Ja Morant Urges Grizzlies to 'Play Some F--king Defense' After Loss to T-Wolves

As the Memphis Grizzlies have dropped to seventh in the Western Conference standings with two games remaining in the regular season, Ja Morant wants to see his team's defensive intensity increase.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's 141-125 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Morant said the message to the Grizzlies going forward is "play some f--king defense and go get a win."

Some of the defensive issues can be attributed to Morant, who has never been particularly strong on that end of the court. The Timberwolves were well aware of that and frequently hunted the matchup with him guarding Anthony Edwards.

Edwards was unstoppable no matter who was in front of him. He dropped 44 points on 13-of-19 shooting (7-of-11 from three) in 38 minutes.

Minnesota's third-quarter barrage was the difference in the game. The T-Wolves dropped 52 points, their most in a single quarter in franchise history.

The 141 points were the third-most the Grizzlies have allowed in a game this season. It was also the eighth loss in their last 13 games, dropping them from a tie for second in the West as recently as March 12 to fighting to avoid the play-in tournament.

Memphis' pace of play does leave the defense vulnerable to giving up a lot of points. The Grizzlies rank 25th in points allowed per game this season, but a respectable 11th in defensive rating.

Thursday marked the fourth time in their last eight games the Grizzlies have allowed at least 125 points.

Two of the teams they held under 125 points were the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets, who both rank in the bottom 10 in points per game and offensive rating. The other two were the Boston Celtics without Jaylen Brown and Detroit Pistons in Cade Cunningham's return from a two-week absence due to a calf injury.

Morant and the Grizzlies will look to close the regular season strong to avoid the play-in tournament with games against the Denver Nuggets on Friday and Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.