Memphis Grizzlies travel to Utah

Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

At 9:00 PM EST, the Memphis Grizzlies (36-12) will take on the Utah Jazz (17-31) in Salt Lake City. The last time these two teams faced, the Jazz stunned the Grizzlies in Memphis by the score of 97-91, so the Grizzlies are definitely looking for some pay back tonight.

The number one thing I want to stress about this game is that winning in Utah is never a picnic. I’ve been to a couple of Jazz games at Energy Solutions Arena and I can say from personal experience that the fans are loud, obnoxious, and vicious. The way the arena is configured makes the players feel like the fans are right on top of them, creating a great home environment for the Jazz and a hostile environment for opposing teams. When you combine that environment with the fact that Salt Lake City is approximately 4,300 feet above sea level, you create one of the most difficult places to win in the NBA. Why am I saying all this? I’m saying this to remind you that the Grizzlies should be very happy just to walk away with a win, even if it’s by the narrowest of margins.

That being said, I do expect the Grizzlies to walk away with the win tonight. For one thing, the Jazz played last night in Portland, so they don’t come into this game rested. The Grizzlies on the other hand did not play last night, so they have had an extra day of rest, which definitely works to their advantage. Secondly, the Grizzlies will be looking for some revenge after what happened on their home floor on December 22.

There are three things the Grizzlies need to do to make sure they come out victorious tonight. The first thing they need to do is win the battle on the boards. Usually the Grizzlies have no problem winning the rebounding battle with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph inside, but against Utah this will not be an easy task. Utah has three fantastic big men in Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and Rudy Gobert who all excel at rebounding. Keeping those guys off the glass won’t be easy, so it’ll be especially important for Kosta Koufos and Jon Leuer to do their part off the bench and grab as many rebounds as possible.

The second thing the Grizzlies will want to do is keep Gordon Hayward quiet. Hayward is averaging 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He is the star of this team and so far he is living up to his max contract. When he has a big night, the Jazz are a very dangerous team. That isn’t to say that Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and Trey Burke can’t also have big nights, but Gordon Hayward is the motor and he must be stopped.

Third, the Grizzlies need to take advantage of Utah’s tired legs from last night. The Grizzlies really should try to wear them down early and get off to an early lead. If the Grizzlies can do that, not only will it be mathematically harder for the Jazz to win, but it will also keep the crowd quiet. If the Grizzlies find themselves in a tie ball game with less than three minutes to go, they are going to be in big trouble. The Grizzlies need to put the Jazz away early and never let the crowd get into the game.