The Memphis Grizzlies locker room was quiet. No music was being played. A mouse could have been heard running across the floor.
Players trickled in one by one after the game, but their energy reflected that of a team that just saw a 29-point lead get erased in two quarters.
Memphis looked on its way to battling back from a 2-0 series deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder in FedExForum. Now, the Grizzlies are on the brink of being eliminated after a 114-108 loss on April 24.
“Our togetherness is seriously tested right here,” Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “That’s the message. Stick together. Do our best. We saw today where it can lead to. Especially in the first half. Got to keep doing that.”
A “terrible” feeling
The Grizzlies led by 27 points when Ja Morant landed on the FedExForum floor and left the game with a hip injury in the second quarter. Memphis led by 26 points at halftime.
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Iisalo said Morant’s absence “quite drastically” changed the energy and execution from the team going forward.
Energy wise, the Grizzlies looked shocked early in the third quarter.
At halftime, team leader Desmond Bane got a moment to greet Morant in the locker room.
“I was just really wrapping my arms around him,” Bane said. “I wasn’t really trying to get into the weeds or anything like that. Just trying to be supportive.”
Morant, with the assistance of crutches, was back on the bench with his teammates late in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies battled, but OKC came back and took the game.
Zach Edey has lost his share of close heartbreakers dating back to his recent collegiate career. He called the feeling in the locker room “terrible” after the game.
Santi Aldama has had his share of tough playoff losses in his four seasons as a member of the Grizzlies, but this one felt different. He called Game 3 against OKC the most painful loss of his NBA career.
“I don’t think you can really process that,” Aldama said. “That one’s going to take a lot of time. Years probably. I don’t know. It’s a tough one.”
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Playing it safe
The Grizzlies were plus-11 in the first half without Morant. In the second half, that number flipped to minus-32.
Not only did the Thunder ramp up its pressure, but the Grizzlies didn’t look prepared to handle the intensity. The Grizzlies only had three turnovers in the first half, but that number jumped to 13 in the third and fourth quarters.
Maybe the Grizzlies just were simply outclassed, but Aldama believes Memphis shifted its mindset. Instead of playing to go for the win, Aldama believes the Grizzlies focused more on playing to hold off OKC.
Bane also noticed changes after Morant’s injury.
“We slowed down,” Bane said. “In the first half, we were playing real fast and moving the ball a lot. Second half, it just slowed down and they just started making some shots. We were trying to execute and get to the right spots, but we probably slowed down a little too much.”
Looking ahead
Edey sighed and took a deep breath. He was asked how can the Grizzlies flush this game and get ready for another matchup on April 26 for Game 4 (2:30 p.m., TNT).
“It’s tough,” Edey said.. “You got to have a short memory in this business, obviously. You got to go game by game. You got to just keep pushing forward. Win or loss, you can’t let it affect the next game.”
That’s going to be the big challenge for Memphis. Game 4 will be a mental test as much as a physical one.
The season will be on the line. For Memphis, it’s simply win or go home.
“We’re going to come out and play hard,” Bane said. “That’s for (expletive) sure. That’s going to happen.”
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
