Anthony Davis will not play in Wednesday’s Lakers vs. Grizzlies game

After leading the Lakers to an improbable win over the Bucks on Tuesday, Anthony Davis will not play on Wednesday against the Grizzlies.

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a comeback for the ages on Tuesday night. They overcame a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the surging Milwaukee Bucks in two overtimes — without LeBron James, who sat out because of ankle soreness.

Anthony Davis, who has been having another sensational season, led the way with 34 points, 23 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals in 52 minutes. He appeared to tweak his knee late in regulation, but despite being visibly in pain, he continued to play, and he played very well despite not shooting a high percentage.

While James will return to action on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies, Davis will not play.

Although Davis has been infamously injury-prone, this will be only the fifth game he has missed all season.

He is averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 blocked shots a game while shooting 55.3% from the field and 81.5% from the free throw line.

Chris Paul says it was fulfilling to play against GG Jackson: ‘He is an unbelievable kid’

Chris Paul faced GG Jackson for the first time as the Warriors hosted the Grizzlies, and was proud to see him in the NBA.

Chris Paul faced rookie GG Jackson for the first time on Wednesday as the Golden State Warriors hosted the Memphis Grizzlies, and the future Hall of Famer called it a fulfilling experience.

Jackson played on Paul’s AAU team, Team CP3, in North Carolina two years ago alongside Rob Dillingham and Aden Holloway among others. Paul and Jackson have had a strong friendship over that time and have kept in contact.

Paul missed the first two games against Jackson due to a wrist injury, but he  responded on Wednesday with 12 points, 14 assists and two rebounds off the bench in the 137-116 victory. Beyond that, Paul was proud to share the court with Jackson.

The most fulfilling thing about tonight was GG Jackson. … GG is an unbelievable kid. We played at Memphis twice this year, and I was hurt both of those games, so going into the game, it was crazy. Sometimes, he still calls me coach. He hit a 3 in my face earlier in the game and I was pissed. Our AAU program is really like a family, so to be out there on the court playing against him is something I’ll never get used to. It is kind of a surreal moment.

Jackson responded with his best game as a professional, producing a career-high 35 points, five rebounds and three assists. He went 11-of-19 from the field, including 7-of-14 from 3-point range, in 35 minutes in his sixth start of the season.

He is the seventh rookie with multiple 30-point games this season, and he became the youngest player in history to hit seven 3-pointers in a game (19 years, 94 days).

One of those 3s came on Paul, which the veteran didn’t appreciate.

“I know I won’t hear the end of that,” Paul said. “What did he have? 35? That was a career high? Man, that is some (expletive). Him, along with all of the other guys who came through our program, is probably the most fulfilling, knowing that he’ll have a long career in this league.”

Jackson is averaging 13.4 points and 3.7 rebounds on 37.3% shooting from 3-point range in 36 games this season. He is fourth among rookies in scoring average and became the youngest player to record 25 points off the bench on Feb. 8.

The Grizzlies have been impressed with Jackson since the 45th pick entered the rotation in January. They rewarded him with a four-year contract and believe he has a bright future ahead.

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Full injury report for Saturday’s Thunder vs. Grizzlies matchup

Full injury report for Saturday’s Thunder vs. Grizzlies matchup.

The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to take on the depleted Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. It’ll be the final matchup between the teams this season: OKC won the first two in blowouts.

The Thunder (46-20) have a clean injury report; their only absences are players with the G League’s OKC Blue.

Ousmane Dieng (G League assignment), Keyontae Johnson (G League two-way), Olivier Sarr (G League two-way) and Adam Flagler (G League two-way) are out.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ (23-44) injury report rivals the length of a pharmaceutical receipt. It’s been a lost season for Memphis as it has dealt with a slew of injuries.

Ja Morant (shoulder labral repair) is out. Vince Williams Jr. (patellar tendonitis) is doubtful. Marcus Smart (finger tear) is out. Brandon Clarke (Achilles tendon repair) is out. Derrick Rose (groin, back recovery) is out.

Ziaire Williams (back, hip flexor strain) is out. Yuta Watanabe (personal reasons) is out. Scotty Pippen Jr. (shin soreness) is questionable. Lamar Stevens (adductor strain) is out.

Jaren Jackson Jr. (quad tendonitis) is questionable. Desmond Bane (ankle sprain) is questionable. Santi Aldama (elbow soreness) is questionable.

This game could mark the return of Bane, who was upgraded to questionable. He has been out for more than two months with an ankle sprain.

In their last contest, the Thunder wrapped a four-game homestand with a nice win over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without Luka Doncic, on Thursday. The win marked the return of Jalen Williams from a one-game absence due to an ankle sprain.

Meanwhile, the depleted Grizzlies suffered a double-digit loss to the lowly Hornets on Wednesday.

Tip off from Memphis is set for 7 p.m. CT.

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Taylor Jenkins praises Trey Jemison after career night: ‘I’m really impressed’

Trey Jemison had a career performance to lead the Grizzlies to a win and earned praise from coach Taylor Jenkins afterward.

Trey Jemison produced a career performance to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a win on Tuesday, and the undrafted center from UAB earned praise from coach Taylor Jenkins afterward.

Jemison produced a team-high 24 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in the Grizzlies’ 109-97 victory over the Washington Wizards. He recorded 16 points in the first half and shot 11-of-13 from the field in 31 minutes in his sixth start.

The 24-year-old finished with the second-most points by an undrafted rookie this season (Duop Reath, 26). His 24 points were the most scored by a UAB player in the NBA.

Jenkins explained what stood out about the performance.

Him attacking the boards, I know he only ended up with (six), but the pressure he was putting on the paint. I thought he did a really good job of screening and rolling, something we’re continuing to work with him on — the chemistry with the guards out there. I thought he did a good job of really getting hits because they were staying with their own, and that freed up our guards quite a bit. … Overall, just steps in the right direction with the things we’re asking of him. I’m really impressed. Overall, I’m proud of him — career high and all of that stuff — but he is doing the little things that impact winning.

Jemison started the year in the G League with the Birmingham Squadron and emerged as one of the top players. He signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards on Jan. 20 and joined the Grizzlies on a 10-day contract on Jan. 30. He signed a two-way contract on Feb. 9.

The 6-foot-10 center is averaging 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on 59.4% shooting from the field in 12 appearances with the Grizzlies. He has scored in double figures four times and is third in scoring average among undrafted rookies.

Jemison impressed throughout the year in the G League and is proving himself at the highest level. He will likely stay with the Grizzlies over the remainder of the season and will be ready for that opportunity.

“I work my butt off, man,” Jemison told Rob Fischer of Bally Sports Southeast. “I go to sleep every night knowing, ‘Hey, I might be ready.’ Whenever Coach calls my name, I’m ready to go, man.”

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Full injury report for Sunday’s Grizzlies vs. Thunder matchup

Full injury report for Sunday’s Grizzlies vs. Thunder matchup.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue a lengthy homestand by welcoming in the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. It’ll be the second matchup this season between the teams.

The Thunder (44-19) enter the contest with a clean bill of health. Nobody is listed on their injury report. In contrast, the depleted Grizzlies (22-42) have nearly their entire roster listed on their injury report.

Ja Morant (shoulder labral repair), Desmond Bane (ankle sprain) and Marcus Smart (finger tear) are the headliners who are out. They are joined by rotation players Brandon Clarke (Achilles tendon repair), Derrick Rose (groin, back recovery) and Ziaire Williams (back, hip flexor strain). For good measure, Yuta Watanabe (wrist sprain) and Scotty Pippen Jr. (lumbar disc bulge) are also out — a total of eight players.

John Konchar (ankle soreness) and Jordan Goodwin (Achilles soreness) are doubtful. GG Jackson (knee soreness) and Luke Kennard (knee soreness) are questionable.

The Thunder continue to fight for first place in the Western Conference.  They are in sole possession of it with a little more than a month left in the regular season. In their last contest, OKC overcame a 14-point deficit to get a win over the Miami Heat on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies look to finish a lost season ruined by injuries. They lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday after Dejounte Murray scored a career-high 41 points.

Tip off from Oklahoma City is set for 6 p.m. CT.

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges discusses the Grizzlies giving more effort

After Monday’s 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges discussed how the Grizzlies gave more effort.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have stated throughout this season that the goal is to be in the play-in tournament at the very least. Based on their performance of Monday, Brooklyn is going to have to work harder if they want to get to the postseason.

“Yeah, it’s tough. They just played harder than us,” Nets guard Mikal Bridges said after Monday’s 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. After two impressive wins over the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn laid an egg against a Grizzlies team listing nine players, including Jaren Jackson Jr., on their injury report.

“I think just maybe relax a little bit,” Bridges said of what the team could have done better in the contest. “They’re (the Grizzlies) just playing harder than us. I think they out-rebounded us by a lot. Take a lot of credit on both ends, defensively as well. Just boxing out, not getting the rebound, and stuff like that.”

Against a Memphis team that is starting plenty of guys who were in the G League earlier this season, Brooklyn could not get their offense on track at any point in this one. The hope is that the Nets can play better when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

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Nets’ Cam Johnson reacts to disappointing loss to Grizzlies

After Monday’s 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson gave his reaction to the Nets’ lackluster outing.

NEW YORK — Coming into Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Brooklyn Nets were riding high on a back of pulling themselves to within two games of the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks. However, it seems that Brooklyn did not do what it was supposed to to get ready for a hungry Memphis unit.

“We got good looks, we just didn’t convert,” Nets forward Cam Johnson said after Monday’s 106-102 loss to a Grizzlies team missing a host of their better players, including Jaren Jackson Jr. who was ruled out prior to tipoff. Johnson put up 18 points and five rebounds, but the main issue for Brooklyn was that they weren’t able to keep Memphis off the glass.

“Obviously, we got to the line and didn’t make those either,” Johnson said. The Nets lost the rebounding battle to the Grizzlies 50-33, including 15 offensive rebounds that led to 25 second-chance points for Memphis. More to the point, Brooklyn shot just 17-of-30 (56.7%) from the free-throw line, which marks their second-worst performance from the charity stripe this season.

The Grizzlies came into this game with the mindset of being physical from the beginning and making the Nets work for everything that they got. “I felt like you know our intentions were in the right place and we were getting good shots,” Johnson said. “They were crashing the glass hard and that’s kind of where they they beat us up that and uh you know the self-inflicted wounds that we had was enough for us to come out with the loss today.”

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Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins on GG Jackson: ‘I think he has made some significant strides’

GG Jackson was thrust into the spotlight with the Grizzlies and coach Taylor Jenkins believes he has capitalized on his recent opportunity.

GG Jackson was thrust into the spotlight with the Memphis Grizzlies and coach Taylor Jenkins believes the rookie has capitalized on his recent opportunity.

Jackson spent the majority of the season in the G League with the Memphis Hustle. He returned to the Grizzlies in mid-January and has been a key player for the team since, mostly as a reserve.

He is providing a spark with his energy and scoring ability. The 45th pick is averaging 13.7 points and four rebounds on 38.5% shooting from 3-point range in 23 games since joining the rotation on Jan. 13. He has produced five 20-point games in that span, including a career-high-tying 27 points on Feb. 15.

Jenkins explained Monday what he has seen with Jackson.

Just constant growth. He is super coachable. (His) first year in the league. (He) obviously spent the first half of the season with the Hustle and was learning a lot just about the lifestyle of being in the NBA and learning at the G League level but then thrust into the lineup. He has kind of run with the opportunity ever since. I think he has got great potential on both sides of the floor. He has got an ultimate care factor.

The organization rewarded Jackson by upgrading him to a standard contract worth $8.5 million over four years. He has proved a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Grizzlies amid injuries to several key players.

Jackson has sought to form a strong connection with his teammates and looks to be getting more comfortable each game. He has impressed in his expanded role and appears to be a player the team can keep long term in the backcourt.

Of course, there are areas of his game the team hopes will improve. Jenkins is challenging him on the defensive end to better understand certain matchups and rotations and is encouraged by his progress to this point.

“We have certain things that we really prioritize defensively that we want to showcase in his development,” Jenkins said. “I think he is doing a great job making mistakes but then immediately trying to correct it the next possession and the next game. It is all just part of his overall development in Year 1 and I think he has made some significant strides.”

Note: Sharif Phillips-Keaton of Nets Wire contributed to this story

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Nets player grades: Nic Claxton has 21 in 106-102 loss to Grizzlies

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following a disappointing 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center on Monday and lost 106-102.

For the Nets, Nic Claxton had 21 points and six rebounds while Cam Johnson had 18 points and five rebounds. Mikal Bridges had 14 points and Dennis Schröder had 13 points.

For the Grizzlies, Luke Kennard had 25 points and seven assists while Jake LaRavia had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Lamar Stevens had 13 points off the bench and Santi Aldama had 12 points.

In the first half, this game did not start like the blowout that many were anticipating as Memphis made 7-of-13 (53.8%) of their three-pointers in the first quarter to even the odds a bit. In the second quarter, it was more of the same as the Grizzlies continued to be physical with the Nets, but once Brooklyn matched Memphis’ physicality, the Nets started building some momentum to end the half.

In the second half, this continued to be a game where the Nets seemed to take one step forward, but two steps behind as they couldn’t sustain any momentum after forcing a turnover or making a few shots in a row. Brooklyn failed to keep Memphis off the glass and the Nets free-throw shooting doomed them in a game decided by just a few possessions.

Here are your Nets player grades following Monday’s loss:

Nets’ Ben Simmons (back) ruled out Monday against Grizzlies

Prior to Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Brooklyn Nets said that Ben Simmons is out due to his recurring back issue.

The Brooklyn Nets have won three of their last four games as they are starting to play better under the leadership of interim head coach Kevin Ollie. As Brooklyn moves forward with trying to win enough games to get back into the Eastern Conference play-in tournament picture, they will most likely not have the services of their highest-paid player.

Late on Monday morning, prior to facing the Memphis Grizzlies later that night, the Nets announced that guard Ben Simmons was ruled out for the contest due to a left lower back nerve impingement. While Simmons has missed the last three games for Brooklyn due to a combination of not yet playing in back-to-backs and left leg soreness, his latest injury designation is what makes this situation interesting.

Prior to Monday’s game against the Grizzlies, Simmons has played in just 15 of the 60 games that the Nets have played this season, including missing 38 straight games earlier this season due to a left lower back nerve impingement. When Simmons was recently listed as out due to left leg soreness, various media members said that the soreness was probably a result of the impingement that he’s listed with now.

Simmons has been one of the most polarizing players in the NBA in recent memory because of how much he has fallen, in terms of public perception, from a perennial All-Star to a player who may never get close to that form again. With the recurring injuries, especially to his back, it’s fair to wonder how much more Simmons can give at this point of his career.

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