Taylor Jenkins slams Grizzlies with 1-word statement after ugly loss to Blazers

The Memphis Grizzlies may have kept things competitive during their previous outing against the title-contending Minnesota Timberwolves but, Friday night, these efforts were seemingly a distant memory as they were absolutely dismantled by the lottery-bound Portland Trail Blazers.

Presented with an opportunity to kick off March with a win and give fans a reason to be excited during these final two months of action, the ball club did the exact opposite of encouraging their faithful followers as they were out-manned, out-hustled, and, simply, out-played through 48 minutes of action.

Though it was a given that playing without star Jaren Jackson Jr. (Quad) would give the Grizzlies a slight disadvantage on the night, the level wasn't fully understood until it was too late as Portland outscored Vince Williams and company 122 to 92 while shooting 52.2 percent shooting from the floor and 41.9 percent from deep.

On top of this, they scored 66 of their points in the painted area while converting on a whopping 57 percent of their attempts, another crushing example of just how much Memphis missed Trip-J on the night.

Following their drubbing, coach Taylor Jenkins took to the podium to address the media and, when asked how he believes his team can bounce back from this showing, he acknowledged that, at the end of the day, it comes down to a pride thing, and tabbed their performance on the night as "embarrassing."

Coach Taylor Jenkins calls Grizzlies loss to Blazers 'embarrassing'

"We have to [bounce back]. This is embarrassing."

- Taylor Jenkins

Despite the team's overall disappointing effort, Jenkins did find one specific bright spot from the outing, as he praised sophomore forward Jake LaRavia for his play on the night later on in his presser.

"[His performance] was really encouraging. I thought he came out aggressive, shooting the three ball, getting down hill, getting to the free throw line, a couple of assists there. I thought he did a few good things there defensively... He was a bright spot for sure. Loved his movement off the ball, movement with the ball but being aggressive. That was the biggest takeaway."

- Taylor Jenkins

LaRavia posted a career-high in points against the Trail Blazers with 21 on 53.8 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent shooting from deep while also registering 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in 26 minutes of action.

The Grizzlies will have a chance to exact revenge against Portland Saturday evening, where they'll try to stave off a season series loss and close their fourth and final matchup against the club tied up at two wins apiece.