The Memphis Grizzlies might think about skipping the halftime break.
As they prepare for Wednesday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, the Grizzlies have had a hard time keeping up their defensive effort when they come back from the locker room. The third quarters have been a big problem.
In a second-half collapse against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, Memphis allowed 39 points during the third quarter. This poor performance let the Bulls come back from a 20-point deficit.
The Grizzlies also gave up 39 points in the third quarter to the Houston Rockets last week. Even in their victories against the Jazz and Magic, they allowed at least 35 points in the third quarter.
It’s clear that Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins wants to make some changes before facing the Nets. “Our third quarters have been terrible to start the season,” Jenkins said. “We’ve got to clean this up.”
Memphis was ahead of the Bulls by 14 points at halftime, but by the end of the troublesome third quarter, the lead had shrunk to 97-93 with just 24 seconds left.
“I’ve got to go back and study a little bit more and have conversations with the guys about why we’re not getting what we need in the third quarter,” Jenkins said. “We were getting stops in the first half (against the Bulls). We held them to 54 points.”
Without getting defensive stops, one of Memphis’ strengths is weakened. “We can’t run if we’re not getting stops,” Jenkins said.
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane mentioned that the Memphis offense relies on its defense.
“If we’re not containing guys and keeping guys square and paying attention to the game plan, it’s going to be hard to finish possessions,” Bane said.
Memphis played without two-time All-Star guard Ja Morant on Monday. He missed the game due to soreness in his right thigh and is questionable for the game against Brooklyn. Rookie center Zach Edey, who has been averaging 16 minutes per game and is dealing with right calf soreness, is also questionable.
The Nets are coming off a 144-139 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Dennis Schroder continued his strong performance by scoring 28 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He is averaging 22.5 points per game.
Cam Thomas has been performing well too. His 26 points were his lowest this season, but he is still averaging 28.5 points over four games.
However, according to Nets coach Jordi Fernandez, Thomas could have scored more.
“I know the NBA will do their job (and eventually give him favorable calls),” Fernandez said. “I think it’s human nature to give (superstars) the calls. At some point they’ll have to look at CT — all our guys — the same way.”
Brooklyn had a solid 115-102 win against Milwaukee on Sunday, but they have been dealing with injuries.
Ben Simmons, who has a back issue and won’t play in back-to-back games for a while, did not play on Tuesday but is expected to return on Wednesday. Nic Claxton, who missed the preseason due to a hamstring injury, played 26 minutes on Tuesday but will not play against Memphis, according to Fernandez, who mentioned Claxton needs “rest and recovery.”
