Why the Memphis Grizzlies are struggling to close out games they're ...

The Memphis Grizzlies were a minute away from starting the second half of the season with a signature road victory against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. After Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden launched a shot clock-beating corner 3-pointer in the fourth quarter over two Grizzlies defenders, it felt like the tide was shifting.

Then Tobias Harris nailed a corner 3-pointer, Ja Morant took and missed a quick floater over a contested defense and the 76ers got a breakaway dunk to build a 3-point lead with 23.3 seconds left in the game after trailing since 10:38 in the first quarter.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 17 points and by 12 in the fourth quarter of their 110-105 loss to the 76ers on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center. Another late meltdown has led to a harsh reality: No Grizzlies lead has been safe during the past month, and the All-Star break didn't fix the struggles.

The issues started on Jan. 20 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Like against the 76ers (39-19), the Grizzlies led L.A. most of the game until the Lakers won in the final minute. According to ESPN's win probability, since the Lakers game, Memphis (35-23) has lost five games where it had at least an 85% chance at winning the game in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies are 4-10 since Jan. 20.

Memphis featured one of the NBA's best clutch players last season in Morant, but opponents have done a better job at scheming around his strengths.

When Steven Adams returns, he'll help fix the issues. Most of the struggles have happened while he has been injured.

Here are two areas that stand out as why the Grizzlies have struggled closing games over the last month.

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When Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins talks about the offensive half-court struggles, spacing is often part of the solution. Even with that being the case, Memphis is still struggling to maximize spacing in late-game half-court situations.

Morant was met at the rim and blocked by Joel Embiid in one of the biggest highlight plays of Thursday night's game. What was lost in the play was that when Morant drove the ball, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman Sr. each had nearby defenders. Embiid was able to block Morant since he was guarding a nearby Tillman. Both Jackson and Tillman are capable of hitting 3-pointers, so it may have been more beneficial to have at least one of them spacing the floor near the 3-point line.

Opponents also notably have begun sagging more off of Dillon Brooks at the 3-point line. The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors did it in recent games, and Harden often had his feet positioned just outside the paint when Brooks was standing at the 3-point line. At one point in the first half, Brooks got an open 3-point look and hesitated before taking a dribble and eventually missing the shot. He hesitated because he pump-faked his shot while Harden was closing out, but the 76ers guard didn't jump.

A big reason the Grizzlies added Luke Kennard at the trade deadline was because of how he can help the spacing. Kennard is a lethal 3-point shooter who should get big minutes to help shore up the late-game issues.

The Grizzlies have done a masterful job at managing the minutes of their star players this season, but it's time to unlock more urgency. Morant often starts the fourth quarter sitting for at least the first four minutes, and when he comes in, Jackson usually gets a break midway through the fourth quarter.

Losses against the Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors and 76ers make up the five games during the past month in which Memphis had a win probability better than 85%. Grizzlies star players notably played less minutes than opposing stars in those games.

While Embiid and Harden topped 38 minutes on Thursday, Jackson and Morant didn't play more than 33 minutes. Morant leads the Grizzlies with 32.8 minutes per game. He ranks outside the NBA's top 50 players in minutes per game.