Nets Unravel Early, Fall to Grizzlies in Hostile Road Matchup

Brooklyn couldn't sweep the season series.

Dec 13, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) dunks over Memphis Grizzlies center Jay Huff (30) during the second quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Following a five-day break, the Brooklyn Nets posted a clunker on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies. In their third meeting of the season, FedExForum bore witness to a heated and intense blowout.

In a defensive disaster class of a first half, a cumulative lack of effort by both squads led to a high-scoring affair through two frames.

While Zach Edey sat out nursing an ankle injury, one could've assumed Brooklyn's interior looked stronger sans the 7-foot-4 lottery selection. They'd have been wrong. The Nets conceded 36 points inside, which may seem like a jarring number until it's compared to Memphis' total score at the break of 69. But it wasn't just Jordi Fernandez's squad that struggled defensively.

Without its anchor, one could've assumed the Nets took full advantage of a compromised Grizzlies' paint. They'd have been wrong.

Instead, Brooklyn displayed why it's ranked in the top 10 of three-pointers attempted per game leaguewide. Twenty-eight attempted triples only saw nine connect. Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Wilson accounted for six total, but those 27 points were enough to prevent the hosts from building an unreachable early lead.

As 13 points separated the out-of-conference opponents at the halftime break, each had operated offensively in contrasting ways. The Nets relied on a balanced attack that saw seven players record six points or more as Ja Morant and Desmond Bane's 27 combined led the way for Memphis.

Amid a battle of two squads who've built reputations on their toughness, tempers began flaring.

Morant faded away and connected on a mid-range jumper at the buzzer, jawing at Brooklyn's head coach before heading to the locker room. Fernandez responded with a staredown of the 25-year-old to cap off an offensive-reliant opening 24 minutes.

Having dispatched the Grizzlies twice already this season, they were already in possession of the blueprint; the Nets just hadn't executed it. At the start of the third, they started executing it.

In a continuation of the balanced attack, Schröder, Cam Johnson and Jalen Wilson orchestrated a 13-2 run to climb within two, but the retaliation proved to be a black-and-white mirage. Memphis immediately responded, raising Brooklyn by five and exploding for an 18-5 run of its own. Lost in the Morant madness was Santi Aldama, who was already well on his way to a 20-point performance.

The final stanza offered more of the same, and despite Fernandez's crew's best efforts to recapture the early third-quarter magic, the Nets found themselves on the receiving end of a chippy blowout performance.

When the clock hit zero, Memphis boasted four players who hit the 20-point mark while preventing any member of Brooklyn from accomplishing the same feat.

In hopes of washing this bad taste out of their mouths, the Nets return to the Barclays Center for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers this Monday.

To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Grizzlies, click here.

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