The Memphis Grizzlies did not play their best, but they did enough to get the win against Washington.
It was not the prettiest display of basketball, but it was Memphis Grizzlies basketball. This is who they are. They are not going to push the pace unless they can take advantage.
Memphis plays tough defense and it will force you to take bad shots. For a Washington Wizards team that has been struggling defensively, it was tough for them to play grind-it-out basketball for long stretches.
Washington tried to push the pace — and it worked for stretches — but for most of the game, the Grizzlies controlled the tempo.
Both teams turned the ball over way more than they would have liked. Memphis had 17 turnovers while Washington had 20. Neither club did a great job capitalizing off of those turnovers, though the Grizzlies did seem to have more chances as they had many steals leading to transition opportunities.
The Memphis Grizzlies shot 13/28 from downtown, which is very encouraging considering they had some stretches where they went ice cold.
This was a game of runs for both teams, and it continued that way for much of the game. The Wizards started off strong, but after that, it was mostly all-Grizzlies.
There were still a couple of moments, such as the ends of the second and third quarters, where the Wizards went on a run, but other than that, not much.
The big run for Memphis was the beginning of the third quarter. After leading by just one point at halftime, they went on an 18-1 run to take control of the game.
The Wizards continued to fight and even got the game within a few points during the fourth quarter. Memphis went on another run to pull away late.
The Memphis Grizzlies would go on to win 107-95 as they prepare to head on the road for a three-game road trip.
At the end of the day, this was not the best performance by the Grizz, but any time you come away with a double-digit victory, that game is a success. This meeting could have been viewed as a potential trap game as Washington is desperate for a win.