How much did Ja Morant's absence hurt Memphis Grizzlies vs Golden State Warriors?

Damichael Cole, Memphis Commercial Appeal

May 14, 2022 at 6:29 AM·4 min read

SAN FRANCISCO — Memphis guard Desmond Bane said he didn't feel like the Grizzlies were playing with one arm tied behind their back in the Western Conference semifinals. Nobody seemed interested in talking about what could have happened after the 110-96 loss in Game 6 against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at the Chase Center.

Still, history will show that the Grizzlies missed star point guard Ja Morant for three games and center Steven Adams for two in losing the best-of-seven series 4-2.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins instead credited the team for rallying after he briefly touched on Morant's impact. Morant averaged 38.3 points in three games before being sidelined due to a bone bruise in his right knee.

"Obviously I've said the last couple days since we got the news like, you obviously want Ja out there," Jenkins said. "And all season long, now at the end of the playoffs having to play without him, it's tough."

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There was a growing consensus among Warriors media members that the Grizzlies looked better without Morant, especially after a 39-point win in Memphis in Game 5. The ball was moving well, several players had big performances, and for most of losses in Game 4 and Game 6, the Grizzlies went toe-to-toe with an NBA dynasty while playing without their best player.

But Morant's absence showed up in the fourth quarters of those two losses. In Game 4, the Grizzlies didn't trail until 45.7 seconds left. Grizzlies players and Jenkins said that Golden State ramped up its defensive pressure to close out the Grizzlies, and that impacted the offense.

Then in Game 6, Memphis answered every Golden State run, and that's saying something. The Warriors came out shooting 11-for-20 on 3-pointers, but the Grizzlies were right there. Memphis trailed 78-77 after three quarters before being outscored 32-19 in the fourth.

It's no coincidence that the Grizzlies broke down in the fourth quarters of the last two losses. That's where Morant, who led the NBA in clutch scoring, did his best work. He missed a shot that he often makes in Game 1 at the buzzer, but having Morant could have tilted at least one of those final two losses.

"A hundred percent," Dillon Brooks of the Grizzlies said. "Ja is one of the best point guards in this league, so you guys know that, obviously it would change. But we made do with what we had and we got wins with what we had."

But it's not just Morant. The Grizzlies started Adams in Game 4 and struck gold. He missed Games 1 and 2 while in health and safety protocols, and he didn't the start in Game 3. Adams was plus-13 in Game 4 and helped shift the rebounding in favor of Memphis during Game 5. Adams hurt his ankle during the first half of Game 6 and even though he started the second half, he had a noticeable limp after the game. That stood out after the Warriors scored 13 of their 21 second-chance points in the fourth quarter.

Morant and Adams didn't start a game together in the semifinals, and that's why as much as Friday's loss hurt, the Grizzlies' postgame mood was that of a team that knew it would have many more chances. Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jenkins and Tyus Jones all talked about how it was the most special group they have been with in the NBA.

."It was crazy," Jackson said. "And it's just genuine, it's natural. I don't know, man, you're playing with your friends out there, like we really rock with each other. So we hurt for each other and we want [expletive] for each other, so that's really how it is."

And just like the last two seasons, the Grizzlies' goals will probably involve going through the Warriors. It's safe to say they'll be looking forward to the next battle.

"They know that we're going to come every single year," Brooks said. "We're young and they're getting old, so they know we're coming every single year."

Contact Damichael Cole at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @damichaelc

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant's absence hurt Memphis Grizzlies in both losses to Warriors

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