Desmond Bane and the Grizzlies were on target all night in a thrilling home win against the Nets on Monday.

MEMPHIS — Any time a modern NBA game can dust off names such as John Long, Kelly Tripucka and Kiki Vandeweghe, there must be something special going on. That was the case when the Grizzlies topped the Nets Monday night at FedEx Forum.

Ja Morant and Desmond Bane scored 38 points each to lead Memphis to a 134-124 victory over a Brooklyn club that got 37 points each from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. And there it was, the statistical oddity reaching all the way back to the highest scoring game in NBA history.

Not since Dec. 13, 1983 had there been a game in which each team had multiple players who scored 35 points or more. That game nearly 39 years ago featured 370 points, with Detroit edging Denver 186-184 in three overtimes. Long (41) and Tripucka (35) were joined by Isiah Thomas (47), Vandeweghe (51) and Alex English (47) in the scoring spree.

Those players had 63 minutes to work with on that historic night at McNichols Sports Arena. Morant, Bane, Durant and Irving posted their numbers in a regulation 48 – in fact, the two Grizzlies scored 76 in a combined 66 minutes.

There were other takeaways from the highly entertaining game, edgier than folks might have expected from an interconference clash just seven days into the regular season. Here are five:

1. Ja hitting 3-pointers isn’t even fair

Morant’s aerial game is his trademark, those injury-defying flights to and above the rim his calling cards. He’s so quick and elusive that there aren’t many defensive options, other than perhaps enticing him to shoot from the — wait, scratch that now too.

The Grizzlies’ star took six 3-point shots Monday and made four of them. He’s now 12-of-20 through four games, and if that’s a sign of range and accuracy to come, that means Morant is going to be …

“Unstoppable,” teammate Dillon Brooks told NBA.com afterward. “He’s unstoppable. You want to go under [screens as a defender] to take away his driving, but then he’s hitting the jumper so you’ve got to go over. And now he’s feasting at the rim every single time. He goes at everybody, from [Nets center Nic] Claxton to Rudy Gobert to anybody. He loves to play this game and he loves to show out.”

Morant shot 34.4% from the arc last season, the best rate in his three-year career. But he said Monday he didn’t specifically focus on that shot in the summer or the preseason.

YEAAAAAA MANEEEE pic.twitter.com/y45dIwFu6G

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) October 25, 2022

“It’s daily since I’ve been playing basketball,” he said, “constantly putting in the work to become more consistent shooting the ball and also in other areas of my game. By putting the work in, locking into that gym, creates good habits. Good habits determine your future.”

2. KD’s shooting, Kyrie’s scoring

Durant scored 17 points in the third quarter, tormenting the Grizzlies like water torture. Irving scored 21 in the fourth, weaving to the rim, drawing fouls and almost mocking the Memphis defense.

An opponent could wind up having multiple defenders come away traumatized by the repeated failure that comes from trying to guard either Nets scoring star. “Two insane players,” Morant said. “I feel like when you’re guarding ‘em, you’ve got to pray that they miss.”

The Grizzlies prepared for that, and generally avoided hanging their heads.

“We told the guys this morning we definitely were going to throw different matchups at them, we’re going to throw different coverages at them,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “It’s just staying the course. Knowing that, hey, if they’re going to score, we talked about getting out and going, executing at the other end. We got great looks, so we actually built the lead when [Durant] was going on that run.

“Even though we were changing matchups, changing coverages, we didn’t panic. We just gave them different looks — that was the game plan. Then on the offensive end we had to do our thing.”

3. A backcourt to be reckoned with

Nobody’s trying to snatch Steph Curry’s and Klay Thompson’s bragging rights as a world class backcourt. But with those dual 38-point, seven-assist performances, Morant and Bane reminded people they deserve to be in the conversation.

“We’ve proven that,” Bane said. “We’re going to continue to prove that. It’s not a one-night thing – it’s a season thing, it’s a career thing.”

Bane had shot poorly in Memphis’ first three games — 13-for-49 overall, 8-for-28 on 3-pointers. Neither he nor any teammates were worried, though. And sure enough, the fourth-year shooting guard attacked from the outside and inside, while finding teammates as a bonus.

12 & des.
des & 12.

most points by a duo in franchise history. #BigMemphis pic.twitter.com/SX1bLGRu3q

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) October 25, 2022

“Des being able to go out and do both — score the ball and also get teammates involved — is a big key to our success this year,” Morant said. “I felt like tonight was his best game at doing both at a high level. It opens up a lot more for me, it opens up more for the rest of the team, where you can’t lock into certain people.”

4. Memphis’ bigs stepped up

Steven Adams was his usual board-crashing, pick-setting self, grabbing 13 rebounds while matching teammate John Konchar with a game-high plus-20 rating. Lanky forward Santi Aldama continues to plug the hole in the Grizzlies’ lineup left by Jaren Jackson Jr.’s continued recovery from foot surgery. Aldama scored 17 points with a pair of 3-pointers while claiming four rebounds and blocking a shot. One of his baskets was stellar, dropping the ball over Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe from nosebleed heights.

BIG SANTI 〽️ pic.twitter.com/qQpsY5U4HA

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) October 25, 2022

“Without Santi and Steve-o, we don’t win that game tonight,” Bane said. “People are going to talk about the scoring power but Steve-o was a monster on the glass as usual and Santi has been good for us all year long. I’ve been really impressed with him, his work ethic and how far he’s come in just one year.”

The 21-year-old native of Las Palmas, Spain, played two years at Loyola in Maryland. He spent last season with frequent stints in the NBA G League. Now he’s starting for a Western Conference contender.

Said Bane: “It’s hard for guys to make it in this league, let alone coming from the journey and the route he took.”

5. Snookering Ben Simmons

Brooklyn guard Ben Simmons, seeing action after missing last season to injuries and mental health issues, fouled out for the second time in three games. He has scored 17 points with 14 fouls so far. And the 3-pointer he attempted to close the third quarter was his first such shot since May 23, 2021.

The Nets want him to be more aggressive when he has the ball in his hands, probing into the lane before kicking it out to shooters. Coach Steve Nash still sounds patient, just eager for Simmons’ rust to flake off.

The most memorable moment involving the 6-foot-10 guard came in the final minutes, when Morant coaxed him into his sixth and disqualifying foul. After letting the ball roll all the way across halfcourt before picking it up, saving maximum shot clock, the Grizzlies guard stood casually as even more time elapsed. He glanced back at Jenkins, turning slightly as Simmons lunged for the ball. Instead there was contact and with a whistle, Simmons’ night was over.

Only later did anyone realize Morant planned the expulsion.

“If you all want to go dig up a play, I think it was in my rookie year,” Morant said. “We was in Philly … the same situation. It was in the first half. I turned to look at coach to get the play — [Simmons] ran through the ball, got the steal and went in for the dunk.

“Once I seen him [this time], I was rolling the ball … I looked at coach and I see him try to look like, ‘Oh yeah.’ I knew I had him. He was going to press up.”

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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