At the start of the last quarter in Dallas, Taylor Jenkins and the Grizzlies took a 15-point lead. Then everything goes off the rails, for several reasons, notably because the Memphis players are clumsy. In addition, the Mavericks will go for points, and eat into their deficit, with free throws. Lots of throws…
The figures speak for themselves: 26 attempts for Dallas compared to 3 for Memphis in the last 12 minutes! During this last quarter, the Texans will score 18 points on the penalty line, almost as many as the entire Grizzlies (21 units), and 46% of their points with this method. The return of the Mavericks then takes shape, who will end up winning this match and reaching the quarter-finals of the NBA Cup.
Facing a team that shoots 23 more free throws in the last act of a game (a record since 2015), and even 30 in the entire match (44-14), that surprises, to say the least, Taylor Jenkins.
“I don’t know how, in an NBA Cup match, we can have such a gap,” the Grizzlies coach asks very calmly. “I'm going to be careful with my words and everything else, but I hope to be very clear: in an NBA Cup game, I don't know how a team can shoot 30 more free throws. I'll leave it there. »
“We can hope for another outcome in terms of whistles. But deep down, we were still ahead…”
On the players' side, we are also surprised. Marcus Smart does not question the whistles for Jason Kidd's players, but would have wanted more for him and his teammates.
“44 versus what? 14? And 26 in the last quarter? I don't know what to say… We have Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. going in the paint and we only have 14 attempts. The gap is so obvious,” he said in the locker room. “A team that shoots 30 free throws more than another that only has 14 passes on the line, when it plays with so much rhythm and goes so much in the paint, you have to ask yourself questions…”
Jaren Jackson Jr, for his part, does not forget his 1/6 shooting in the last quarter, including an ugly 0/3 at 3-points, which weighed on the final result and does not insist on this gap in the free throws.
“It’s going to happen in a lot of matches. There are actions where we can hope for another outcome in terms of whistles. But deep down, we were still ahead…”recalls the interior, facing the 8/23 shooting of the Grizzlies in this last act, feverish on placed play and who above all let a close match slip away.
