• Marvin Bagley III’s strong performance offered a potential solution to the Grizzlies’ struggles with replacing injured big man Brandon Clarke.

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Memphis Grizzlies are choosing to lean on their experience.

That’s the message being conveyed by coaches and leaders who have seen the franchise go through plenty of highs and lows in recent years.

A playoff low was reached April 20 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies were blasted by 51 points in their worst playoff loss in franchise history during Game 1 of the first round playoff series at Paycom Center.

But as bad as a 131-80 game looked, players didn’t seem too demoralized.

Jaren Jackson Jr. was telling Zach Edey of his first playoff series, when Memphis won Game 1 against the Utah Jazz in 2021 and lost four straight after that. Desmond Bane remembered losing Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022 before winning four of the next five games.

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The No. 8 Grizzlies know they have an uphill grind against the top-seeded Thunder, but they aren’t blinking.

“At the end of the day, it’s one game,” Bane said. “If we lose by 50 or lose on a buzzer-beater, the series is still 1-0. Not the result we wanted for sure, but still got a good opportunity to get one on the road in two days.”

That was one of the messages conveyed through most of the locker room. There was another that players and interim coach Tuomas Iisalo all voiced in similar ways.

“There’s an old saying that a playoff series doesn’t start before there is a road win,” Iisalo said. “You’re expected to defend your home court. We’ll be better in the next game.”

Memphis will have a chance to prove the doubters wrong on April 22 (6:30 p.m. CT, TNT) with Game 2 here.

Vows to be better

Ja Morant’s confidence was not altered after Game 1. The Grizzlies point guard said he liked his shots, comparing them to the ones he gets on a regular basis. He had a team-high 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting, and four assists.

Like Bane and Iisalo, Morant is having a one-game mentality. He wants the defensive intensity to improve, and that’s part of his message heading into Game 2.

“We’ll never play that bad again,” Morant said.

His backcourt mate didn’t have a good game. Scotty Pippen Jr. shot 1-for-9 and only scored two points in 22 minutes.

Pippen’s shooting and scoring ability have been positives for Memphis throughout the season. When defenses are focusing on Bane and Morant, Pippen had opportunities to initiate offense for his teammates and himself. His role has increased since Jaylen Wells was injured before the end of the regular season, so more is expected of Pippen.

“I just felt like, out of my rhythm, out of my flow,” he said. “I’ll be ready next game, though.”

Jaren Jackson Jr.’s look in the mirror

Most fans may dump Sunday’s game and never watch it again, but Jackson will watch the entire matchup. It’s not something he does after every game. He always watches a lot of film, but Sunday’s performance will lead Jackson to view the whole game without focusing on any area in particular.

Jackson finished with four points on 2-for-13 shooting.

“I’m going to figure out a way to play better, get myself involved and get myself in the series, then I’ll be good,” he said.

The adjustments

A major emphasis going into Sunday’s game was on turnovers. Despite that, the Grizzlies still had 22.

Multiple players and Iisalo pointed out how turnovers created advantages and easier offensive opportunities for the Thunder, who had a 24-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

“It’s hard to play worse than this,” Iisalo said.

Count Morant, Bane and Edey as players who believe taking care of the ball will help Memphis avoid situations like the 34-5 OKC run in the first half that ballooned the Thunder’s lead to 33.

If there’s a player who did well on Sunday for the Grizzlies, it’s Marvin Bagley III. He tied Morant with 17 points, but made all eight of his shots.

Iisalo was encouraged by the performance. Bagley has come on as a rotation piece the past two games. Memphis has struggled to replace the minutes of injured big man Brandon Clarke, but Bagley’s play could quiet those concerns.

“We have not been strong in those minutes and now it seems like we have found a solution with Marvin,” Iisalo said.

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.