Memphis Grizzlies: Previewing The Four-Game Road Trip
By Chris Kern
Golden State Warriors
The first meeting between these teams didn’t go as planned. The Grizzlies were on their 3rd game of a road trip including the second night of a back to back after a heartbreaking loss in Phoenix.
The Warriors won this game 117-101. Memphis couldn’t keep pace with the Golden State offense which led to this game getting out of hand in the second half.
Dillon Brooks led the Grizzlies in scoring with 18 while Marc Gasol had a triple-double type performance with 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Klay Thompson led the way for Golden State leading all scorers with 27 points. Kevin Durant also scored 22 points in this game.
The Warriors are going to need Kyle Anderson in this game. They are going to need a big wing defender that can guard Durant and he is easily their best option.
It’s not for sure if he’ll be able to go but he was listed as questionable heading into the Houston game so you’d have to say there’s at least a chance.
Jevon Carter had a good NBA debut against Houston as he was frustrating the Rockets guards at times during that game.
The Grizzlies will likely play him a good chunk of minutes to defend the Warriors guards during this game. He earned minutes going forward for this Memphis team.
Shelvin Mack would likely go back to the backup point guard role when Anderson returns but expect Carter to play some minutes regardless.
The Grizzlies had a good first half against the Warriors in the first meeting but they allowed one of their famous third-quarter runs.
Memphis was outscored 32-15 that quarter after it was tied at 58 at the half. That was the difference in this game which is what they will focus on heading into Monday night’s matchup.
It’s much easier said than done but if they can play the first half like they did the last meeting they would be more than satisfied.
The Warriors strength has been one of the Grizzlies biggest weaknesses. They have struggled in third quarters while also having stretches where they can’t get consistent baskets offensively.
If Memphis has Anderson and Carter playing defense in this game that will go a long ways towards helping the Grizzlies pull off the upset.
Golden State also turns the ball over at a high rate while the Grizzlies do a good job forcing turnovers. That is an area they need to take advantage of more than they did in the first meeting.
The Warriors currently average 15.3 turnovers per game which are 21st in the league while Memphis has forced the 5th most turnovers at 16.6 per game.
This is an area the Grizzlies capitalized on earlier this season and it’ll be even more important in this game that they get back to the defensive intensity required to do so.
Memphis also needs to score the ball better but they need to do that in every game. If they want to have a shot in this game, it starts on the defensive end.