In win against Suns, Memphis Grizzlies might have found formula to win without Ja Morant

On Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies finally figured out one of their biggest remaining questions.

Ja Morant sat on the bench with his right arm in a sling as his teammates faced the Phoenix Suns. Kevin Durant was returning to the Suns’ lineup after missing the previous three games with a hamstring strain.

Playing against three of the NBA’s most prolific scorers — Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker — combined with not having Morant, logically would have Memphis at a disadvantage, but that wasn’t the case this time. The Grizzlies had 26 games of reps without Morant before playing Phoenix, and those games paid off in the 121-115 road win.

Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane take the keys

Jaren Jackson Jr., who hasn’t missed a game this season, was one of the Grizzlies’ biggest contributors when Morant was serving his 25-game suspension, and he picked up the slack again against the Suns (19-17). Jackson finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds.

The stat line might not even do his day justice. He put up those numbers even though he sat out most of the third quarter due to foul trouble. He shot 11-for-20, and the Suns had no answers for his mobility and physicality.

Right along with Jackson, Desmond Bane has been a driving force for Memphis (13-23). He was steady, his defense making an impact, and he had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Bane and Jackson did mostly what they’ve done all season, but Memphis also lost many games in which they played well. The difference on Sunday was the added production from Vince Williams Jr., Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart.

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Kennard’s impact didn’t come in a high scoring volume. The Suns respected him and didn’t want to leave the Grizzlies sharpshooter open. That mattered when Jackson attacked the basket and Kennard’s defender was put in a position to either stay attached, or help and leave Kennard open. When the Suns chose to double off Kennard, he made them pay.

Kennard made all three of his 3-point attempts and scored nine points.