How Ja Morant's Grizzlies 'failed at the basics' in all-too-familiar meltdown vs. Lakers
03/30/2025 12:11 AM
The Memphis Grizzlies were hoping Tuomas Iisalo would provide a new-coach bump, but LeBron James and Luka Doncic put an end to those plans quickly. Ja Morant (hamstring/shoulder) was able to give the new head coach 31 minutes, managing 22 points (9-23 FGA), 10 assists, eight rebounds, and a steal. However, the Los Angeles Lakers broke a slump to bounce down Beale Street celebrating a 134-127 road win. The FedEx Forum’s fans were left frustrated after having watched a loss that felt all too familiar.
Iisalo's head coaching debut on Saturday night looked eerily similar to Taylor Jenkins' final game in charge. Just peek at the 12 turnovers compared to 13 made free throws (72%) and 14 made three-pointers. Or, perhaps gauge the body language for the opening five minutes. Setting a tone early is still a problem for these Grizzlies, and Iisalo knows it.
“I mean (LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves) are a very potent trio, just like ours. I thought the difference was the start of the game. Unfortunately, that first half was not at the quality that we need in order to beat a team of this quality,” Iisalo admitted. “That's something we’ve got to work on. We’ve got to get better.”
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 29 points (12-18 FGA), six assists, and four rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 24 points (8-13 FGA), four rebounds, four assists, a block, and a steal. The Grizzlies couldn't contain the Lakers' balanced attack or win the war for second-chance points. Memphis got one offensive board from the entire bench and none from Jackson Jr.
Lazy closeouts led to a large deficit before the old nacho cheese went cold. Los Angeles shot 44.2% from the field and went 25-for-27 from the free-throw line, capitalizing on defensive breakdowns that Iisalo acknowledged as a carryover issue. Yet Iisalo will have to soldier on through perhaps the most difficult three-game debut ever.
“We know that time is of the essence,” Iisalo stressed. “We're facing back to back after tomorrow, but very simple. I can already say, (this loss) is like a lot of games. You don't know what happened during the game really before you watch the video, but I can already say we failed at the basics in the first half, so gotta do a better job with that.”
Next up, Ja Morant’s Grizzlies (44-30) welcome the 55-19 Boston Celtics (March 31) and 42-31 Golden State Warriors (April 1) into town for a back-to-back championship-caliber stress test. Beating Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum will be more than tough if Lamar Stevens, Jay Huff, Luke Kennard, and Vince Williams Jr. continue to combine for only 11 total points off the bench. Frankly, fans must be forgiven for believing it’s an all-hands-on-deck level disaster down in Memphis as the postseason pressure ramps up after losing to the Lakers.
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