The Grizzlies had a two-day break following Wednesday’s listless home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and return home tonight to face the Denver Nuggets, who got big performances from Danilo Gallinari (39 points on 14-23 shooting), Andre Iguodala (20-8-4), and Kenneth Faried (19 rebounds) in a strong 106-85 win in Dallas last night.
Three thoughts:
1. The Brutal, Crowded West: With the Grizzlies muddling around .500 since their 14-3 start (4-5 since) and the Clippers, Thunder, and Spurs streaking (the Clippers and Thunder are a combined 29-2 over their past 31 games; the Spurs have won four in a row after a mid-December hiccup; these teams now have the three best records in the NBA), the Grizzlies seem to have slipped into the second tier in the West. Meanwhile, the Nuggets, despite an ostensibly disappointing 8-9 start, have worked their way into the second tier, sitting at 17-14 despite having played more than twice as many road games (21) as home games (10)
The playoff odds system new Grizzlies VP John Hollinger set up at ESPN currently projects the Grizzlies, Nuggets, Rockets, and Warriors to be within two games of each other in the fight for the #4 seed, with the Nuggets currently projected to get it. (And both the Lakers and Timberwolves, recovering from their early injuries, have a very good chance to get in this mix.) In that regard, this game could be particularly important because the Grizzlies have already lost twice to the Nuggets and another loss here would give the Nuggets a head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams.
It’s also an important game for the Grizzlies from a momentum/piece of mind standpoint. The team is coming off two pretty bad losses in a row (with that road drubbing in Houston preceding the Sixers game) and, after tonight, will play five of their next six on the road. There’s real danger than the team’s recent slide down the conference standings could continue.
