Grizzlies’ Tuomas Iisalo Explains Final Possession vs. Nuggets

The Memphis Grizzlies did not call a timeout when Cameron Boozer came down with Nikola Jokić’s second free throw, a miss, with 12.5 seconds remaining Wednesday night and Memphis down 121-118. Boozer brought the ball up and missed a 28-foot driving bank shot with 6.9 seconds remaining, and the Denver Nuggets went on to win 123-118 at FedExForum.

No foul was called on the shot. Aaron Gordon rebounded, made two free throws after Isaiah Stewart fouled him with 4.5 seconds left, and Boozer missed a 24-foot 3 with 3.3 seconds to go.

Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo had Ty Jerome, Boozer, Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, and Stewart on the floor. Stewart replaced Jaylen Wells at the 13.9-second mark, just before Jokić went to the line.

“He got the rebound,” Iisalo said. “We had talked about it with Ty Jerome that if we get that rebound, we’re gonna go and then not allow them to set their half-court defense. Always after those situations, you always think about should we had done this, should we had done that.”

“… We had our two best ball handlers and a good rebounding position underneath inside with the bigs, and Booz felt the hand of the defender inside the cookie jar,” Iisalo continued. “And try to — I like the decision there to try to go for the three free throws, but obviously didn’t go our way, and love the fact that Booz was in that situation, looked to push and try to get that, create that open shot right there.”

Boozer let the shot go 5.6 seconds after the rebound, with 6.9 seconds still on the game clock.

“They switched,” Iisalo explained. “They switched in that situation, and the hands were in the body.”

Memphis had cut the deficit to 120-118 when Edey scored on a 4-foot hook off a Boozer pass with 20.6 seconds left. The Grizzlies then fouled twice to stop the clock, and Jokić made 1 of 2 free throws.

Boozer’s 9-foot turnaround jumper with 20.1 seconds left on Oct. 23 in San Francisco put Memphis ahead to stay in a 111-108 win that capped a 17-0 closing run. The rookie, the third overall pick in June out of Duke, has started all 11 games, and Iisalo has been expanding his role with more sets run for him.

The Nuggets finished with 6 turnovers. Two of them were shot-clock violations charged to the team, one in the second quarter and one in the fourth.

Memphis had 2 steals, by GG Jackson in the first quarter and by Boozer in the third, and scored 2 points off Denver’s turnovers. The Grizzlies committed 12 turnovers, and Denver turned those into 15 points.

In Monday’s 118-102 win in Toronto, Memphis scored 26 points off 14 opponent turnovers.

Denver’s starters scored 101 of its 123 points.

“I wouldn’t take too many learning from that,” Iisalo said. “Like I wouldn’t make that the major point is what I’m saying. There are other things, in my opinion, that are more important from this game.”

“For example, we were not able to disrupt them in a way that we wanted,” Iisalo continued. “They only had six total turnovers and had a very efficient half-court offense through both Jokić and Murray. And I think we can take some lessons there.”

Jamal Murray scored 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting and had 8 assists. Seventeen of his points came in the fourth quarter. Jokić posted 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists on 10-of-16 shooting, and he turned it over once.

Denver assisted on 34 of its 49 baskets. The Nuggets shot 58.3% in the first half and led 65-52 at the break, with 30 of their 54 paint points coming before halftime.

Iisalo won a coach’s challenge in the second quarter. A shooting foul called on Jackson as he blocked a Marvin Bagley III layup was overturned, and the play went down as one of Denver’s two shot-clock violations.

Boozer played 33:08 on Wednesday, more than any other Grizzlies player.

“In those last-second situations, it’s always going to be a coin flip, and whatever decision you make, you have to live with it,” Iisalo said. “And what I like is that Cam is in that situation now, has been a couple of times, and has been very assertive and somebody who carries the responsibility of that, and that bodes well for the future.”

Wells scored 22 points and went 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Cam Spencer had 15 off the bench and made 3 of his 4 3s. Wells checked out at the 13.9-second mark and did not return. Spencer, out since 4:41, came back with Jerami Grant for the final 4.5 seconds.

Coward and Boozer had 11 rebounds apiece. Five of Boozer’s came in the fourth quarter. Memphis outrebounded Denver 41-37 and had 21 second-chance points to Denver’s 19.

“We had our two best ball handlers up top to bring the ball up,” Iisalo said. “That was Ty and Booz in that situation. When you’re down, I would say better option is to take the shot earlier, so you have a chance to rebound. We also had very strong rebounders on the court, our three best rebounders with Cedric and Zach and Isaiah.”

Stewart played 18:03 in his return from a right knee bone bruise that cost him two games. He finished with 3 points, 1 rebound, and 5 fouls. Edey had 2 points and 5 rebounds in 19:33.

The loss was Memphis’ fourth straight at home, following defeats to New Orleans, Indiana, and Oklahoma City, the last of them a 128-97 Emirates NBA Cup loss on Nov. 6. The Grizzlies are 7-4 overall and 5-0 on the road.

Memphis plays its second NBA Cup group-stage game Friday at 7 p.m. CT against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.