- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Marc Gasol leads the Grizzlies against the Denver Nuggets tonight.
Saturday night, the Grizzlies struggled more with the recently embarrassing but currently feisty Charlotte Bobcats than they did with the Heat, Thunder or Knicks. But, in some ways, the win was just as impressive.
This was a classic “trap” game: The second night of a back-to-back set, on the road, coming off a high-profile and very late win over the Knicks, against a younger team laying in wait. And you could see the effects on the Grizzlies: Tony Allen and Marc Gasol each missed multiple lay-ups in the opening minutes, jumpers were short all night, and the Bobcats had fresher legs in the fourth quarter, pushing tempo to outscore the Grizzlies 27-19 in the final period.
But, even limited with shots not falling, the Grizzlies were still focused enough to built a big enough lead to withstand that late run. They ran their offense to get good shots, they defended, they wreaked havoc in passing lanes, they were solid on the boards. It was a thoroughly professional win.
And it brings the Grizzlies back to Memphis at 8-1 for a season-long five-game homestand. It’s almost unimaginable that they’d sweep all five to push this start to 13-1. The odds are there will be a slip up or two over the next couple of weeks and tonight, with their third game in four days against a deep Denver squad, seems like a good candidate.
The Nuggets were a bit of a bandwagon favorite in the pre-season, but they’ve gotten off the a rough start. They’ve lost three in a row, most, most recently a 26-point demolition at San Antonio Saturday night, and all of their perimeter starters — Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, and Andre Iguodala — have played well below their norm. But the Nuggets’ current 4-6 record comes after playing seven of their first 10 on the road (and it’ll be nine of 12 overall). Better days are likely ahead.
Three quick things I’ll be looking for tonight, when the Grizzlies host the Nuggets at 7 p.m. at FedExForum:
