The Grizzlies are 4-3 after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers on November 2nd, 124-107 against a team that still hasn't seen Joel Embiid (outside of a locker room incident) and their new acquisition, Paul George this season. The Grizzlies were without Desmond Bane (week-to-week with right oblique strain), Marcus Smart (week-to-week with right ankle sprain), and the already missing Luke Kennard, Vince Williams Jr., Cam Spencer, and GG Jackson.
The team struggled early in the game shooting but heated up late in the second quarter after falling behind by nine points early in the second quarter. The Grizzlies flipped that nine-point deficit into a seven-point halftime lead and continued that surge in the second half to a relatively easy victory that accomplished a feat that has been rare in Grizzlies history.
Four Players with double-doubles
Ja Morant controlled the game with his passing as he continues to become a double-double machine with his fifth out of the six games he has played this season. He finished with 18 points and 12 assists. Morant is now tied for third in the NBA in assists per game with Nikola Jokic with 9.8 assists per game, trailing only Trae Young and James Harden.
Ja Morant wasn't the only Grizzlies point guard to control the tempo with his passing ability as Scotty Pippen Jr. continued his early season impression as the backup point guard with his third double-double out of seven games with 12 points and 13 assists. Pippen Jr. is tied for seventh in the NBA with Tyrese Haliburton with 7.3 assists per game.
The double-doubles didn't stop in the backcourt as Santi Aldama recorded his second double-double through seven games this season with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Santi is leading the Grizzlies in rebounds per game with 7.9 and has done most of his damage when he has started at small forward. The three games Santi has started at small forward have presented a stat line of 11 points and 13 rebounds (vs Chicago), 19 points and 9 rebounds (vs Milwaukee), and his double-double at Philadelphia.
Zach Edey rounded out the party with his first career double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Edey has continuously gotten better through his first seven career games and this double-double was coming as he came close in two previous games. He has now notched 22-plus minutes in back-to-back games after only playing over 20 minutes once in his first five games so look for him to continue getting more comfortable with the Grizzlies system and NBA style of play.
Tonight marked the third time in franchise history that four @memgrizz (Morant, Aldama, Pippen Jr., Edey) double-doubled in the same game.
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) November 3, 2024
The previous instances occurred on Jan. 21, 2008 (Conley, P. Gasol, Miller, Gay) and Dec. 15, 1999 (Abdur-Rahim, Bibby, Reeves, Parks). pic.twitter.com/8V4AoKUSin
Having four players with double-doubles in the same game is a feat that has rarely been accomplished in the history of the Grizzlies franchise. Saturday's game against the 76ers marked only the third time this has been accomplished in franchise history and the first since 2008. The depth of the Grizzlies is looking scarier by the day as five rotational pieces are slated to make their return very soon.