Tempers flared between two Memphis Grizzlies teammates in Tuesday’s game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. During a timeout, star guard Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama appeared to get into an argument during which the former shoved the latter so hard that he fell into his seat.
Desmond Bane shoved Santi Aldama. 👀
(via @AndrewWiggsHim, h/t @CourtsideBuzzX)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 26, 2025
Teammates tried to diffuse the situation, but Bane and Aldama continued to jaw at each other. It’s unclear what led to this argument, but it appears Bane was telling Aldama to get a stop, as the Jazz were rolling on offense at the start of this game.
The Jazz led by as many as 14 points at one stage in the first half, and it looked like the Grizzlies were headed toward another disappointing defeat. The visitors managed to get their act together, though, and were only down 65-64 at halftime.
The Grizzlies then took over in the second half to cruise to a 140-103 win. Perhaps this tense exchange between Bane and Aldama got the team going. Bane finished the game with 21 points (8-16 FG), four rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block, while Aldama had nine points (3-7 FG), five rebounds, and three assists.
The Grizzlies avoided disaster here, but they just haven’t looked right after the All-Star break. They went into it with a 36-18 record and have gone 8-10 since. The Grizzlies were on a three-game losing streak coming into this clash with the Jazz, and it was the second time they had lost at least three in a row after the break. It hadn’t happened even once this season before it.
Time will tell if this incident between Bane and Aldama was nothing too significant or a sign of some tension behind the scenes. Despite the Grizzlies struggling to this extent lately, they still have a shot at finishing second in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies improved to 44-28 this season with this win and are fourth in the West. They are only 2.5 games behind the Houston Rockets, who are second with a 47-26 record.
It won’t be easy for the Grizzlies to pull that off, though, as they have a tough closing schedule. Their remaining opponents have an average win rate of 56.4%, so they have their work cut out for them. The Grizzlies face their toughest challenge next, as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Thursday at 8 PM ET.
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