Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant headed for the bench as he was subbed out with 9:20 left in the fourth quarter.

The Grizzlies were down by five against the Brooklyn Nets. Jaren Jackson Jr. was already resting, and injuries led to Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane being unavailable by that point.

Memphis trotted out a lineup of Scotty Pippen Jr., Jake LaRavia, John Konchar, Santi Aldama and Jay Huff. Those five were tasked with keeping the game close until Jackson and Morant returned.

The Grizzlies were down 10 points when Jackson checked back in with 5:58 left. The next time Morant grabbed the ball, they were down 13 with four minutes to go.

It was too little, too late for the Grizzlies' stars in the 119-106 loss Wednesday to the Nets at FedExForum.

Morant and Jackson both played less than 30 minutes — in fact, neither has reached that total in a game this season.

This was Jackson's third game since returning from a hamstring injury. Morant missed Monday's game against the Bulls because of thigh soreness.

Jackson admitted on Monday that it’s tough as a competitor to deal with limited minutes. As for Morant, he uttered three words after Wednesday’s loss in regards to playing 29 minutes.

“Live with it,” Morant said.

This wasn’t just any loss. It was against a Nets team that had traveled to Memphis after an overtime game in New York one night earlier. This loss came after the Grizzlies had a practice one day earlier centered on fixing the defensive issues that haunted them in Monday’s 126-123 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Nets point guard Dennis Schroder fired six made 3-pointers and taunted the Grizzlies' bench as he finished with 33 points. Former Grizzlies wing Ziaire Williams had 17 points off the bench and added a game-high four steals.

“It’s disappointing,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “ . . . The drives, the cutting, the movement off the ball — we didn't execute what we talked about yesterday. It's a disappointing thing. I have to get betterabout preparing these guys.”

Locker room frustration

Injuries to Bane and Smart had an impact. Jenkins likely would have had Bane in the game during that fourth-quarter stretch when neither Morant nor Jackson was on the floor.

After the game, Morant said it’s “tough” to gain chemistry when players are in and out of the lineup, before he appeared to target displeasure at fans who call players soft for missing games.

“You got guys out here battling, man,” Morant said. “That’s what we get for it. Y’all want me to play every game? All right. See y’all tomorrow.”

What’s next for Bane and Smart

Bane left the game early in the third quarter due to an oblique injury and Smart was done in the first quarter after rolling his right ankle.

A short turnaround, with a game at home Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks, doesn’t bode well for their playing chances.

For now, the Grizzlies can only wait until more is revealed on the severity of each injury.

“I just feel for them,” Jackson said. “You don't want to see people go down, and personally, that just sucks. So I feel bad, and I just hope that they're in good spirits and they get good results for everything that they're going to have to figure out. And you find out more tomorrow, that's all you can do.”

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies frustrated after home loss vs Nets