NBA Showcase: Nets at Grizzlies
Nets at Grizzlies
Last night we witnessed the nicest game of this start of the season, featuring a duel between Kyrie, Durant and Morant, Bane. Ja Morant started the game strong, showing signs that he is ready to take on that MVP race this season. He had 24 points at the half and some crazy finishes… which is nothing new for the young fella.
The game got a bit heated in the 2nd quarter, with both Durant and Brooks receiving a technical foul after getting in each other’s face. Ja also took a technical for complaining. At the half, the Nets were up by 5 points, and the game seemed that will go down to the wire. It was a good shooting half for both teams, very exciting basketball to watch. Kyrie was also in his bag with 16 points and some tough jumpers, helped by his fellow teammate, who had 18 points.
Coming into the 3rd though, it was all Grizzlies. They started with a 22-5 run in the first 6 minutes, and the game was kind of won from that point, as they never looked back. Desmond Bane was the story of all that, coming out of nowhere and scoring half of his total 38 points in that span, hitting five triples also. Durant had to have a say, but it was only him who actually did something in that 3rd quarter, trying to keep the Nets in the game. He scored 17 points in that period, making 8 out of 9, but it just wasn’t enough, as Memphis had a 45-point quarter.
In the beginning, it seemed that it will be a duel between Morant and Durant, but in the end it was about the second man for both teams. Both Kyrie, Durant and Morant, Bane finished with the same amount of points. The Nets duo with 37 and the Memphis duo with 38. Steven Adams was also an important factor in this win. He dominated the offensive glass, giving them a lot of second chance opportunities. Nets vs Grizzlies was the first NBA game since 1983 where each team had multiple 35+ point scorers.
JA SKIES FOR THE LEFT-HANDED OOP ? pic.twitter.com/IRh7F58JRA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 25, 2022
Ben Simmons looked very bad once again. He look like he is scared to play, he don’t take any initiative, all he does is take the ball up the court and pass it to either Durant or Kyrie after he crossed the half of it. He never looks to score, he doesn’t seem that he is willing to be aggressive, because ok, we get that he has a broken jumper, but at least try to get to the basket, as he was doing back in Philly… Nothing worked for him, and on top of all that, Ben got fouled out yet again, in the 4th. Maybe he needs some time to clear the rust after not playing for an entire year, but the problem with him looks to be the mentality, which is a thing of mindset, not a physical condition which might be a little bad after sitting for that much of a time. If he continues to play like that, I don’t see a bright future for neither him, or the Nets. He scored 17 points with 14 fouls so far this season.
