Jaren Jackson Jr. was struggling through three quarters on Monday. He spent most of that time in foul trouble, struggling to get in a flow.
Despite an uncharacteristic showing to that point, Jackson was confident. As he put it, he still felt like he was capable of having his best, worst game.
All it took was the fourth quarter to turn around the outlook on Jackson’s night. He scored 15 points in the fourth and led the Memphis Grizzlies to a 108-106 win on MLK Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Before the fourth, I was feeling good,” Jackson said. “I had energy, I was happy to be out there, I was in a good mood, but we were down. It was weird. I’m glad it turned around for sure.”
Jackson finished with a team-high 24 points. He played the entire fourth quarter and totaled 32 minutes despite dealing with foul trouble in the first half.
Memphis needed Jackson. Even when he was struggling with fouls in the first half, that much was evident.
In Jackson’s 10 first-half minutes, the Grizzlies (28-15) were plus-11 when he was on the floor. Ja Morant was the next closest teammate, sitting at plus-three through two quarters.
Jackson scored two points in the third quarter, and then it was time for the takeover. He attacked Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and any other Timberwolves player that was in front of him.
Jackson’s dominance was pivotal in helping Memphis go on an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter to take the lead after spending most of Monday afternoon trailing.
“We all trust Jaren,” Scotty Pippen Jr. said. “I feel like he’s one of the best players on the court every time he steps out there. When he’s got it going, no one can stop him.”
Call 13?
More times than not, it’s Ja Morant who gets the call when Memphis needs a player to come to the rescue in the final minutes. The last time Memphis played Minnesota, Morant made a game-winning floater over Anthony Edwards.
Minnesota’s physical defense made things tough on Morant. He finished with 19 points and shot 5-for-16 from the field.
Having another player who can close out games is something Memphis can take advantage of when playing other elite teams.
And don’t forget Desmond Bane, who finished with 22 points.
“It’s really about matchups and how the game is going,” Jackson said. “It’s game to game. … When we’re in those situations, I like all our options.”
By now, you’ve probably heard Morant refer to the closing minutes as the time to “call 12.” Just in case that phone isn’t picking up, Memphis has some other options.
“I’m already on the network,” Jackson said. “I don’t got to add a phone line.”
Calm, cool and collected in pressure
Jackson’s progression into a fourth quarter scorer isn’t new. He entered Monday ranked in the top 10 amongst NBA players in fourth quarter scoring. Has had other big fourth quarter performances against elite competition.
Along with having a strong skillset as an isolation scorer, Jackson is learning how to not make too much of the moment. The seventh-year pro is the longest tenured player on the Grizzlies, and moments like Monday’s thrilling finish are when that experience shows up in good fashion.
“There’s no difference between the quarters to me,” Jackson said. “It’s just how you’re getting guarded. … You should always have your foot on the gas. I’m always on that.”
Before the game, Jackson represented Grizzlies players and spoke on the microphone in front of the packed FedExForum crowd, thanking them for coming out to MLK Day.
You would probably think not too many moments compare to the racing pressure of trying to close out a Western Conference game. For Jackson, addressing the crowd made him more nervous than the game itself.
“Because you never know, man,” Jackson said. “You never know how that’s going to go. I play 82 games. I don’t address the crowd 82 times.”
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
