The Grizzlies received a boost with the returns of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. as they started the game alongside Santi Aldama (returning from a one-game absence), Luke Kennard and GG Jackson. Desmond Bane scored the first three of the game, followed by Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama with three of their own as the Grizzlies led 9-3 early on.
A cold shooting drought followed as the team missed seven of its next eight shot attempts and the Thunder took advantage with a 9-2 run to lead 12-11 midway through the first quarter. The teams traded leads for the rest of the first quarter, ending with the Thunder leading 29-27. The second quarter played out much the same, with neither team leading by more than five points, and ended with Oklahoma City leading 56-54 at halftime.
The Thunder started the third quarter on a 9-3 run to take a 65-57 lead before the Grizzlies responded with a 13-5 run to tie the game at 70 midway through the quarter. That streak was short-lived as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander heated up and led the Thunder on a 21-8 run to end the third quarter leading 91-78.
The scoring game continued as the Grizzlies opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back threes from Jake LaRavia and Santi Aldama to fuel an 8-0 run and cut their deficit to 91-86 with 10:38 left. However, the Grizzlies didn’t get closer than four points the rest of the game as the Thunder extended their lead to 11 points at one point before winning 118-112.
Now let’s move on to the main thing to remember:
The Return of Desmond Bane
Desmond Bane was a welcome return to the basketball court after missing the team’s last 29 games with a sprained left ankle suffered Jan. 12 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Before going out with a sprained ankle, Bane was averaging a career-high and team-leading 24.4 points. Additionally, he had a career assist average of 5.3 in his first 37 appearances this season.
There has been some discussion among fans about whether or not Bane should return this season, but there’s more to his presence on the court than just worrying about rankings (or reverse rankings) and injury risk (which can be said for any player). . Desmond Bane provides the Grizzlies with another ball handler and shooter who can help develop the younger players who are now getting plenty of minutes.
This is an important note considering GG Jackson was still a two-way player and had only gotten a few late minutes before Bane’s injury and Scottie Pippen Jr., Trey Jemison and Jordan Goodwin weren’t part of the two-way list/locations. before his injury either. Roster turnover has been immense due to additional injuries, trades, and signings since Bane last played for the Grizzlies.
Returning to the court for the first time in over two months, Desmond Bane led the team in scoring with 22 points and 7 assists on 7-17 shooting (4-9 from three) in nearly 32 minutes game against the Oklahoma City team. Thunder. Rust didn’t seem to be a problem as Bane opened the game by making his first field goal of three and scoring 11 points in the first half. Expect Desmond Bane to return to form and provide invaluable experience in building chemistry with the youngsters for the remainder of this season.
Start/Stop/Continue
CONTINUE allowing whatever it took to get the aggressive Santi Aldama that was seen in the first half last night. His drop play this season has been a disappointment, especially after his performance at the FIBA World Cup last fall. He’s settled for a lot of threes this year instead of using the full arsenal of his offensive game that was on display at the World Cup. Hopefully last night’s performance was a sign of things to come from him.
Future
The Memphis will hit the road for a four-game west coast trip starting Monday against the Sacramento Kings at 9:00 p.m. CST.
Final quote
“You definitely feel Desmond Bane’s presence there. Even if he is not in action or handling the ball, he eliminates his defender because he is so good. –GGJackson
