Chances of the Memphis Grizzlies pulling an upset against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Nov. 12 were already slim.
When the team announced that Ja Morant wouldn’t be available due to a sore right ankle, those chances decreased further. Not just because Morant, who actually has been in a slump, wasn’t playing, but because the Grizzlies don’t have another healthy point guard, and NBA teams feast on that.
Boston was the team eating this time. The Celtics cruised to a wire-to-wire 131-95 victory in dominant fashion. It was the Grizzlies’ second loss by 30 or more points this season. It also was their largest loss since a 37-point defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks on Jan. 27.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led all Grizzlies players with 18 points in 23 minutes on 7-for-15 shooting. Santi Aldama finished with 14 points, keeping up his streak of seven consecutive double-digit scoring outputs.
Boston (6-7) converted on 21 3-pointers, while Memphis made only 10.
Memphis (4-9) has two days off before returning to action on Nov. 15 against the Cleveland Cavaliers (4 p.m. CT).
Here’s what happened in the loss to the Celtics.
Undermanned
The Grizzlies have looked bad offensively in the two games Morant has missed. The first example was Nov. 2, when they lost 117-104 to the Toronto Raptors. Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. missed the same two games because of injuries, and rookie Javon Small wasn’t available against Boston due to a turf toe injury.
Vince Williams Jr. started at point guard. The Grizzlies like what he brings as a secondary playmaker, but they were not able to generate similar looks without a primary point guard.
Memphis finished with 25 assists while Boston racked up 34. No Grizzlies player had more than four assists. Even while struggling, Morant has had at least seven assists in nine consecutive games. The Grizzlies missed that level of playmaking.
The loss snapped the Grizzlies’ streak of 24 consecutive games scoring 100 or more points.
Rebounding gap
The team is undermanned at center, too. Having neither Brandon Clarke nor Zach Edey showed against Boston. Celtics bigs were active on the glass and created extra opportunities. They finished with a 58-41 rebounding advantage, and a 34-12 advantage in second-chance points.
No Grizzlies players finished with more than six rebounds. Three Celtics players surpassed that total.
New opportunities
If there was a positive, it was that new opportunities were created, and right now, Memphis may need some new faces on the floor. Olivier-Maxence Prosper was back in the rotation after mostly being at the end of the bench in recent games. His energy and athleticism stood out early and made a difference.
Edey, who is on the road trip, is closer to a return, and that should help improve Memphis as a rebounding and rim protecting squad.
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.