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A disappointed Memphis Grizzlies locker room searching for answers after loss vs Rockets
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- A disappointed Memphis Grizzlies locker room searching for answers after loss vs Rockets
Ja Morant pushed the ball up the floor with his left hand. A Houston Rockets defender was guarding him closely on his right hip.
Morant dribbled near the Memphis Grizzlies bench, and the ball hit off the foot of a Rockets defender.
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Out on the Grizzlies, the referees said.
Houston got in position quickly to inbound the basketball as an animated Morant asked the Grizzlies bench to review the call. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins looked at Morant, then shifted his attention to the defensive possession.
Seconds later a replay on the FedExForum screen showed the ball kicking off of a Rockets player foot. Morant raised his arms in disappointment, and the Rockets went on to make a clutch 3-pointer on the following possession.
It was that kind of night for the Grizzlies. Turnovers, second-guessing decisions and missed opportunities haunted Memphis in a 119-115 home loss against the Rockets.
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The Grizzlies (24-14) finished the night with 20 turnovers. Even though they had their share of mistakes, Thursday was winnable. Memphis shot 50% from the floor while holding Houston (25-12) to 42.7%.
The Rockets also missed 17 free throws while shooting 58.5% from the line.
Taylor Jenkins takes the blame
Jenkins didn't have much to say after the game. He was short and to the point after the loss. He took the blame, specifically going back to one play late in the game.
Desmond Bane grabbed a rebound and pushed the ball up the floor with Memphis trailing 117-114 and less than 10 seconds remaining. As Bane gathered to take a 3-point shot, the whistle blew. Bane continued his shooting motion and made a 3-pointer that would have tied the game, but it came after Jenkins had signaled to the referees for a timeout.
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"I'll learn from it," Jenkins said. "I made a mistake."
Houston came out of the timeout with a plan. The Rockets fouled Memphis, essentially eliminating any chance at a 3-point play to tie the game.
"We got the utmost faith in coach," Bane said. "We trust him and believe in him. It's a bang-bang decision. We made a lot of mistakes during the game, so that one is on us. He's going to beat himself up over it. Everyone is because the shot went in, but we move on to the next one and we get better from it."
How healthy is Ja Morant ?
A disappointed Morant sat at his locker at the game with not much to say. Even though he was returning to the lineup, the Grizzlies star didn't look 100% like himself.
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After the game, Morant made no excuses. He said his shoulder wasn't bothering him, but he'll need time to get back to being the same player as before the AC joint sprain in his shoulder.
"I don't know," Morant said. "We got to see game by game."
He finished the game with a team-high 27 points, but he did so on 9-for-22 shooting. Turnovers were a problem yet again for the entire Memphis team.
Morant and Bane tied the team-high with four turnovers, but Memphis had 20 total. Houston finished with only 13 turnovers. As a result, the Rockets had a drastic 31-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
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"I think it's just got to continue to be an area of focus for us, just so we end up with more possessions and opportunities than opponents," Bane said.
A short memory
The one saving grace for Memphis is it won't be long before the next matchup against Houston. The Grizzlies will travel to Minnesota on Saturday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network), then they'll get their rematch with Houston on Monday.
Before Thursday's game, Jenkins said this game would be a good test. Afterwards, he felt like he let an opportunity slip away.
The Rockets are now 2-0 against Memphis. Morant stated after the game that "the same thing is happening" from the Grizzlies' first loss against Houston earlier this season in October.
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They'll get their chance soon enough.
"Can't wait," Bane said.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com . Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant searching for answers after loss vs Rockets
