franchise, signing and giving away yet another pair of his Ja 1’s to a young fan court side, along with his signed jersey. Ja is a special player to watch and the impact he has on this city is bigger than any game.

The Spurs have been within 8 points of the Grizzlies in all 3 games this year. They were hot behind the arc late in the game, which allowed them to chew threw the 19 point lead the Grizz had late in the third quarter. In the end though, the Grizzlies persevered and found a way to hang on for the big win.

The Grizzlies are realizing that they are going to get every team’s best shot. Night in and night out they will have to prove their toughness, mettle, and resolve to be the best team in the league. For the last 8 games, even when not playing their best, they have shown that. This team is growing up before our eyes. Their best basketball lies ahead of them as they continue to show moxie in close games, winning as a team in games they have gone cold in. Ja said the team that wins is the team that “out teams the other one” and the team that plays at 191 Beale Street will be a tough out for that reason. The next man up mentality is so prevalent as guys like Xavier Tillman Sr., Tyus Jones, and Ziaire Williams step up time and time again when their number is called. This team is deep and only getting better as the season progresses.

The Grizzlies take on an Eastern Conference foe when they play at the Pacers Saturday at 7 pm eastern.

Grizz-Jazz 1/8/2023

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It has been almost 5 years since Mike Conley was traded away from the Memphis Grizzlies, yet any time we play the Jazz I find myself a little nostalgic. Mike helped build the original run to greatness in the Grit and Grind era and I have no doubt his number 11 will hang next to Zbo’s 50 after he retires. Watching Captain Clutch run the floor remain some of my favorite memories as he hit clutch threes, orchestrated big wins, and lead those Gritty teams deep into the playoffs. However on this night, it was all about the current Grizz. Mid way through the 3rd quarter Brevin Knight made the comparison of Mike Conley with current floor general Tyus Jones. With Ja out on a rest night, Stones stepped in and harkened back to the days of Conley with timely steals, driving and-1 layups, and clutch threes. Tyus was all over the floor as a quiet assassin and helped down a fiesty Jazz team who caught on fire in the second half. Tyus was so smooth in the victory finding open shooters and grabbing rebounds from amongst the trees in the lane. Stones was huge on both ends of the floor in yet another key Grizzlies win, beating the Jazz 123-118 at the FedEx Forum. That’s 6 wins in a row for the Beale Street Bruins!

Jaren Jackson Jr. blocked just about every lay up Jordan Clarkson tried for Utah, so much that the refs had to get involved when Clarkson took a swing at Desmond’s head on a drive out of frustration. The outburst lead to his ejection, a chorus of boos from the home crowd, and a very unwise challenge for Bane to “meet me out back.” Sorry Jordan but Desmond is built like a D-1 running back and I don’t like your chances sir. All the outburst did was rally the troops and the Grizz began to play inspired basketball. Clarkson had scored 13 of his 17 points in the third quarter so his ejection was very costly for the road team. Jaren took advantages of mismatches all night, whether it was the undersized Rudy Gay or the slow footed Kessler, he found success all over the floor finishing with 19 points on the night, including 8 in the fourth quarter highlighted by a monster dunk with 2 minutes to go.. The Block Panther imposed his will defensively too as he had 5 blocks and 2 steals, a total of 8 solo stops, before fouling out with 8 seconds left in the game. Jaren’s aggressiveness has been working in his favor of late, a welcomed treat, giving off Defensive Player of the Year vibes once again.

David Roddy continued his growth and is running the floor really well right now. Roddy finished with 7 points but his defensive presences was much needed to quell a Jazz rally in the second half. Ziaire Williams’ resurgence continues as he is finally looking the part of the contributor he was last year. A couple of high flying dunks and corner threes were nice to see from Z on a night he was needed without Ja. Xavier Tillman stepped up in a huge way in the absence of Steven Adams. X continued his great play scoring 9 points but had 3 steals on the defensive end. His presences was needed as he 8 grabbed rebounds in the style of Big Kiwi himself. Big credit to the bigs for the win tonight – Santi Aldama, X, and Jaren – as they stepped up on the glass in the absence of Steven Adams .

Credit the Jazz for keeping it close throughout but the home team was too much in the end. Was it the pretties win? Absolutely not. The Grizzlies could have been tighter defensively in the second half, getting beat many times due to indecisiveness on pick and rolls. The Jazz outscored the Grizz in the third, a quarter in which the Grizzlies typically pull away this season. Either way, a win is a win and the Grizzlies’ win streak continues.

Fun basketball is back in a major way. Jaren is becoming the offensive player we have all been longing to see. He is imposing his will when guarded by smaller players and running by bigger defenders in space. Tonight’s win was a scrappy, tough, and hard fought victory. The Jazz shot 51% on the night from the floor, out rebounded the Grizz 46-39, and out scored the NBA’s best team in the paint 64-58. By all these metrics it should have been a win for Utah. Yet the Grizz fought, hustled, and found ways to win. The effort was great to see on what felt like a sleepy night in the Forum. Wins like these will pay dividends down the stretch as the calendar turns to summer months and we get playoff basketball. Role players winning games for the Grizz like tonight will be vital as the season moves along.

Great way to start a home back to back as they take on San Antonio on both 1/9/2023 and again at home on1/11/2023.

Buckets

Don’t let them Memphis boys get hot! The Grizzlies traveled to Orlando on short rest, played without Brandon Clark and Desmond Bane for a interconference Thursday night tilt and extended their win streak to 5 games. The Grizzlies played an incredible three and a half quarters of basketball, took their foot off he gas late, but hung on for a 123-115 road win. Ja and Jaren Jackson, Jr. both broke 30 on the night, 32 and 31 respectively, and JJJ was dominate from start to finish finishing with a double double on 12 for 14 shooting. He was in every sense the Block Panther, blocking 3 shots in the first quarter, and altering almost every Magic drive when he was in the game. Jaren looked the part of superstar tonight on both ends of the floor with a net rating of +22. When he decided he was going to score, the Magic had no answer. His shot was falling, his post moves were working, and he took advantage of his hot start to help build a commanding Grizzlies lead. This was his first 30+ game since July 2020 and hopefully it gives him the confidence he needs to become an elite scorer. Tyus Jones finished his 28th consecutive game without a turnover, which in today’s NBA is an incredible feat. Tyus has been an incredible back up to Ja this year. Signing him, along with Steven Adams, is paying dividens so far. When Tyus is in the offense rarely misses a beat and his shot can get very hot when they need it. Plus, having him in with Ja frees up Ja to make superstar plays and finish acrobatic lobs.

This game showed the young Grizz have some moxie. The Magic are by no means one of the top dogs in the East, yet. They are extremely talented but young. Paoloa Banchero is a future star and finished with his own 30 point night, including 20 in the third. Franz Wagner had 22 and is a guy the Grizzlies have struggled against historically, averaging 17 points against them. However, last night the Grizzlies were effective for much of the game in taking the brunt of this 1-2 punch and controlling the rest. The Grizzlies were able to dictate the pace of the game and play their style. For much of the first 3 quarters the Magic just could not keep up. Then, when the Magic rallied late the Grizzlies were able to weather the storm and pull out the victory. Scoring 123 without Desmond Bane was a huge lift to the offensive confidence as well. Bane and Morant are the 2 best scorers and the fact that they dominated without one of them is a good sign.

Last night also saw the return of Ziaire Williams’ shot off the bench. Ziaire finished with 16 on 6 of 7 shooting for his best game since returning from injury. Xaiver Tillman continued his solid play off the bench on a night they needed it without the services of Brandon Clark, finishing with a +13 net rating. X’s stat sheet won’t show any huge numbers but his timely rebounds and ability to facilitate from the high post was very effective last night.

The Grizzlies continued their hot streak last night and looked like the Grizz of old. Ja was flying to the rim, and on a few occasions in that tightly contested 4th quarter, took over and got a high percentage shot to stop Orlando’s momentum. A 43 point second quarter was the difference maker though, as the Magic got hot in the 4th and outscored the Grizzlies 72-58 in the second half. The late run was not enough and the road team found a way to hang on. Road wins are great no matter what happens or who the opponent is. The Grizzlies continued beating teams they are suppose to beat and were able to rest Bane as he is still recovering from his toe injury. Seeing Jaren and Ziaire find success on offensive was a great sign of things to come. Having both of them contributing along side Ja will be key for the Grizz as the schedule gets tougher from here. Last night was a great win over a young and hungry team, proving the Grizz can hold on when the other team cannot miss late. This team continues to get better and are putting the league on notice.

The Grizzlies play again on Sunday 1/8/23 at home against the Utah Jazz who are up 2-0 on the Grizzlies this season. Time to get one back!

Buckets

As we have discussed on the podcast, great teams win the games they are suppose to win and that is what the Grizzlies did in emphatic fashion last night in Charlotte, 130-99. The Grizzlies said not so fast to a trap game and won a game they were suppose to on the road, leaving no room for error like in OKC just under a month ago. The Grizzlies have now won 4 in a row and once again got a great effort from all 5 starters. What is most impressive during this win streak is the return to Grizzlies basketball after a terrible road stretch.

Sure, most of this has been at home, but 2 road wins in convincing fashion have been just what we have been missing over the last month. Wins over Toronto by 13 and last night by 31 have but the road blues far behind them as the calendar has turned to 2023. The Grizzlies have been handling business as of late against teams they should be beating. The high flying acrobatics of Ja, defensive pressure of Dillon, and Steven Adams grabbing seemingly every rebound are back with an exclamation point. After losing inexcusably at Oklahoma City on December 17th, the Grizz have not lost to a team with a sub .500 record. Opportunities to continue that streak are on the horizon with games at Orlando and home for the Jazz and Spurs before the schedule picks up. This is what will continue the upward trajectory. Winning against teams you are suppose to beat will help with seeding at the end of the year, especially if you hit a hot Celtics, Warriors, or Nuggets team down the stretch. The teeth of the Grizzlies’ schedule lies ahead of them, including a 5 game Western Conference road trip staring in 2 weeks with games at the Lakers, Suns, Kings, Warriors, and Timberwolves. The last time Memphis had a road trip in that area of the country the results were disastrous. This is where the Grizz have to mature and improve as the season is progressing. Even with the last 2 wins on the road, the Grizzlies still sit at 9-10 on the road. Enough with the negative talk though. The Grizzlies handled business last night in what could have been a trap game.

The Grizzlies could have easily slept through this game after 2 big wins over Western Conference foes, including the Pelicans who were in first at the time. This Wednesday night game could have gone the way of OKC after that long win streak. But the boys in Beale Street Blue showed up with the mark of a championship caliber team. They jumped out early and never looked back. Ja always has a big crowd of family and friends in Charlotte and he did not disappoint them. There was no opportunity for the lowly Hornets to get anything going as the Grizz held them to under 100 points on a night and shot 50% from the field on offense. With 5:32 left in the first quarter the Grizzlies had a 67.6% chance of winning, which turned out to be the lowest it would be the rest of the game. Steven Adams continued his dominance on the boards last night and all starters had a positive net rating. Ziaire continues to struggle this year but it was all smiles otherwise. The Grizzlies seem to be priming the pump and working the kinks out. Can it continue with another road game against a team they should beat in Orlando? I think we will see Coach Jenkins have the team prepared to avoid a let down Thursday night. As the pieces come together leading up to the All-Star break, don’t be surprised to see the Grizzlies atop the Western Conference and Taylor Jenkins as a candidate for Coach of the Year.

The Grizzlies play again tonight in a back-to-back road trip at Orlando at 7 pm eastern.

Buckets

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2023 is your best year yet!

The Memphis Grizzlies kicked off the New Year at home with the Kings, a team they have had success against over the last 3 seasons, going 7-4. This year the series was split 1-1 with both road teams winning a game in the other’s building. After a slow start the Grizzlies started finding their stride, particularly on defense blocking 7 shots in the first half, including 3 from the Block Panther Jaren Jackson, Jr himself! The Grizzlies got their first lead at 18-16 on a monster dunk by Ja off the Tyus Jones lob where his head was above the rim! Speaking of Stones, Tyus came in hot in the second quarter hitting triples on back to back possessions, scoring 15 in the first half and finishing with 18 on the night to go along with 10 assists and no turnovers. Stones ended 5-7 from beyond the arc en route to being named the International Paper player of the game. Jaren’s presence was tough for the Kings to deal with all night long. Possession after possession the Kings got nervous in the paint whenever Jaren would loom nearby, often throwing a pass away or trying to make one extra pass to avoid a big block.

The Kings hung around however and took a late lead in the first half that was quickly negated by a Ja triple from the top of the key. Domantas Sabonis had a double double before the half for the Kings, his 13th in a row but the Grizz clung to a 1 point lead at the break. The Kings were able to hang around thanks in large part to 12 offensive rebounds and 9 Memphis turnovers.

The second half opened with some questionable officiating to say the least, leading to Ja’s 3rd foul and an irritated Coach Jenkins. The atmosphere changed in the Forum to one of tension and frustration with the officiating crew. The Kings built a small lead that was quickly undone as the Grizz found new energy from the loud home crowd. Ja continued with his attacking, including a ridiculous clutch reverse layup mid way through the third, finishing with 35 points. Ja has owned the third quarter this year coming in averaging 13.7 points and had 12 tonight. Ja was facilitating as well, hitting a streaking John Konchar for a reverse lay up on a fast break you’ll have to see to believe! https://twitter.com/GrizzOnBally/status/1609742740601831425 (credit @GrizzonBally for the video)

The questionable officiating continued in the third frame missing an obvious out of bounds call and further inciting the hostile home crowd. The energy was obviously felt by the Grizz as they increased their lead through stifling defense and running the floor with ease, entering the final frame with a 4 point lead. The Grizzlies quickly built on that via 20 offensive rebounds and 15 second chance points. Steven Adams shined with his second straight 20+ rebound night as he finished with yet another double double at 11 points 23 boards, tying his career high, and dominated the Kings in the paint. He set a career high in offensive rebounds with 13 and was an absolute bully in the paint. Extending Steven Adams in the previous offseason was one of the best moves this talented front office made. He has been a difference maker and opens this team up so much, through tap out rebounds, put backs, and aggressive defense of the basket. He is averaging 10.6 rebounds per night this year, over 14 in his last 5 games. He also set a franchise record with 44 rebounds over a 2 game span and is the first Grizzly with back to back 20+ rebound games.

Ja absolutely shredded the Kings on offense, getting whatever lane he wanted for acrobatic finishes leading to a 118-108 victory. Ja was incredible, once again, and his status as a superstar only grows. MVP chants broke out late in the game and the hype grows. After the game he signed his brand new, unreleased Ja 1’s and gave them to a young fan courtside with a “Ready to Jam out in my Ja 1’s” sign. The kid was in tears as Ja proved he is an MVP on and off the court. Ja was feeling it tonight, finishing with his fourth 30+ game in his last 6. This is quite an era for the boys on Beale Street and the greatness has just began. Ja is young, this core is hungry, and the Grizz are bouncing back. Ja said after the game that the team still isn’t satisfied and aren’t where they could be. All the stress of that tough 1-4 road trip seem far in the rearview mirror, but it has to continue. They have to stay aggressive as the schedule only gets harder from here. This is fun basketball, this is Grizzlies basketball. Buckle up, it could be a wild ride.

The Grizzlies play again in Charlotte on Wednesday night at 7 pm eastern.