The Memphis Grizzlies had a pretty convenient opponent on Sunday night in the NBA. They traveled to Sacramento to face off the Kings for a third time this season. In their first two meetings, the Grizzlies cruised past their opponents by around 20 points.
The Kings took off well in the first quarter, finishing it off with a 4-point lead, 24:20. Jaren Jackson Jr. turned the game upside down with his 11 points for the Grizzlies in the second quarter. However, the first half ended in favor of the Kings, 50:49.
Ja Morant erupted for 10 points in the third quarter as Memphis took a demanding 22-point lead with 03:50 to go. An 8-0 run and a couple of free throws made by Terrence Davis kept the Kings’ hopes alive for a bit longer. The match entered the last 12 minutes of play with the Grizzlies being huge favorites, leading 77:89.
Some quick buckets from Memphis in the last quarter determined the outcome. The last 12 minutes were yet another high-scoring ones for the Grizzlies who dropped 38 points. The Kings answered with just 25 points, thus losing the game, 102:127.
Desmond Bane finished off with 28 points for the Grizzlies on an 11-19 shooting. Ja Morant made a decent performance in the third game after his return. He nailed down 8 out of his 18 attempts, resulting into 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. came in huge for Memphis in the most clinical moments, sinking 10 free throws.
🐻 7 players in double figures
🐻 33 assists on 47 FGs
🐻 72 points in the paint
🐻 39 bench pointsBack in the W column. We got highlights for your TL. https://t.co/q9BaZag0Tn
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) December 27, 2021
The Sacramento Kings were once again back at full strength as De’Aaron Fox was cleared out of the health & safety protocols. However, nobody from their starting lineup shined against the Grizzlies. They relied much on their bench players as Damian Jones and Terence Davis scored 15 points each. De’Aaron Fox finished off with 12 points on a 5-12 shooting from the field.
The Grizzlies will wrap up the year with a couple of tough games as they first go on the road against the Phoenix Suns. Then, they will host the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs in FedExForum. Currently sitting in 4th place with a 20-14 record, the team will be looking to continue building on this performance and keep their top-half spot.
The Sacramento Kings will continue their run at home against the OKC Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks. The team is 12th in the West with 13 wins and 21 losses and things are not looking good for them. They will need to made some amendments in order to get a shot at making the Playoffs.
