Takeaways From The Miami Heat's Loss To The Memphis Grizzlies

The Heat fell to the Grizzlies Monday in Memphis

The Miami Heat were unable to take advantage of Ja Morant’s absence as they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 101-93.

Here are some major takeaways from the game:

-Point guard Tyus Jones was the man for the Grizzlies. With Morant out, he got his third start of the season and didn’t disappoint. He scored a career-high 28 points to go with 10 assists. Even though he had three 3-pointers, he was able to get to the rim a lot against the Heat’s defense.

-Caleb Martin caught fire in the first quarter. He carried the Heat through the period with 12 points, all of them coming from the 3-point line. He was left wide open on the first three shots but the Grizzlies defense finally buckled down and contested the fourth one.

-The Heat came into this game as one of the worst teams in terms of pace and it showed. The Grizzlies took advantage of it and beat them in the hustle game. They had nine fastbreak points and turned the Heat’s 16 turnovers into 17 easy points.

-Jimmy Butler is still dealing with knee soreness as he was listed as questionable before the game. However, he played and scored 18 points on excellent shooting.

-With the Grizzlies playing the second of a back-to-back and being without key players in Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson, and John Konchar, the Heat had every opportunity to win the game. It looked like they were going to win in the first quarter but allowed the Grizzlies to crawl back.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog https://allball30.wordpress.com