Ja Morant, Grizzlies break franchise record in Raptors blowout

12/27/2024 12:22 AM

The Memphis Grizzlies may not be the flashiest team in the NBA these days, but make no mistake about it, they have been one of the best and most well-rounded teams in the association throughout the 2024-25 season thus far. And on Thursday night, the Grizzlies continued their strong start to the campaign, as they thrashed the Toronto Raptors on the night after Christmas, 155-126.

Ja Morant’s presence, Jaren Jackson’s continued emergence, as well as the incredible play from the rest of the Grizzlies’ supporting cast has buoyed them to a 21-10 start to the season — a record that they did not luck towards by any stretch of the imagination. In their demolition of the Raptors, they continued their ascent towards the inner circle of title contenders, as they set a franchise record for most points scored in a game while scoring the most points for a team in any game this year, as pointed out by Grind City Media on X (formerly Twitter).

Thanks to yet another dominant outing, the Grizzlies now belong in the top five of both offensive and defensive rating, showing that they have the two-way presence to compete with the best of the best. They rank fourth in points scored per 100 possessions with 117.2, and they rank fourth as well in points allowed per 100, at 107.8. Their net rating thus far this year is +9.5 — better than the reigning champion Boston Celtics’ (+9.1).

The Grizzlies boast one of the most stacked rotations in the league, as they can run 10 to 12 different players every night and not lose too much production. They were even without Marcus Smart and GG Jackson II on the night, and Santi Aldama had to exit early due to injury, and yet they were still as dominant as they can get.

The league better watch out for the Grizzlies

The 2023-24 campaign was a lost one for the Grizzlies; they were ravaged by injuries, with Ja Morant most notably missing all but nine games. But now that Memphis has been mostly healthy, they are re-assuming their place atop the Western Conference totem pole.

Morant need not do it alone, however; on Thursday night, the Grizzlies had eight players score in double figures, and two more scoring nine and eight points, respectively. Jaren Jackson Jr. has been phenomenal all year long and deserves to be an All-Star, and things could very well get better for Memphis still if Desmond Bane regains more of his form last season.

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