Ty Jerome explodes for career-high 45 points, sets Grizzlies opening-night record in win over Jazz

There was plenty to talk about heading into Wednesday’s season opener between the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz, from the Grizzlies’ planned tribute to the late Brandon Clarke, to longtime franchise linchpin Jaren Jackson Jr. making his return to FedExForum after being traded to Salt Lake City back in February, to the NBA debuts of the second and third picks in June’s 2026 NBA Draft: Utah’s Darryn Peterson and Memphis’ Cameron Boozer.

Coming out of Wednesday night, though, there was really only one thing everybody was talking about:

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Holy crap, you guys: Ty Jerome.

The eighth-year guard out of Virginia absolutely incinerated Utah in his first game of the 2026-27 NBA season, scoring a career-high 45 points in just under 32 minutes to pace Memphis to a 123-103 blowout victory over the visiting Jazz. He also added six assists that generated an additional 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds as the Grizz got on the board with a 20-point win — something they did just four times all of last season.

Jerome torched Will Hardy’s defense in the pick-and-roll all night long, punishing the Jazz at all three levels en route to finishing a pristine 17-for-25 from the field, 5-for-10 from 3-point land and 6-for-7 from the foul line. He displayed remarkable shot-making touch in the paint, especially on floaters and runners lofted from around the foul line. He was also nails when pulling up from beyond the arc, including a 33-foot bomb heaved from the edge of the Grizzlies’ half-court logo in the fourth quarter.

It was a jaw-dropping coming-out party for Jerome, who had only ever cracked the 30-point plateau once in 253 career NBA games before Wednesday’s explosion. His 45-point performance set a new Grizzlies franchise record for the highest-scoring season opener, topping the 44 that Ja Morant scored to kick off the 2020-21 campaign; only Morant and Desmond Bane have ever scored more points in a Grizzlies uniform than Jerome did on Wednesday night.

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And that actually kind of undersells the historic nature of his outing. Jerome is now one of 134 players in the history of the NBA to score 45 points,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/ty-jerome-explodes-for-career-high-45-points-sets-grizzlies-opening-night-record-in-win-over-jazz-051852721.html

Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2026-10-22 05:18:00

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