Memphis Grizzlies better without Dillon Brooks in Game 5. Should he start vs Lakers in Game 6?
Taylor Jenkins knew he had to try something different to keep the Memphis Grizzlies alive in the best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before the game, he told Luke Kennard and Tyus Jones they could be featured in a small-ball lineup that would open the spacing on offense, but they had to lock in on defense. That lineup also included Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the first quarter.
The early results led to the Grizzlies going on a 10-0 run to close the quarter and another run in the third to pull away in the 116-99 Game 5 win inside FedExForum.
"Everybody can push, everybody can shoot, everybody can playmake," Bane said after the Grizzlies cut their best-of-seven series deficit to 3-2. "It's tough. And then you got (Jackson) down there to protect the rim. I like it a lot."
Memphis used the lineup again in the third, with a mix of Santi Aldama and Xavier Tillman Sr. being included. One name that wasn't is Dillon Brooks, who was subbed out in the first and third quarters before the big runs.
The success of the small lineup brings into question the importance of Dillon Brooks against the Lakers. Each Grizzlies player who played 13 or more minutes finished with a positive plus-minus besides Brooks, who was minus-7. He scored eight points and shot 3-for-15 from the field as the Lakers left him open behind the 3-point line.
After Wednesday's performance, Brooks is shooting 8-for-37 in the series on 3-pointers. He said his mindset is to "keep shooting."
“It’s been challenging," Brooks said. "I’m used to a certain standard for myself. … One of these games I’m going to break out for three or four threes and change the game.”
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Brooks finished minus-7 in large part due to the lack of spacing he provided. He checked out of the game with eight minutes, 15 seconds left in the third quarter. He did not play again in the third as the Grizzlies built an 18-point lead.
The exit in the third quarter wasn't during Brooks' normal rotation pattern. It came shortly after a missed 3-pointer.
Last season, the Grizzlies were in a similar situation in the first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves when Steven Adams struggled against Karl-Anthony Towns. Jenkins countered by starting Tillman and removing Adams from the rotation.
Now, as Memphis heads for a pivotal Game 6 with the season at stake, Jenkins may have a similar situation on his hands. Brooks did not play the final eight minutes of the third quarter. His return in the fourth quarter came as Kennard left the game due to a shoulder injury.
Jenkins wouldn't say whether he was planning to bench Brooks in the second half.
"I was just being open-minded, seeing what the game was showing us," Jenkins said. "Obviously it was a win-or-go home situation. ... If Luke doesn't get that stinger, who knows what would have happened in the fourth quarter. Too hard to tell. It was just going to be a matter of just kind of reading the situation, reading where we were at."
Memphis went to its small-ball lineup mostly when Lakers center Anthony Davis wasn't in the game. Davis has been a terror on the boards for most of the series, and he finished with 31 points and 19 rebounds in Game 5.
Davis subbed out when the Grizzlies led 23-20 in the first quarter. Without Davis the Lakers used Lebron James and Rui Hachimura at power forward and center. The Grizzlies led 43-31 by the time Davis returned.
It wasn't the small-ball lineup that got the Grizzlies going in the third quarter, but it was an intentional decision by Jenkins to get Bane, Kennard and Morant on the floor together. Along with a lineup that included Tillman and Santi Aldama, the Grizzlies closed the third quarter on a 12-2 run.
"That was definitely by design," Jenkins said. "I just wanted to try something different, some small-ball. The points of attack that we've been seeing over the course of the series in different spots at the end of quarters, beginning of quarters."
The Lakers have made notable adjustments like having Davis guard Jackson for longer stretches since Game 1, and sagging off of Brooks to help take away the Grizzlies' ability to score in the paint. With another chance to close it out on Friday, the Lakers will be more prepared for the Grizzlies' small-ball lineup, but the confidence on the Grizzlies' side is high.
"I said it out there (in Los Angeles) and I'll say it again: We're going to be back for a Game 7 in front of the best fans in the NBA."
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies better without Dillon Brooks in Game 5 vs. Lakers
