Memphis Grizzlies vs. Sixers game recap and thoughts
By Baylor Moss
The Memphis Grizzlies rallied to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, winning their fifth straight at the FedexForum.
1st Half
The Memphis Grizzlies got off to a slow start, scoring only 19 points in the first quarter. The offense had no flow, and the defense was also pedestrian, giving up 30 points. To put it bluntly, Memphis just didn’t look engaged into the game.
As the first half went along, the Grizzlies improved defensively, cutting the lead to 6 going into half time, trailing 55-49.
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (good luck pronouncing that name) had 17 points at the half, hitting 5 threes. Jarell Martin and Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 10 and 11 points respectively.
Overall, the first half wasn’t easy to watch as the Grizzlies took bad shots and the 76ers were turnover-prone, coughing it up 8 times.
2nd Half
The beginning of the second half was shaping up to be the same story as the first with the Grizzlies taking bad shots deep into the shot clock. In addition, the Grizzlies continued to give the 76ers open looks from deep.
It wasn’t until Coach Bickerstaff put in a lineup which included Ivan Rabb, Deyonta Davis and Myke Henry that the Grizzlies made a run late in the third and early in the fourth quarter.
Myke Henry had 12 points and nailed key three pointers in the fourth quarter, swinging the momentum the Grizzlies’ way.
The Grizzlies kept chipping away at the lead until they took their first lead with 6:53 left in regulation on a Tyreke Evans’ free throw. The 76ers didn’t help their cause by turning the ball over 10 times in the fourth quarter.
In the end, Memphis out-executed Philly to grind out the win at home.
Concluding Thoughts
I was glad to see Myke Henry play well in his second game with the team. I like how Bickerstaff is giving the young players such as Davis, Rabb, and Henry a longer leash so that they can develop.
Overall, I’m a little disappointed that they keep winning because in all likelihood, they won’t make the playoffs. The Memphis Grizzlies need to give these young players more minutes so they can develop. Also, the Grizzlies need to lose so that they can get a high draft pick.
It’s great that young guys such as Henry play well, but I would like to see the Grizzlies “rebuild” (tank) by giving the younger players more run.