Grizzlies go 6–0 as bench and Boozer overwhelm Kings despite Acuff's 38

Six wins from six games: Memphis equal the best start in their history, set in 2014 to 2015. Since Houston's defeat at Dallas on Friday, the Grizzlies have been alone at the top, and they showed why with an offence that shot 47 of 85 from the field, 19 of 38 from deep and handed out 30 assists.

Sacramento, at 0 wins and 6 defeats, hung on for a half thanks to rookie Acuff, who had 21 points before the break, before collapsing in the third quarter.

A 12–0 run to take control

The Kings opened with a 7–0 burst, De'Andre Hunter from three, Acuff from mid-range, Precious Achiuwa with a fadeaway. Memphis levelled at 11–11 at 6:57, then went on a 12–0 run in under five minutes: Isaiah Stewart from three and near the rim, Cedric Coward from deep, two Stewart free throws, a basket from Jerami Grant, 23–11 at 2:11. End of the first quarter: 27–21.

GG Jackson then took over. Two threes in the first minute of the second quarter, a third at 8:52, a fourth at 7:50, then Cam Spencer and Stewart: 51–30 at 6:25, a lead of 21 points. Acuff refused to sink. Five of his seven baskets before the break came from deep, including two threes in a row at 1:58 and 1:37, 52–58. A Coward shot three seconds from the buzzer made it 66–55 at half-time.

The third quarter that says it all

Memphis scored 42 points in the third period. Zach Edey and Boozer opened the scoring, 70–55, and when Acuff pulled Sacramento back to 64–82 at 7:33, Stewart answered with four points, Boozer with two free throws, then Coward with a dunk and Jackson with a lay-up: 92–70 at 4:43. Stewart added a three and a floater, 97–72, and Kris Murray, Grant and Boozer pushed the margin beyond 30 points, 104–72 with a minute left in the quarter. Score after three periods: 108–80.

The lead reached 34 points, 114–80, on a Jackson dunk at 10:05 of the final quarter. The rest was a closing stretch managed by both teams' reserves, with two threes from Taylor Hendricks and a block from Karim López to finish.

Players of the match

Boozer, the third pick in the latest draft, finished with 27 points, 8 of 14 from the field, 3 of 7 from deep, 8 of 8 from the line, 9 rebounds and 3 assists, but also 7 turnovers in 26 minutes. Stewart was the most efficient: 24 points in 21 minutes off the bench, 8 of 9 from the field, 6 of 6 from the line. Jackson scored 21 points, 7 of 10, without missing any of his five threes. Spencer, starting at point guard with Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. out with back problems, handed out 13 assists without a turnover, along with 10 points. Grant added 14 points, Coward 10 points and 7 rebounds.

For the Kings, Acuff made 12 of his 25 shots, 9 of 14 from three, for 38 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, two days after his 34 points against New Orleans. Hunter scored 19 points, Domantas Sabonis 11 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists, Zach LaVine 11 points. Nigeria's Achiuwa, a starter, finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in 25 minutes, with a plus-minus of –33, the worst of the game.

Three takeaways

Memphis's bench is worth a starting five. 81 points from the bench, with Stewart and Jackson on 45 between them. Fifteen players scored. The starting five can be merely decent, because the bench finishes the job.

Acuff is a scorer, Sacramento are not yet a team. 38 points, nine threes, that is a performance. But the Kings shot 41% as a team, pulled down 33 rebounds to 45 and lost the third quarter by 17 points.

Boozer gives the ball away too often. 7 turnovers for the rookie, out of his team's 17. His production, 27 points and 9 rebounds, masks a flaw that stronger opponents will exploit.

The SNA view

Memphis have yet to be tested by a top side in this run of six wins, and that is the caveat to keep in mind before talking about contenders. But what stands out is the distribution: nobody played more than 26 minutes, and the team scored 136 points. That is depth few franchises have, and it is what holds up in November when the veterans tire. For Sacramento, Acuff already deserves the ball, but a rookie taking 25 shots on a 0–6 team says as much about the weakness of his teammates as about his talent. Monday's game at Dallas will tell whether this team is still searching for direction.

What's next

Memphis, 6–0, host New Orleans overnight from Monday into Tuesday, at 2:00 Brazzaville time. Sacramento, 0–6, travel to Dallas at the same time.