Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane carry Memphis Grizzlies to fifth consecutive win without trailing

When Dillon Brooks was in Miami last season, he feasted on gold steak and broke the Heat's spirit with a 23-point quarter.

On Monday, he tried to do it again with a 14-point first quarter. But the game breaker came in the fourth where Brooks made a mid-range shot then dove for a loose ball and flipped it behind his head to Desmond Bane for an wide open dunk.

Brooks danced on the court at FTX Arena. Bane pointed at him with wide eyes to acknowledge the assist. And the Memphis Grizzlies once again kept up two streaks with a 105-90 win.

Not only have they won five consecutive games, they have yet to trail in any of those games. Here's what we learned in Miami.

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Grizzlies make more history

According to Sportradar, the Grizzlies (14-10) are just the second team in the last 25 NBA seasons to not trail in five consecutive games. The Grizzlies being tied at 2-2 in the first quarter prevented it from being another wire-to-wire victory per Elias Sports Bureau defining that as never trailing or tying.

However, consider what they've done. Five consecutive wins without Ja Morant. Four consecutive wins holding a team under 91 points. The Grizzlies are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.

Outside of a seven-game win streak in January 2020, this has been the most dominant stretch of the past three seasons of the Taylor Jenkins era.

The Dillon Brooks Show

After Brooks wrapped his postgame press conference, Bane strolled in and yelled on camera "That boy doing it all!" He was right.

Brooks and Bane each had a team-high 21 points and two steals. Brooks' scoring cooled off but made up for it with eight assists to tie his career-high. Coach Taylor Jenkins called one of the best games he's seen from the fifth-year guard.

Ever the villain, Brooks danced and strutted on the court late in the fourth quarter. He yelled to the Heat (14-11) crowd after making his only 3-pointer. It was another successful Miami trip even if it maybe didn't involve eating fancy steak.

“I’m always going to be what you guys call me," Brooks said about his nickname. "I’ve played that way ever since I was a little kid. I just try to bully and get in guys’ heads. Usually defenders get in guys heads, but I can do it on both ends, so it’s even worse."

Adams continues scoring touch

Steven Adams had just 11 combined points in his final four games of November. Now all a sudden, he's started December by upping his scoring.

Adams had a season-high 17 points and 16 rebounds, tying another season-high, for his second consecutive double-double. At one point in the second quarter, he scored 10 consecutive points for the Grizzlies.

It was fair to criticize Adams' reluctance to score when he's been in position to do so. But the last two games - and even a nine-point, eight-rebound outing last Thursday - he's been more active in the paint and Jenkins added that Adams is getting more comfortable within in the offense.

Ziaire Williams returns, gets hurt

Ziaire Williams missed the past three games with knee soreness but started the second quarter for the Grizzlies. But after three minutes, he suffered a sprained left ankle and had to be helped off the court.

Williams was ruled out for the rest of the game. It once again had the Grizzlies without five players with Morant, Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke and Sam Merrill also out. It also meant the Heat's bench had an advantage with Tyler Herro scoring at will.

Herro's 24 points outscored the Grizzlies' bench (18 points) by himself. But even shorthanded, the Grizzlies' depth hung with all five starters scoring in double figures.

Can Grizzlies keep this up?

One can argue the Grizzlies caught some good luck. Three games against sub-.500 teams, a win over the Dallas Mavericks without Luka Doncic and now a Heat win over a hobbled Jimmy Butler who checked out in the third quarter with a tailbone injury.

At the same, the Grizzlies have found a defensive groove they lacked their first 19 games. They've committed better to defending the paint. They've seen Desmond Bane step up with at least 20 points in three of the last four games.

Perhaps things will get tougher hosting the Mavericks and Los Angeles on a back-to-back starting Wednesday. But right now, the Grizzlies are among the NBA's hottest teams so why not believe they can hold their own back home?

Next Up

The Grizzlies return home Wednesday to host the Dallas Mavericks (7 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast). This is the first game of a back-to-back as Memphis hosts the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane carry Memphis Grizzlies to fifth consecutive win