Memphis Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo addressed his team’s fourth-quarter collapse in Friday’s 133-127 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, saying, “40 points. Several communication mistakes in transition… unmarked guys, offensive rebounds, getting to the strong hand… a lot of mistakes there.”
Iisalo noted that turnovers were the primary issue: “The turnovers we are committing. Unnecessary, several of them… It is very difficult to win when the other team dominates the possession game.”
He pointed out how critical the early fourth-quarter misses were: “At the start of the fourth quarter… we had a lot of good looks early on… had problems on both sides of the possessions game, both the rebounding and the turnovers… the turnovers in particular are pretty big swing, 19 from you guys, and you get 10 off of them.”
The Grizzlies fell behind after a 20-5 Pelicans run, despite leading by as many as 13 points in the third quarter. Iisalo added, “We know that we’re short-handed, especially at the big spots, and got to come up with the rebounds… but it really hurts when we were throwing the ball away because those possessions also accumulate for the other team.”
Memphis was paced by Jaren Jackson Jr., who recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Jock Landale, who added 24 points and 11 boards. Cam Spencer scored 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, but the Grizzlies could not hold the lead in the final minutes.
New Orleans overcame a 123-122 deficit when Zion Williamson completed a three-point play, followed by Saddiq Bey hitting a corner three to seal the victory. Bey finished with a season-high 36 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter, while Trey Murphy III added 32 and Williamson contributed 24 points with 11 rebounds.
The Pelicans shot 46% from the field and 36% from three, while Memphis converted 49% overall and 38% from beyond the arc. New Orleans improved to 11-36, remaining last in the Western Conference, while Memphis fell to 18-25, just outside the 10th playoff position.
Memphis will host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, and New Orleans continues its road trip at San Antonio the same day.
