Three point struggles continue to plague Kings in 115-110 loss to Grizzlies

Dec 5, 2024, 8:01 PM | Updated: 8:03 pm

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 31: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball against D...

Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball against De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings during the second half at FedExForum on December 31, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sactown Sports writer

Fresh off a quality win over the Rockets, the Sacramento Kings failed to maintain their positive momentum Thursday night. They fell 115-110 to the Memphis Grizzlies after struggling to convert from range once again.

Both teams struggled to shoot this season, but the Grizzlies, thanks to their stellar defense, managed a substantial winning percentage. Yet Sacramento continued to squander their threes (8/35), leaving them unable to take advantage of Ja Morant’s worst season showing, including a mid-fourth-quarter ejection.

It’s the sixth time the Kings failed to reach ten made triples this season, knocking them down to 1-5 on those occasions. Memphis outclassed their bench, and De’Aaron Fox couldn’t find an offensive rhythm late, but nothing harmed them more than shooting 22.9 percent from three.

Even 16 second-chance points from their 14 offensive rebounds and 29 points off 22 Memphis turnovers weren’t enough to overcome those conversion rates. Let’s take a look at what occurred throughout Thursday night’s action in the FedEx Forum.

Kings at Grizzlies Game Notes

Malik Monk continued to be part of the starting lineup alongside De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies rolled out their typical five of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaylen Wells, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brandon Clarke.

Wells, who went to Folsom High School, got his first chance to play against his hometown team since being drafted 38th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Starting in his 18th game of his rookie season, he was assigned to DeRozan from the jump, and the Kings attacked that matchup early.

Another game, another DeMar middy 🥶

pic.twitter.com/7VI6Z3NjyS

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 6, 2024

After seeming to recover their high-powered offensive identity over the last few games, the Kings maintained that positive momentum Thursday. They had 32 points in the first quarter and were getting three-point conversions from the surrounding cast.

Fox and Monk aggressively attacked the paint and found shooters while Sabonis and Isaac Jones took care of the dirty work down low. Unfortunately, they allowed a 12-4 Memphis run to end the quarter, giving the Grizzlies a 33-32 advantage after 12 minutes.

With Morant being one of the few players who can rival Fox’s speed, the Grizzlies are a force in transition, while also finding the paint in the halfcourt. Sacramento has the same capabilities though, leading to a high-paced scoring battle that didn’t slow down in the second.

Grizzlies’ head coach, Taylor Jenkins, had a clear depth advantage, getting notable production from Marcus Smart, Santi Aldama, and Jay Huff. Smart and Aldama were perfect from the field in the first half, combining for 19 points on seven attempts and 5/5 from three.

Meanwhile, Fox, Monk, and DeRozan kept their foot on the gas. Jordan McLaughlin saw the floor for the first time (non-garbage time) in a few games, assumedly to maintain their pace while Fox sat.

Don’t love this Kings lineup

McLauglin
Huerter
Crowder
Murray
I. Jones

Just should always have one of Fox, Monk, DeRozan, or Sabonis on the floor.

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 6, 2024

That meant no first-half minutes for defensive stalwart Keon Ellis, but he eventually appeared in the third. A bench-dominant group allowed most of a 19-6 Grizzlies run to end the second quarter. Both quarters ended with the Kings succeeding a significant run to the advantage of their opposition.

Sacramento faced a narrow deficit of 63-62 at the end of the half. DeRozan had 15 points and one assist on 5/8 shooting, while Monk (13 points, three assists) and Fox (12 points, eight rebounds, four assists) also added to the tally.

Both team’s paces and, as a result, offensive production slowed down dramatically after the 15-minute halftime intermission. They walked through actions more casually and failed to convert equally.

Fox converted a nine-foot push shot to give the Kings a 76-71 lead with 6:23 remaining in the third. As the ball and player movement stalled and shots weren’t falling, they didn’t make another field goal for the next four minutes and 43 seconds of game time. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies pushed the pace after misses and used their bench depth to maintain their teamwide effort levels.

With a few free throws being the exception, Memphis went on a 15-4 run during that frame. Notice an end-of-quarter trend yet?

The game was tied at 86 heading into the fourth. Fox started the session with a clear focus and intent on both ends, securing his third and fourth steals on back-to-back possessions.

De’Aaron Fox is showing why he led the league in steals last year.

He’s got four steals tonight vs. Memphis with 10+ to play. pic.twitter.com/YGlB8zhd6x

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 6, 2024

Around the eight-minute mark, Morant has assessed a technical foul after arguing a call he disagreed with. Just possessions later, guarding a DeRozan post-up, the Memphis guard was called for another foul that he deemed unnecessary.

Heading to the bench with an opportunity to cool off, Morant pointed to the official and had some words that led to his second technical foul, equaling an ejection. It’s the second straight game a Sacramento opponent has been ejected after Rockets’ Alperen Sengun and his coach Ime Udoka were ejected from Golden 1 Center on Tuesday night.

With his night officially concluded, it was Morant’s worst game of an otherwise productive 2024-25. He ended with eight points (season-low) and seven assists on 2/13 from the field, 0/6 from three, and 4/4 from the free-throw line.

Their offensive production relied heavily on their bench, who maintained their pace and resistance on the offensive glass. For the Kings, DeRozan continued to find ways to reach the charity stripe by attacking mismatches.

He and Fox typically share clutch time responsibilities, but the star guard went cold late despite thriving on defense, where he tied his career-high with six steals.

. It was a sloppy final few minutes, as the Grizzlies had the ball up three with just over 30 seconds remaining. Jackson Jr. began to back down Sabonis, but carried the ball, giving Sacramento one final chance to keep their hopes alive.

Running Monk off an elevator screen to get the entry pass, it looked like the next progression could have been to get Fox the ball, but it fluttered between Huerter and Monk before they settled for a low-percentage look over two defenders.

Well defended by Memphis, but tough last shot for the Kings. pic.twitter.com/K0rKh8Duz8

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 6, 2024

Shooting 22.9 percent (8/25) from three proved too much to overcome for the Kings, who fell to the Grizzlies 115-110 in Memphis. It’s the sixth time in 23 games that Sacramento failed to knock down double-digit threes, falling to 5-1 in those showings.

They won’t have much time to let this loss fester as the group heads to San Antonio to face the Spurs tomorrow. The Spurs are already 0-2 against them this season.

Kings at Grizzlies Game Stats

Sacramento:

Field Goal Percentage: 39/98 (39.8%)
Three-Point Percentage: 8/35 (22.9%)
Free-Throw Percentage: 24/28 (85.7%)
Points off Turnovers: 29 points off 22 Memphis turnovers
Points in the Paint: 48
DeMar DeRozan: 26 points, one assist, three rebounds on 6/15 FG, 1/1 3P, 13/14 FT
Malik Monk: 23 points, five assists, one rebound on 7/16 FG, 4/9 3P, 5/5 FT
De’Aaron Fox: 18 points, three assists, six rebounds, six steals on 8/23 FG, 0/7 3P, 2/3 FT

Memphis:

Field Goal Percentage: 438/80 (47.5%)
Three-Point Percentage: 13/38 (34.2%)
Free-Throw Percentage: 26/32 (81.3%)
Points off Turnovers: 15 points off 13 Sacramento turnovers
Points in the Paint: 46
Ja Morant: Eight points, seven assists on 2/13 FG, 0/6 3P, 4/4 FT
Marcus Smart: 18 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals on 5/9 FG, 4/8 3P, 4/6 FT
Desmond Bane: 18 points, seven assists, eight rebounds on 6/10 FG, 2/4 3P, 4/4 FT