Nearly 300 days had passed since Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane started a game together for the Memphis Grizzlies. That changed on Saturday during their 124-111 win over Orlando. This reunion gave the Grizzlies a chance to reclaim their form, maintaining commanding leads throughout, including a 29-point cushion in the second half.
On Monday, the Grizzlies will face the Chicago Bulls at home with the same trio starting for a second consecutive game. Jackson made his season debut on Saturday after recovering from a preseason hamstring injury. In that game, Morant scored 16 points and had 10 assists in 25 minutes, Bane added 13 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes, and Jackson contributed 13 points in 23 minutes.
The Grizzlies’ bench was also impressive, scoring 66 points. Santi Aldama led with 22 points, Jay Huff scored a career-high 18 points, and Scotty Pippen Jr. recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 assists.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are searching for consistency after a 114-95 home loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday, bringing their record to 1-2. Despite an earlier win at Milwaukee, the Bulls need to improve. They shot just 34.8% from the field and 28.3% from beyond the arc against the Thunder. Zach LaVine led Chicago with 22 points and nine rebounds but also had seven turnovers.
Chicago center Nikola Vucevic has started the season strong, with three straight double-doubles, including 18 points and 13 rebounds against Oklahoma City. He leads active NBA centers with 517 double-doubles in 14 seasons.
Both teams will be looking to build on their strengths and address their weaknesses in Monday’s matchup.
