SAN ANTONIO — Zach Edey wanted to set the tone. Ja Morant wanted to get him involved.
The two ideas swiftly synced together on Wednesday night during the Memphis Grizzlies’ game against the San Antonio Spurs.
After Morant made a jumper to open the scoring, he dished two assists for Edey’s first two baskets. Then, it was time for Edey to take matters into his own hands.
With 7-foot-3 Spurs center standing right behind him under the basket, Edey gathered the ball, turned around and threw down a powerful two-handed slam.
The tone was set.
Memphis still had its struggles in the first half, but the second half was a different story. Morant pushed the pace while Luke Kennnard, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. were among the Grizzlies players who displayed what the team describes as a “road mentality” in a 129-115 win at Frost Bank Center.
“I think we did a good job of having a road mentality and understanding what it was going to be like to win a tough game in a place like this,” Bane, who finished tied for a team-high 21 points, said.
Pushing the pace flips the game
Morant was in attack mode all night. He finished with 21 points and 12 assists in an efficient manner. He made 9 of his 13 shots and only had two turnovers.
Morant quickly pushed the ball in transition, which often led to open and easy shots for the offense. Kennard added 15 points and five made 3-pointers off the bench, and Santi Aldama finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds as a reserve.
“We rely on Ja a lot (to push the pace) and Scotty,” Kennard said. “That opened up the floor for me to get some shots. Just trying to run with those guys. They kind of open up everything.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. turns it around
Jackson was not having his best night. He shot 2-for-11 in the first half and was one of the primary victims of Wembanyama’s eight blocks.
During halftime, Jackson watched film and noticed changes he could make. He then quickly sprinted out and was one of the first two Grizzlies players back on the floor before the third quarter.
His extra work paid off. Foul trouble limited Jackson to two minutes in the third quarter, but he shot 6-for-13 in the fourth and scored 14 of his 19 points.
“I was just making it too easy,” Jackson said. “I was doing moves that I’ve been doing, which I can’t really do against someone like (Wembanyama). He presents a different problem that no one else does, so you just have to pivot.”
Ja Morant dunk reactions
Edey’s dunk wasn’t the only poster that had teammates talking after the game. Morant may have declared that he’s done dunking, but it appears that special occasions will lead to the high-flying poin guard to remind people of his freakish athleticism.
Morant said he didn’t hear the whistle in the fourth quarter when referees stopped play after he was fouled by a Spurs guard. Morant continued toward the rim, where Wembanyama jumped and raised his arms to deter the 6-2 guard. The problem for Wembanyama was Morant jumped, too, and threw down an emphatic dunk to put an exclamation point on the night.
“It was another person at the rim,” Morant said. “I dunked on plenty people, bro. He don’t get no pass either. If you at the rim, I’m going to try you if it’s that situation. It’s me.”
Of course Morant would downplay it, but his teammates loved the dunk. And more importantly, who it was over.
“That ain’t just somebody else,” Bane said.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
