It was a testy game between the Nets and Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Brooklyn, losers of four of their last five games, came into Memphis with already two wins against the Grizzlies this season and were undefeated on the road against Western Conference teams.
However, Ja Morant and the Grizzlies took it to the Nets in an eventual 135-119 win. But the game will be remembered more for what happened between Memphis’ star player and first-year Nets coach, Jordi Fernandez.
First, Morant hit a buzzer-beater just before halftime to put the Grizzlies up 69-56. The All-Star guard celebrated his shot by walking past halfcourt and seemingly directing his yelling at Fernandez before walking by him.
After the game, Fernandez was asked about the moment.
“I didn’t say anything to him. I don’t speak to other players unless I know them,” Fernandez said. “And that’s something the officials have to judge…Having respect for the game, I will only talk to the other team’s coach if I know him.”
Fernandez explained that his philosophy is that if he doesn’t know you he doesn’t want any interaction while the game is happening outside of pleasantries. He expects that of his players too.
“I think it’s disrespectful it’s not part of the game,” Fernandez added. “I want to be respectful that’s what we’re projecting to everyone else. Play with respect for the game whether you’re a superstar or whoever you are.”
The game itself was physical, to be sure, and oftentimes the aggravation from Nets players and coaches was boiling beneath the surface. Technical fouls were given out to Nic Claxton and Fernandez during a stretch in the second half because of disagreements with officials.
Those tensions may have resulted in the Nets unraveling in the second half after cutting the Grizzlies’ lead to two in the third quarter but Fernandez wants his team to know that they don’t have control of the officials, only how they play and it wasn’t good enough on Friday.
Memphis shot 53 percent from the floor (including 47 percent from three), outscored the Nets 68-42 in the paint and outrebounded Brooklyn 49-41.
“If we didn’t want them barking we’ve got to go out there and fight,” Dorian-Finney Smith said after the game. “And we can’t fight with our words; we got to go out there and he hit them. And they was the first ones hitting.”
The confrontations didn’t stop there.
With less than two minutes remaining and the game already in hand, Morant started talking in the direction of Fernandez and the Nets bench. That caused Dennis Schroder to start chirping back and at Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins.
“Dennis said words to the coach and I told him I never want any of my players to go talk to a coach,” Fernandez said. “That’s not how I want my team to behave…I don’t want that. I want to compete on the court, fight on the court.”
There was one more altercation when time expired and the coaches shook hands when Shroder again began to talk but cooler heads prevailed and both teams eventually went back to their locker rooms.
The Nets (10-15) will look to cool off and get back in the win column when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. They don’t face the Grizzlies again in the regular season.