Tag: Game Preview

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game 27 Preview: Grizzlies vs. Nuggets

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.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game 24 Preview: Grizzlies vs. Mavericks

CREDIT: LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

O.J. Mayo returns to Memphis tonight.

The Dallas Mavericks have lost four of five and come into Memphis on a second night of a back-to-back following a 110-95 home loss to the Heat on Thursday night.

Three things on my mind about tonight’s game:

1. The Return of O.J. Mayo: The first appearance by Mayo at FedExForum in a different uniform is a storyline that threatens to obscure the rest of the game. Mayo’s played at a borderline All-Star level for the Mavericks — leading his new team with 20.2 points per game and leading the NBA with 50% three-point shooting — this season, becoming the latest in a now disturbingly long screen of recent, young ex-Grizzlies to depart the team and play better, following Kyle Lowry, DeMarre Carroll, and Greivis Vasquez and joining Jeremy Pargo, who’s also demanding entry in that club this season.

A litany of things went wrong with Mayo in Memphis: Getting cut from Team USA in favor of both teammate Rudy Gay and positional rival Eric Gordon. The move to the bench. (Which made sense based on the roster, but with which Mayo, despite saying the right things, never seemed really comfortable.) The fight with Tony Allen. The suspension. The oft-stated desire to play point guard, which was followed with a dismissive reaction from his coach and an utter failure to play the position when opportunities nonetheless presented themselves. A shifting pecking order based on performance, usage, and order of impending free agency that made it clear that a big contract extension from the Grizzlies would never be forthcoming.

All of this seemed to create a situation where a one-time presumed star morphed into an unhappy if generally professional-about-it role player. Even if the financial picture made retaining Mayo unlikely (and he certainly would never have returned to Memphis for the money Dallas paid), clearly the Grizzlies witnessed a major asset decline in value precipitously

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game Preview: Grizzlies vs. Bulls

Joakim Noah

  • Joakim Noah

The Grizzlies return home tonight to face a Chicago Bulls team that’s held up pretty well in the absence of injured star Derrick Rose, going 8-3 over their past 11 games to get to 13-9 overall, good enough for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The past week has been a rough one for me in terms of trying to cover the Grizzlies, but with the team back in town and my year-end work in the areas not over but nearing completion, hopefully today can be the start to a return to consistent blogging here.

In that vein, three thoughts on tonight’s game, from which I’ll be tweeting and blogging tonight.

1. Which Grizzlies Team Will We See?: The Grizzlies got back on track in the second half against Utah Saturday night, outscoring the Jazz 55-32 to snap a three-game losing streak and regain the energy and style of play that had been missing for much of the preceding three-game losing streak.

What went wrong in the losing streak? There were lots of issues, but here are a few indicators of overall breakdown:

Style of play: The Grizzlies were gave up more offensive rebounds than they got in two of the three losses and won the turnover battle only once. Against the Jazz, they won on the offensive boards 18-7 and were -3 on turnover differential. That’s Grizzlies basketball.

Mike Conley’s funk: In three losses, Conley registered 13 assists to 15 turnovers, which is wildly out of character. There was correction against the Jazz, with 8 assists and 2 turns.

Bad bench shooting: Jerryd Bayless was 2-12 in the losses. Quincy Pondexter and Wayne Ellington were a combined 0-4 against the Suns, with Pondexter not even getting a shot up in 20 minutes in the home loss to Atlanta. Ellington has generally been a little more effective of late, but Bayless’ lack of offense (2-7 against the Jazz) continues to be a big concern.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game Preview: Grizzlies at Suns

The Grizzlies are likely to see less of Michael Beasley in this rematch with the Phoenix Suns.

  • The Grizzlies are likely to see less of Michael Beasley in this rematch with the Phoenix Suns.

First off, apologies for this blog’s recent relative dormancy. I was out of town last weekend for a birthday trip and returned to a Grizzlies situation in which three off days preceded a road trip that begins tonight, and a work situation in which the voting deadline for the film critics group to which I belong looms at the end of the week. So I’ve been in movie mode.

Posting will be modest the rest of this week, but I hope to have the blog back at full throttle next week when the Grizzlies return to FedExForum for a three-game homestand.

With the Grizzlies facing a Suns team they beat in overtime just last week, I’m not going to do a typical match-ups-oriented preview. Instead, a few bullet-point notes and observations on tonight’s game and where the Grizzlies stand at the moment:

*The West is looking as tough as ever. Just a few days ago, the Grizzlies (14-4) had the best record in the NBA. Now they have the third best record in the conference behind the Spurs (18-4 on a five-game winning streak) and Thunder (17-4 on an eight-game winning streak) and just barely ahead of the Clippers (15-6 on a seven-game winning streak) and the surprising Warriors (14-7 on a four-game winning streak). Despite the Grizzlies great start, no-one should assume an ultimate improvement on last season’s fourth-place finish. This will likely be a tough, close playoff race all season.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game 13 Preview: Grizzlies vs. Raptors

Back in the day ...

  • Back in the day …

The Toronto Raptors come into FedExForum tonight to complete the second half of a back-to-back set after losing 117-101 in Houston last night. It was Toronto’s fifth loss in a row, sinking them to 3-12 overall, tied for the second worst record in the league.

This has to be one of the most disappointing teams in the league this season (at least to me), and it’s hard to blame the loss of Kyle Lowry for six games, as the team has been even worse when he has been in the lineup.

But issues abound elsewhere. Ostensible top scoring option Andrea Bargnani is a seven-footer and former top overall draft pick shooting 40% from the floor. Swingman DeMar DeRozan is still generally the same low-efficiency scorer he was before his big contract extension. Rookie center Jonas Valanciunas is a very promising prospect but is still pretty raw. But the biggest issue is a team defense that has slipped from 12th to 22nd despite ostensible upgrades at point guard and center.

Three quicks thoughts in advance of tonight’s game, with a mid-week column hopefully following later this afternoon.

1. The Return of Kyle Lowry: Former Griz guard Lowry, in his first season was Toronto, got off to a gangbusters start to the season before a bone bruise in his foot knocked him out for a couple of weeks. Upon return, he’s still be dynamic, but hasn’t been shooting well (36% post-injury). But Lowry has had some pretty good games in FedExForum since the team jettisoned him in favor of dedicating the job to Mike Conley (a decision I supported then and now, even if I didn’t much like the return for Lowry). Conley should be back after missing Monday’s game with the flu, so these two will go at it again.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game 12 Preview: Grizzlies vs. Cavaliers

Cavs center and rebounding machine Anderson Varejao

  • Cavs center and rebounding machine Anderson Varejao

At 9-2, the Grizzlies enter this week with the best record in the National Basketball Association. But that’s not all. They’ve also built that record against one of the league’s toughest schedules, with the second highest opponent winning percentage in the league.

That second part is about to change. The Grizzlies 11 opponents so far have owned a .596 winning percentage. The three Eastern Conference cellar-dwellers that will come to FedExForum this week have a combined .220 winning percentage. And this starts tonight with the 3-10 Cleveland Cavaliers, who will be without their budding superstar point guard Kyrie Irving, who is out with a broken finger.

The Cavs have played the fifth-fastest pace in the league with a 29th-ranked defense. If that holds up tonight, and the Grizzlies are in good form, not only will the home team notch its 10th win, but will have a big scoring night doing so.

Three things on my mind about tonight’s game:

1. The Return of Jeremy Pargo: Who knew this would actually be an interesting storyline? After a failed rookie season as the Grizzlies’ back-up point guard, the Griz paid the Cavaliers to take Pargo this summer, thus reducing the team’s potential luxury tax penalty. Pargo wasn’t playing much before Irving’s injury, but in his first game as a starter in Irving’s stead, Pargo erupted for 28 points on 11-19 shooting in a (rare) win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game 11 Preview: Grizzlies vs. Lakers

CREDIT: LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

Darrell Arthur is set to make his return tonight.

A big one tonight at FedExForum as the new-look Lakers, in their third game under new head coach Mike D’Antoni, face a Grizzlies team coming off a three-game Thanksgiving break. Hopefully, unlike myself, the home team won’t be plagued by a sluggish turkey-and-dressing hangover tonight.

Three things I’m thinking about in advance of Grizzlies-Lakers:

1. Doppelganger Lineups: In a league going smaller, the Grizzlies and the Lakers are the two contenders most reliant on traditional, post-oriented lineups. But the similarity in the starting lineup construction of these two teams is even more profound than that:

Pure Point Guard — Steve Nash vs. Mike Conley
Big, Dynamic Wing Scorer — Kobe Bryant vs. Rudy Gay
Crazy, Colorful Wing Defender — Metta World Peace vs. Tony Allen
Rebounding Machine — Dwight Howard vs. Zach Randolph
Post Playmaking Seven-Footer Named Gasol — Pau Gasol vs. Marc Gasol

The match-ups in this one will be fascinating. Marc Gasol trying to neutralize Howard in the battle of the league’s two best true centers. Or Marc matching up with big brother Pau, which we might see some, especially if Howard is out of the game. Randolph and Pau, who have very different games but are, arguably, the Two Greatest Grizzlies. The cross matches on the wing, where Tony Allen guarding Kobe Bryant is reason enough to be in the building and Rudy Gay responding to the brute physicality of World Peace (these jokes will never get old) could be a key to the game.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game 10 Preview: Grizzlies vs. Nuggets

CREDIT: LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

Marc Gasol leads the Grizzlies against the Denver Nuggets tonight.

  • 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:

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game 8 Preview: Grizzlies vs. Knicks

Carmelo Anthony

  • Carmelo Anthony

Is this the biggest regular-season game in franchise history? Maybe it’s not as momentous for the home squad as games in the middle of a heated playoff race, but from a national perspective I can’t remember there ever being a regular-season Grizzlies game with this kind of anticipation.

After dispatching the then Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs 104-102 last night in Texas, the Knicks remained the NBA’s lone remaining unbeaten team at 6-0, and they face a Grizzlies team that now leads the West at 6-1. In addition to the league’s two best records, the Knicks and Grizzlies also boast the league’s two best point differentials. No-one knows what the future holds, but, for the moment, this is a match-up of the two best teams in the NBA.

And it’ll be showcased for the nation, with a late 8:30 tipoff on ESPN. Wednesday’s game against the Thunder drew the biggest local rating ever for a regular-season NBA game on ESPN. Given that it’s a Friday night and 18,000 potential viewers will be in the building instead, this one is unlikely to match that, but it should be a near-playoff-level event anyway.

I’ll be on the scene tonight and will be tweeting from by perch on media row and filing a postgame notebook afterward. But first, here are four things on my mind about Knicks-Grizzlies, because a game of this magnitude deserves a bonus

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Game 7 Preview: Grizzlies at Thunder

thunder-grizzlies-logos.jpg

The Grizzlies make their national television debut tonight with a 7 p.m. road game against the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

With Sunday’s decisive victory over the defending NBA champion Miami Heat in the rear-view and a home national TV match-up with the undefeated New York Knicks looming next, this is shaping up to be one of the most compelling regular-season weeks in franchise history.

Both the Grizzlies and Thunder are among the current Top 10 in offense, defense, and rebounding and each sits one game behind the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference standings. But look a little deeper into their respective resumes and the Grizzlies’ start looks a little more impressive.

The Thunder are 6-2, but those six wins have come against teams with a combined 11-28 (they’ve played 0-8 Detroit twice). The Grizzlies are 5-1, with those five wins coming against teams with a combined 20-16 record.

Yet, despite playing a tougher schedule (the Grizzlies lost to the 5-2 Clippers, the Thunder to the 6-1 Spurs and 3-3 Hawks), the Grizzlies not only have a slightly better record but also a slightly higher point differential (+9.0 to OKC’s +7.1).

So that means the Grizzlies are winning this one, right? Probably not. A little shine might be off the Thunder since the Harden deal, but they’re still an elite team and are still playing at home.

Three thoughts in advance of tonight’s game: