Memphis Grizzlies drop home game to Hornets: Quick Hits

The Charlotte Hornets handed the Memphis Grizzlies their first home loss of the season. What were some quick takeaways in this game?

The Memphis Grizzlies were rolling into Monday’s game as one of the hottest teams in basketball. They’ve beaten the Rockets (twice) and the Warriors. However, things haven’t changed as they lost to an OK team again.

Out of the two games they’ve lost, both teams entered the meeting either at or below .500. It’s early in the season, but it’s still not good.

In order for the Grizzlies to make the playoffs in a brutal, revamped Western Conference, they can’t drop games to inferior teams.

Quick Hits

• Marc Gasol and Mike Conley shot a combined 8-33 from the field, scoring 26 points together. The Grizzlies can’t win games if the star players are 24 percent from the field.
• Mike Conley’s shooting woes continue as he shot 4-18 from the field and 0-7 from deeep last night. His percentages have dropped to 36.8 from the field and 26.1 from downtown. Despite the inefficient shooting numbers, he’s still scoring 17.3 points a game. If he can break out of this slump, he can easily raise his scoring average to the low 20’s.
• This bench has saved the Grizzlies so far. They quietly scored 51 points off the bench, led by Tyreke Evans’ 19 points.
• Tyreke Evans has handles. Once Tyreke is in attack mode, it’s hard to stop him. He simply has moves around the rim that leave you in awe. In addition, his jumper is a true revelation, and it adds another dimension to his game.
• Chandler Parsons needs to be in during crunch-time. It’s obvious that he’s on a minutes restriction, but Parsons is the team’s best shooter right now, and he needs to be in during close games. Maybe they need to distribute his minutes better, but when it’s time to seal the deal, you need your best shooter on the court — not Jarell Martin.
• Malik Monk is going to be a good sixth man. Right now, he’ll be inefficient and have low shooting percentages, but he has the tools to find a niche as a perennial ‘Sixth Man of the Year’ contender.

He did what?!

Prepare your eyes for this one…

Yes, Chandler Parsons dunked for the SECOND straight game. It’s a sight to behold.

Next: CBSSports ranks Grizz 1st in Power Rankings

Up next

The Memphis Grizzlies will host one of the hottest Eastern Conference teams, the Orlando Magic. We’ll see if the Grizzlies can bounce back to slow down this rolling Magic team.