Though it may have ultimately been just the fourth win of their incredibly underwhelming 2023-24 campaign, Wednesday night proved to be somewhat of a celebratory affair as the Memphis Grizzlies managed to pull out their first home win of the season.
Coming into the year, Taylor Jenkins' squad had established themselves as one of the toughest teams to beat while playing on their home floor, as they sported a 65-17 record in such situations from 2021-22 through 2022-23.
Sadly, through nine games played at the FedEx Forum this go around the Grizzlies have struggled mightily, as they have seen a point differential of -69 at home and have lost by 20 or more points in their previous two showings.
Fortunately, their November 29 bout against the Utah Jazz snapped such a lowly streak and, during a postgame interview, star Desmond Bane discussed the one player who he believes to have had a
"huge" impact on the game's outcome.
Desmond Bane says Derrick Rose was 'huge' in Grizzlies win over Jazz
"[Derrick Rose has] been huge, not only with his play on the court but what he brings to this team from a veteran standpoint, poise. It's great to have him, especially playing in the starting lineup you see not only did he have 14 points but 9 assists, really getting guys involved, only one turnover. Terrific game from him."Desmond Bane on Derrick Rose
pick n rolllllll. @drose X @droddy22 pic.twitter.com/RwZzgfjBGS
— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) November 30, 2023
Deservedly so, Derrick Rose received his first starting nod on the season during Wednesday's contest and, to no surprise, rose to the special occasion.
Showcasing his still shockingly effective burst and strong composure while running the offense, in just shy of 27 minutes the veteran posted an impressive stat line of 14 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds while shooting 63.6 percent from the floor and, as his backcourt cohort highlighted, only coughed up one turnover.
Combined with Rose, both he and Bane dished out 18 dimes to only four turnovers while star big Jaren Jackson Jr. honed in on the defensive side of the ball, swatting a whopping six shots and altering numerous others.
With this lineup adjustment, the Grizzlies ended up pulling out a commanding 105-91 win and, in turn, their first home triumph of the year.
In Bane's eyes, D-Rose had a significant impact in this particular outing.