MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Ty Jerome opened the Grizzlies season with the best scoring night of his career, putting up 45 points as Memphis pulled away from the Utah Jazz for a 123-103 win Wednesday night at FedExForum.
The veteran point guard had seven points inside the first four minutes and never cooled off. He made 17 of his 25 shots, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range and 11 of 14 around the rim, and added six assists against a single turnover. Late in the fourth quarter, the home crowd serenaded him with MVP chants.
Utah actually led by nine in the first quarter behind its young guards, but the edge was down to 31-29 after one. Memphis took over in the second with an 18-3 surge, piled up 28 paint points before the break and went to the locker room ahead 64-51.
The Grizzlies opened the third on an 11-4 spurt to push the margin to 20. The Jazz turned the ball over six times in that quarter, and the Memphis lead swelled to 27 before settling at 98-79 entering the fourth. When Utah trimmed it, another burst from Jerome restored a 20-point cushion with a little more than six minutes left, and the reserves finished the job.
Rebounding told much of the story. Memphis won the glass 55-38, scored 23 points in transition, shot 47 percent overall and hit 38 percent from deep. That was a sharp change for a team that ranked 22nd in the league in 3-point accuracy last season.
Keyonte George scored 22 points with five assists to lead Utah, and Lauri Markkanen chipped in 18 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Ace Bailey had 12 points and three blocks off the bench, while No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson scored nine in his NBA debut.
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