Postgame Report: Huge night from Dillon Brooks not enough as Grizzlies fall to Kings

The Memphis Grizzlies fell to the Sacramento Kings 104-101 on Friday night in front of a sell-out crowd of 17,794 inside FedExForum.

Memphis grabbed command of the game early on as Dillon Brooks scored 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the opening period. Jonas Valanciunas finished one rebound shy of tying the Grizzlies record for rebounds in a quarter (Zach Randolph, 13) as he grabbed 12 rebounds to go with five first quarter points. The Grizzlies limited the Kings to just 28.6 percent shooting in the first quarter to help take a 30-21 lead into the second period. The Memphis offense would go cold in the second quarter as the Grizzlies shot just 5-of-19 from the floor and totaled only 17 points. The Grizzlies led 40-32 with 6:42 remaining before Sacramento closed out the second quarter on an 18-7 run to grab a 50-47 lead heading into the halftime break.

Sacramento stretched their lead to as many as 11 points in the third quarter at 65-54 with 7:34 remaining in the quarter. De'Aaron Fox found his rhythm in the third period, connecting on 5-of-6 shots for 11 points in the third, as the Kings took a 81-75 lead into the fourth. Memphis found themselves down nine points at 100-91 following a three pointer from Fox with 2:48 remaining. The Grizzlies were able to capitalize on two steals from Josh Jackson as they cut the Kings lead to 102-101 following a 10-2 run, highlighted a three-point play from Ja Morant. Memphis had the ball for the final possession down 104-101 but were unable to connect a three-point attempt from Tyus Jones as time expired. The victory gave the Kings their seventh victory in their last 10 games and snapped the Grizzlies’ four-game home winning streak.

Brooks totaled a season-high 32 points (12-22 FG, 3-7 3P) to go with two rebounds and one assist to lead Memphis. Valanciunas posted his 28th double-double with 13 points and a career-high 25 rebounds. Valanciunas’ 25 rebounds tied Zach Randolph for the second most in a game in franchise history. Morant posted his rookie-leading 10th double-double of the season with 20 points, 11 assists and three rebounds. De’Anthony Melton added 10 points, six rebounds and six assists. Josh Jackson led the Memphis bench with nine points, three rebounds and three assists as the Grizzlies dropped to 28-31 on the season.

Fox totaled 25 points, five assists and four rebounds on 10-of-19 shooting to lead Sacramento. Harry Giles III added 16 points, five rebounds and two rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting. Nemanja Bjelica posted a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and two assists. Buddy Hield scored a bench-high 14 points to go with four rebounds and two assists. Kent Bazemore added 13 points, four rebounds and one block as Sacramento moved to 25-34 on the season.

The Grizzlies will wrap up the second night of a back-to-back as they host the Los Angeles Lakers inside FedExForum on Saturday, February 29 at 7 p.m. Fans can get their tickets at grizzlies.com/tickets to come out and support the team, watch the game on FOX Sports Southeast or listen on 92.9 FM ESPN.

Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase 2019-20 Season Tickets can do so by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com. Single Game Tickets are available for purchase at the FedExForum Box Office, ticketmaster.com, online at grizzlies.com or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX.

Sign up for Grizzlies E-News for the latest team news, promotions, contests and ticket offers delivered directly to your in-box.

Sign Up

Join the conversation about the teams plus enjoy exclusive behind the scenes video and more.

Download or Update the Official Grizzlies App