Ty Jerome scores 40 as Grizzlies suffer first defeat

Ty Jerome scored 40 points against the Pelicans on Monday night, but the Memphis Grizzlies suffered their first defeat of the season. The point guard shot 64% from the field, made five of six three-pointers and converted seven of eight free throws.

With Memphis trailing 124-115 and 1:43 left in regulation, Jerome scored nine unanswered points to send the game to overtime. It was another high-scoring performance less than two weeks after he opened the season with 45 points against the Jazz.

More minutes, more points

Jerome is averaging 28.3 points per game on shooting splits of 50% from the field, 42% from three-point range and 88% from the free-throw line. He is the league’s sixth-leading scorer, although it is still too early for a real MVP discussion.

His scoring rate has risen alongside his playing time. Jerome is averaging 30 minutes a game this season and scoring 0.91 points per minute, the fourth-best rate among players who have played at least 100 minutes. His usage rate is 31.3%, equal to Jalen Brunson’s.

The figures build on a pattern that began before Jerome joined Memphis. After spells with the Suns, Thunder and Warriors, he averaged 12.5 points per game for Cleveland in the 2024-25 season, shooting 51% overall and 44% from three-point range. He finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Jerome averaged 22.7 points per 36 minutes that season, despite playing just 19.9 minutes a game. In Cleveland’s first-round playoff sweep of the Heat, he averaged more than 16 points and made 10 of 20 three-pointers. He scored 28 points in Game 1, including 16 in the fourth quarter.

What his start means for Memphis

The Grizzlies signed Jerome to a three-year, $28 million contract in the summer of 2025. A calf strain kept him out for the first three-plus months of last season, and he played only 15 games. He scored 20 points in 20 minutes on his Memphis debut.

Over the following six weeks, Jerome averaged 0.87 points per minute, matching Kawhi Leonard’s rate and ranking fourth among players who appeared in at least 10 games. This season, he is scoring 0.91 points per minute.

Monday’s loss ended the Grizzlies’ unbeaten start without interrupting Jerome’s scoring run. Whether he can sustain this pace remains uncertain; his Cleveland numbers and brief first season in Memphis show that strong scoring per minute preceded it.