Ja Morant, Steven Adams lead Memphis Grizzlies to win against Sacramento Kings
The second night of a back-to-back without multiple rotational players usually spells doom.
The Memphis Grizzlies were presented that challenge against a Sacramento Kings team that is one of three opponents to win inside of FedExForum this season.
Memphis protected home court this time in a 118-108 win on Sunday against the Kings.
Each Grizzlies starter scored in double figures. Ja Morant led the way with 35 points. Steven Adams collected his 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and a career-high tying 23 rebounds.
Memphis (23-13) is now 15-3 at home.
The Kings (19-16) were led by Domantas Sabonis. He finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
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Grizzlies missing key rotation players
John Konchar stepped into the starting lineup for Desmond Bane, who was out due to injury management on his sprained right big toe. Santi Aldama, Brandon Clarke and Ziaire Williams were also unavailable.
Four rotation players being out created more opportunities. Konchar shined in the starting lineup. After a stretch of six games where he failed to surpass five points, he's done so in his last three games. All of those games resulted in wins
David Roddy, Xavier Tillman Sr., Jake LaRavia and Kennedy Chandler all got rotation minutes Sunday, but it was the veteran Tyus Jones who stepped up the most. Jones got hot in the second quarter and had FedExForum buzzing after he made three 3-pointers. He finished with 18 points and five made 3-pointers.
Ja Morant goes into attack mode
Morant put his head down early and went straight into the chest of Sabonis to draw two early fouls. The strategy was smart since the Kings are 29th in the NBA in blocks per game. Morant made just one of his five 3-point attempts, but he still shot efficiently because of his ability to finish at the rim. Morant shot 13 of 23 overall.
Steven Adams wins battle of the bigs
When the Kings went down by nine points early in the fourth quarter, Sacramento head coach Mike Brown pointed at Sabonis on the bench to bring him into the game. When Sabonis went into the game, Grizzlies center Steven Adams was checking in right beside him.
Sunday's game put two of the NBA's best rebounders against one another, and they each have a different style. Sabonis likes to grab defensive rebounds to push the offensive pace with his ballhandling. Adams doesn't care as much about defensive rebounds; he aims to create as many extra possessions as possible on the offensive end. Each player had double-digit rebounds in the first half, but Adams was more dominant.
In the fourth quarter when the Kings tried to get back in the game, Adams got multiple offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points for Memphis.
Adams is the first player in Grizzlies history with back-to-back games of at least 20 rebounds.
What's next
The Grizzlies will get two days off before heading on the road to face the Charlotte Hornets. Memphis will get Bane back. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Aldama, Williams and Clarke are all "day-to-day." The Hornets haven't had a good season, but they have dealt with injuries to multiple starters throughout the year. Star point guard LaMelo Ball is finally healthy, and he's averaging 23.7 points per game.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies defeat Sacramento Kings on New Years Day
