For the first time in 283 regular-season games, the Memphis Grizzlies reported no injuries before their return-from-the-All-Star-break game on Thursday.
Despite a full-strength lineup featuring Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr., the Grizzlies lost 127-113 to the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
The Grizzlies will look to bounce back when they visit the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Memphis led by 13 in the first quarter at Indiana, then allowed 50 points in the second quarter and could never overcome falling behind by 26 in the third.
The Magic also resumed play on Thursday, but they found themselves still missing a key member of their lineup. Jalen Suggs was out for the 20th time in the team’s past 21 contests. Despite his absence, Orlando posted a 114-108 victory over the host Atlanta Hawks.
On Friday, the personnel for both teams should be the same as it was the prior night. Memphis is expected to be at full strength. Orlando is likely to be without Suggs, a highly regarded defensive player who has missed the past 10 games with a left thigh contusion after missing the previous 10 with a back injury sustained Jan. 3 against the Toronto Raptors.
Suggs is the motivational leader for the Magic, who were in a 6-14 slump leading into the All-Star break. Suggs did not travel with the team to Atlanta.
In their victory over the Hawks, the Magic got 36 points and 11 rebounds from Paolo Banchero, 25 points and seven boards from Franz Wagner, and nine points and 15 rebounds from Wendell Carter Jr.
“(Carter) has been phenomenal doing whatever is asked of him this season,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said.
Mosley added, “We trusted our defense. We got the win. It was gutsy, gritty win, but we have to be better in (key) moments.”
As impressive as the victory was for Orlando, Mosley is looking forward to reuniting Suggs with Banchero and Wagner soon. The trio has been on the court together for just six games this season, for slightly less than 100 minutes.
Mosley said Suggs is the “head of the snake” for the Magic.
If the Magic are to recover from a mediocre start (28-29), the NBA schedule may provide a hand. The Friday contest will be the first of seven consecutive games at home.
Memphis will be playing its third back-to-back in February while trying to quickly dismiss its Thursday loss.
The Grizzlies rallied frantically in the second half against the Pacers and trimmed the deficit to four points but could get no closer. Bane led the Grizzlies with 23 points and seven assists, and Jackson added 18 points and seven rebounds.
Morant shot 4-for-15 from the floor and finished with 12 points, well off his average of 20.7. He also committed a game-high five turnovers.
The 50 points allowed by the Grizzlies in the second quarter were the most yielded in any one quarter in franchise history.
“Our communication was pretty poor in transition,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We switched up some coverages and we still had poor execution and communication there.”
“We’ve just got to get that out of our system. It’s unfortunate that we took the loss, but I’m glad we responded in the third quarter. But this has got to make us better. We know the road is only going to get harder from here.”
–Field Level Media
