Tuomas Iisalo shadowed for the Euro Trip after snapping a six-game skid

The The Memphis Grizzlies finally shook off the jet lag and snapped a six-game losing streak in a rubber match against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. Jaren Jackson Jr. went by 30 points. Cedric Coward climbed the beginner wall one more time. You Jerome helped save the day. Everyone exhaled. For Tuomas Iisalothe relief was rooted less in one night’s result and more in a slow, grueling reset after a brutal trip, schedule congestion and residual fatigue from an early-season European tour.

Looking back, that trip took more tribute than expected when looking at recovery time.

“I think it’s a longer process than just the last game. The past few weeks have been very, very physically demanding because of the travel and the game schedule,” admitted Iisalo. “And also emotionally, like when we were in Europe, there were extra things going on around. I know it was a lot.”

Iisalo acknowledged that the compression of games forced some tough decisions about how the coaching staff managed training time versus recovery. The I Morant’s Grizzlies were often stuck in survival modeprioritizing rest over development as the calendar tightened.

“At the same time we’re trying to balance the workload between practice and making sure guys are recovered for the games,” Iisalo noted. “We had to make some compromises, and now in the last maybe a week we’ve been able to start practicing again.”

That return to more normal training rhythms is as significant as any individual victory. Iisalo still has to scratch and grab the last place in the NBA Play-In tournament in the last three dozen games. The Grizzlies are no longer allowed the luxury of moral victories; incremental progress must translate into tangible results on the table.

“The guys’ commitment was great, but it never happens right away,” Iisalo said. “There were some positive developments. If you saw how the guys, for example, work today in the match and how they do their craft, it’s pretty impressive. I’m very happy for them (after the win over the Timberwolves).”

That buy-in was the staff’s north star during the crisis. Iisalo emphasized process over panic, believing that improved habits will eventually show up in the win column. The Timberwolves’ score didn’t fix everything, but it validated the approach. The question now is whether this victory marks a real turning point or just a temporary respite from a season defined by adversity.