After Memphis beat Utah 110-105 Monday night, the Grizzlies improved to 4-0 for just the second time in franchise history, and the first time since the 2014-15 team that opened 6-0.
It was not an easy win, needing free throws in the final seconds from Ty Jerome to seal the game after watching a 16-point lead shrink to one.
With foul trouble affecting a few of Memphis’s starters, Utah won the boards 61-50, the first time this season Memphis has lost that battle, but the Grizzlies made up for it by hitting double-digit threes for the fourth straight game.
Here are the winners and losers:
Winner: Jaylen Wells continues to impress
Wells keeps showing that his consistency is the real deal.
After a few scores in the first half, he found his rhythm again after the break, drilling a three in the fourth that pushed the lead back to nine with under nine minutes left and followed that play by forcing a turnover on the other end.
He was clutch when Memphis needed it, calmly knocking down both free throws with 41 seconds remaining to help put the game away.
Loser: Edey’s whistle trouble
How do you stop a seven-foot-four double-double machine? Get him in foul trouble.
After not playing in Sacramento, Edey picked up his third foul in the second quarter and his fifth just under three minutes into the third, which greatly affected his aggressiveness on both ends.
He finished with four points on 0-for-2 shooting and three rebounds, never really finding a rhythm, though he did come up with a nice hustle chase-down block on Svi Mykhailiuk in the fourth after a turnover.
With Edey stuck to the bench for most of the second half, Memphis leaned on Stewart and Post, and when he did get back on the floor in the fourth, Utah targeted him constantly.
Winner: Memphis’ bench
Memphis won the reserves battle 48-40, the third time in four games the bench has outscored the opponent’s.
Quinten Post shot 5 of 6, including 2 of 3 from three, for 12 points and held his ground against backup big Kyle Filipowski, even forcing a turnover on him.
Jerami Grant was called upon early with Coward in foul trouble and delivered 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Cam Spencer chipped in eight points, five rebounds and five assists.
Loser: Jerome’s hot start cools off
After looking like a potential league MVP through the first three games, Jerome shot just 4 of 15 overall and 1 of 6 from three, struggling against Utah for most of the night.
The NBA Western Conference Player of the Week still finished with 15 points and eight assists, coming through late with a floater and back-to-back buckets before sealing it at the line.
It’s a stark contrast to dropping 45 on this same Jazz team in the opener, but Jerome still made the clutch buckets when it mattered most.
Tonight was the first game this season he wasn’t Memphis’ leading scorer, with Coward edging him out 16-15.
Winner: Coward controls the glass
Coward opened the game with the first five points, burying a three off a downscreen to kick off the night.
He helped attempt to control the glass, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four made threes on four attempts to go along with an emphatic slam in the first quarter.
It’s the first time in his career he’s had back-to-back double-doubles, with 11 rebounds in each.
Loser: Boozer still finding his footing
After a tough 6-of-21 shooting game against Sacramento, Boozer’s shot struggles continued, going 4 of 12 from the field, including 1 of 6 from three, for 13 points and finishing a minus-9, his first minus finish of the season, to go with seven rebounds and four assists and a block.
He’s not shooting it well, but he’s not the only one in his draft class whose shot isn’t falling.
Through four games, Boozer is at 44% true shooting, actually ahead of several other top rookies: Caleb Wilson is at 50%, Darius Acuff is at 41% through three games, Darryn Peterson is at 43%, and Mikel Brown is at 38% in two.
This was also round two of his three-game series with Peterson, who finished 5 of 18 for 14 points.
Loser: Mo Bamba nearly steals one
Utah was not going quietly into the night as they stormed back in the fourth led by two players.
Keyonte George kept getting to the free-throw line (26 points, 8 of 9 from FT), and Mo Bamba turned in a vintage performance off the bench, finishing 7 of 8 for 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Those two sparked a 12-2 run that trimmed a 16-point Memphis lead down to two with five minutes left, and Bamba punctuated it by beating Edey for a dunk that pulled Utah within three in the final six minutes.
He did more than the box score shows, altering shots just by being in the vicinity all night and his explosive plays and defensive abilities showed that 28-year-old still has the tools to do what got him drafted No.6 in the 2018 NBA Draft.
What’s next
Memphis heads to Portland on Thursday to try to complete the road trip sweep, and for the first matchup with Ja Morant and the 2-0 Trail Blazers, since the offseason trade.
Will the Grizzlies keep this unforeseen hot streak going, or will Morant have his name back on Memphis fans’ tongues by the end of the night?
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