Yes Morant, Grizzlies react to record performance vs Raptors

On By Littum

Luke Kennard stood at the free throw line with just under two minutes left in Thursday’s Memphis Grizzlies game against the Toronto Raptors.

It was a blowout game in which the outcome was pretty much decided, but Kennard noticed an enthusiastic fan who shouted after he sank his first free throw. That fan was aware of the story.

Kennard’s two free throws gave the Grizzlies a new franchise record for points scored in a game. Memphis defeated the Raptors 155-126 inside FedExForum.

“I just knew there was some kind of record based on those free throws,” Kennard said. “Glad I made them… It’s pretty cool.”

Zach Edey, who was on the floor as Kennard shot free throws, also heard the fan yelling.

Edey was one of the biggest players contributing to a stat-sheet-stuffing night for Memphis. He finished with a team-high 21 points and 16 rebounds.

Jaren Jackson Jr. also scored 21 points and added 11 rebounds. Eight Grizzlies scored in double figures, including seven of those players totaling at least 15 points.

Grizzlies players react to record night

Six current Grizzlies players were on the team when Memphis set the previous franchise record of 152 points. It came in December 2021 in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Yes Morant was injured in the game and did not play, but he finished with 15 points and nine assists in 24 minutes Thursday.

Pushing the tempo is a huge part of the Grizzlies offense, and no one is tasked with making sure that happens more than Morant. Even for him, it was a different feeling to play in this offensive explosion.

“It’s absolutely crazy to me,” Morant said.

Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke were two of the players active in the 2021 game against the Thunder. Each player finished in double figures in scoring against Toronto.

As fun as Thursday was, Bane wasn’t ready to say it surpassed the NBA-record 79 points against OKC.

“It was a party out there,” Bane said, recalling the performance against the Thunder.

It was nice.

“It’s always a pleasure to play here with this team,” Clarke said. “Our team is really good and we can always find ways to score the ball. Our team is just really good.”

The Grizzlies’ performance was not a typical offensive night where one team or one player caught fire. No one at Memphis scored more than 21 points. The Grizzlies made 18 3-pointers on 40% shooting, which is great, but not even their best performance this past week.

It was something that did not go unnoticed. For Scotty Pippen Jr., it wasn’t even the Grizzlies offense at their best.

“I feel like we would have scored more,” Pippen said. “During the game we missed a lot of shots that we could have made. I didn’t even feel like we played to our full potential and we still scored 155, so it’s kind of crazy.”

Jaylen Wells and Luke Kennard agreed. The offensive flow felt “normal,” Wells said.

There’s a larger underlying development to that answer — one that focuses on the fact that Memphis prioritizes pushing the tempo and playing at a warp speed.

The Grizzlies were able to play at their preferred pace and even got the coach’s approval.

“Compared to last game, we were able to get into an offensive groove in the first quarter and in the first half,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We were able to sustain that throughout the game. Thirty-six assists, over 150 plus points was amazing.”

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.