On Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies finally figured out one of their biggest remaining questions.

Ja Morant sat on the bench with his right arm in a sling as his teammates faced the Phoenix Suns. Kevin Durant was returning to the Suns' lineup after missing the previous three games with a hamstring strain.

Playing against three of the NBA's most prolific scorers — Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker — combined with not having Morant, logically would have Memphis at a disadvantage, but that wasn't the case this time. The Grizzlies had 26 games of reps without Morant before playing Phoenix, and those games paid off in the 121-115 road win.

Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane take the keys

Jaren Jackson Jr., who hasn't missed a game this season, was one of the Grizzlies' biggest contributors when Morant was serving his 25-game suspension, and he picked up the slack again against the Suns (19-17). Jackson finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds.

The stat line might not even do his day justice. He put up those numbers even though he sat out most of the third quarter due to foul trouble. He shot 11-for-20, and the Suns had no answers for his mobility and physicality.

Right along with Jackson, Desmond Bane has been a driving force for Memphis (13-23). He was steady, his defense making an impact, and he had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Bane and Jackson did mostly what they've done all season, but Memphis also lost many games in which they played well. The difference on Sunday was the added production from Vince Williams Jr., Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart.

Luke Kennard stretching the floor

Kennard's impact didn't come in a high scoring volume. The Suns respected him and didn't want to leave the Grizzlies sharpshooter open. That mattered when Jackson attacked the basket and Kennard's defender was put in a position to either stay attached, or help and leave Kennard open. When the Suns chose to double off Kennard, he made them pay.

Kennard made all three of his 3-point attempts and scored nine points.

Defensive (and offensive) game changers

The biggest game changers were Smart and Williams.

Smart started the first 11 games this season without Morant, but he also was finding his way with a new team that was affected by injuries that resulted in constant rotation changes. Since Smart returned on Dec. 26 from his own foot injury, he has shown why he was a critical piece to the Boston Celtics' success for years before he was traded to the Grizzlies.

The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year hounded Booker on the ball throughout the game. When Beal had a chance to tie the game with 24 seconds left, Smart stripped the ball and put the game out of reach. That defense, combined with his scoring (25 points and eight assists against the Suns) will allow Memphis to be much more competitive when Morant is unavailable.

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Like Smart, Williams made his impact with defense. He hounded Durant and had one of the plays of the game late in the fourth quarter. Suns center Jusuf Nurkic had a point-blank layup that he was about to drop in the basket before the 6-foot-4 Williams blocked him from behind.

Williams finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in his first game back after missing three games because of an injury.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies might have winning formula even without Ja Morant