Injuries sideline half the roster, but fight remains. Grizzlies battled Sacramento's size and defense, ultimately succumbing to relentless second-chance points.
The Memphis Grizzlies showed fight but ran out of answers Monday night, falling 123–114 to the Sacramento Kings as injuries continued to wreak havoc.
Memphis played without eight players and leaned heavily on a group still learning one another on the fly. Javon Smalls paced the Grizzlies with 21 points and nine assists, providing steady offense and playmaking throughout the night. Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 17 points, while GG Jackson finished with 16.
The Grizzlies kept themselves in the game with efficient shooting and energy early, trailing just 63–61 at halftime as both teams converted on over than 54% of their shots. Memphis briefly seized momentum early in the third quarter, pushing ahead before Sacramento responded with an 18–6 run that created the game’s first double-digit lead.
Down 92–89 entering the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies were still within reach. That window narrowed quickly as the Kings opened the period with a 15–4 run, highlighted by a three-pointer that pushed the margin out with 8:45 remaining. Memphis continued to compete but could not fully recover.
Size proved to be a decisive factor. With no active player taller than 6-foot-9, the Grizzlies struggled to finish defensive possessions. Sacramento capitalized on second-chance opportunities throughout the game, particularly in the opening half, when Precious Achiuwa collected 14 points and 11 rebounds before intermission.
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo was direct in his postgame assessment.
“I didn’t think it was very good,” Iisalo said. “In the beginning, we gave up way too many second-shot opportunities. I think from their first 41 points, 20 of them were second-shot opportunities. We know we have a very small roster at the moment. We don’t have a legitimate five-man in there because of the injuries, and we’ve got to do a better job as a team of putting a body on the bigs and keeping them off the glass.”
Iisalo also pointed to offensive struggles against Sacramento’s switching defense.
“Overall offensively, this was one of the games where we really struggled against switches,” he said. “We don’t have the inside advantage that we had before, and we can’t really rebound. There are no mismatches created by that, so we’ve got to work on that.”
With so many players still getting up to speed, Iisalo acknowledged the natural balance between teaching and holding standards.
“It’s one thing to make mistakes of effort or focus,” he said. “We have a ton of guys who’ve maybe had one or two practices. It’s one thing to know in theory what we’re supposed to do. But if it’s somebody not sprinting back, not giving everything they have on defense, or not sharing the ball, those are very different types of errors. Those need to be corrected right away.”
Asked whether the circumstances have challenged him in his first NBA season, Iisalo emphasized the need for constant reflection.
“I think any good coach thinks about that every day,” he said. “You think about what are the things we need to do better and what are the things we need to do different.”
He also outlined what smaller lineups must do to compete on the boards.
“Most of the time, it starts already before the rebound,” Iisalo said. “You’ve got to be the person that hits first. We also need to do a better job of getting the best rebounders out of there and then gang rebound with the guards.”
Despite the loss, Iisalo pointed to positives, including Taylor Hendricks’ defensive impact and Scotty Pippen Jr.'s ongoing return after a lengthy absence.
“Taylor’s been very, very disruptive defensively,” Iisalo said. “His versatility with his size and skill set helps us on both ends.”
Pippen’s return has required a careful approach from the Grizzlies as they focus on incremental minute increases, viewing progress as something built over time.
“He missed basically the whole summer because of the injury," Iisalo said of Pippen. "We’re trying to incrementally increase his minutes so we don’t destroy his body at this point. But he’s making progress.”
Memphis remains 11th in the Western Conference as injuries continue to be a challenge. The Grizzlies return home Wednesday night to host Golden State.