Memphis Grizzlies to Attempt Their Wizardry on Washington

Mar 12, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Jordan Adams (3) drives to the basket between Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) and Wizards center Marcin Gortat (4) in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 107-87. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies will look to extend their momentum when they receive a visit from the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

The last time the Grizzlies were matched up against the Washington Wizards, the majority of Memphis’ top contributors were sat for rest or recovery. It was a nationally-televised event in which audiences saw the Wiz Kids run away with a victory as soon as the ball was tipped to begin the game.

Tonight shall be much different. That is great news for Grizz Nation, but sad news for the Wizards.

Mar 12, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots the ball as Memphis Grizzlies guard Courtney Lee (5) defends in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Though Washington began the season as a team that looked to be a contender in the Eastern Conference, they have been struggling greatly ever since the NBA All-Star break. Games in which they should have won, Wizards fans saw their team lose by double digits–sometimes more than 20 points, too. Ouch!

Recently, the Washington Wizards have been on the rise once again. They topped Charlotte in double-overtime a week ago and the Wizards are currently riding a two-game winning streak. But what about those Grizzlies?

Memphis just won a big nationally-televised game last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have a lot of energy built up being as they won last night and the Grizz are still playing out their four-game home stand heading into their matchup with the Wizards.

The Wizards’ All-Star and fifth-year guard, John Wall, facilitates pretty much all the offense for the team in some manner–just as he does on the defensive end. Though he entered the league with a below-average jumpshot, he has quickly improved it and he can be lethal for a clutch three-pointer any time he pulls up from deep.

Mar 12, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Courtney Lee (5) battle for the ball in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 107-87. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Memphis will most likely not have Tony “The Grindfather” Allen tonight, but they still have the manpower to stifle Wall and his army.

Below is all the information you need to know before the tip of the Memphis Grizzlies’ 77th game of the 2014-15 regular season.

Starting Lineups

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: Mike Conley (point guard), Courtney Lee (shooting guard), Jeff Green (small forward), Zach Randolph (power forward), Marc Gasol (center)

WASHINGTON WIZARDS: John Wall (point guard), Bradley Beal (shooting guard), Otto Porter (small forward), Drew Gooden (power forward), Marcin Gortat (center)

Determining Factors

Guard play: John Wall will be more than a handful on both ends of the court. He is fast and long. This makes him an animal on defense while he can easily achieve 20 points and 10 assists on any given night. Wall’s starting backcourt partner, Bradley Beal, is a young shooting guard with a gem of a jumpshot. He is a scorer more than anything and can easily get hot from outside. The Grizzlies’ Mike Conley and Courtney Lee will have to take open looks to keep up with the scoring pace while attempting to lock down on defense to keep Wall out of the lane and to not allow any open looks to Beal. Beno Udrih and Nick Calathes will need to do the same, especially on the defensive end.
Throw it in the paint! Just like most games, the Memphis Grizzlies’ clear advantage relies on the shoulders of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol scoring and playmaking in the post. If Memphis plays through the painted area as their No. 1 option tonight, they should have no trouble receiving a win. Washington is undermanned in comparison in their frontcourt, and only Marcin Gortat can give them a decent amount of offense down low unless Nene Hilario is given minutes tonight.
Bench production: Memphis’ bench contributions vary each game. Sometimes Vince Carter will light up the scoreboard, while other times he will struggle greatly from the field. Sometimes Kosta Koufos will look like a starting-caliber center coming off of the bench, yet every once in a while he will not fill up the box score. Last night against OKC, Carter went 0/3 from the field for 0 points in 15 minutes. Koufos managed to pull down 11 rebounds and shoot 2/6 from the field. Nick Calathes even chipped in with a solid 10 points as a reserve. To win tonight, the Grizzlies’ bench needs to produce greater than 20 points to solidify a victory.

Key Game Notes

Both the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards will be playing the second game of a back-to-back when they face each other on Saturday night.
Washington’s Paul Pierce and Nene were both held out of their win in New York against the Knicks last night, but it is unsure if they will suit up against the Memphis Grizzlies. If only one or neither of them play, the game becomes much easier for Memphis on both ends of the floor.
The Grizzlies have slid to 17th in scoring (98.6 PPG), but remain in second in the NBA in defense–allowing just (95.4 PPG).
The Wizards are ninth in the NBA in defense (allowing 97.6 PPG), fifth in field goal percentage (46%), and second in field goal percentage allowed (43%), while being 19th in scoring (98.4 PPG)–quite the matchup for the Grizzlies.
John Wall leads Washington in scoring (17.5 PPG) and in assists (10.0 APG).
Marcin Gortat leads the Wizards in rebounding at 8.7 RPG as Zach Randolph leads in the category for Memphis with 10.6 RPG.
Memphis’ Marc Gasol leads his squad in scoring at 17.6 PPG while teammate Mike Conley tops the team in the assists column with 5.3 helps per game.
The Washington Wizards are currently the East’s fifth-best record at 43-33–two games back from fourth place and five games ahead of sixth place.
The Grizzlies are tied with the Houston Rockets for the Western Conference’s second seed at 52-24–good for being 2.5 games ahead of the next-best team, the Portland Trail Blazers.

Injury Report

The Memphis Grizzlies’ Tony Allen is expected to miss tonight’s game as he recovers from a left hamstring sprain. There is no exact timetable for his return to the floor.

The Washington Wizards’ Garrett Temple is out for tonight’s contest due to a sore hamstring. He may not return until April 12th or 14th at the earliest.

Mar 3, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley (11) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. The Grizzlies defeated the Wizards 110 – 104. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Personal Prediction

Memphis is favored to win tonight by 7.5 points when the Grizzlies face off against the Wiz Kids from D.C. I believe they will do just that and win by eight points tonight in the Grindhouse. The Grizz will need to be prepared to grit and grind for a full 48 minutes, especially against Washington’s young Wall-Beal backcourt, but Memphis’ experienced frontcourt should be too much for the Wizards.

Game Time

Tonight’s game will begin at 7:00 P.M. Central Time in Memphis, Tennessee at the FedEx Forum. The battle can be seen on SportSouth television or heard via 92.9 FM ESPN Radio.

Go Grizz!

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