The Memphis Grizzlies took a really bad loss against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that didn’t have most of their normal contributors.
Their only normal starter in the game was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 30 points in the contest.
A large portion of their roster was comprised of players who have been working in the G-League for most of the year. It didn’t matter, as they shot lights out and brought the Grizzlies back down to earth. Most notably, rookie Aleksej Pokusevski scored 23 points with 5 threes.
Memphis will look to bounce back against a tough Phoenix Suns team. The last time these two teams face each other, the Suns wiped the Grizzlies on their home court. That being said, a healthy Grizzlies team did take care of business at home against the Suns earlier in the year, so this team isn’t hugely menacing.
If the Grizzlies want to win, they’ll have to lock down their 3-point defense. It’ll be a battle, but this is a team that always has a chance to win.
Can the Memphis Grizzlies bounce back and beat the Phoenix Suns? Our staff weighs in.
Jack Williams: I really want to pick the Grizzlies here, but after watching that game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s almost impossible to have any confidence in this team. Unless Memphis can turn around their 3-point defense overnight, it’s looking like it’ll be another rough outing for Ja Morant‘s team. The team will be winded and even if they didn’t just play a game the day before, they’d be outmatched against a more experienced Phoenix Suns team.
Final Score: Grizzlies 107, Suns 123
Brandon Martinez: Coming off of a very disappointing loss to the Oklahoma City Blue, the Grizzlies now have to go to Phoenix to take on the second-seed Suns. It’s hard to tell what will happen because the Grizzlies have been so up and down this season, but I’m going to go with my gut, which is telling me that this won’t be close, and that’s not a good thing. We will not be able to hang with the Suns’ shooting.
Final Score: Grizzlies 103, Suns 121
Taylor Goebel: The Suns are 8-2 in their last 10 games and are currently 2nd place in the Western Conference. Lead by Devin Booker and Chris Paul, the Suns have been a top 10 team in both defensive and offensive rating thus far. The Grizzlies are coming into the game on a 2-game losing streak and need to make a strong push if they want to make the playoffs. Unfortunately for Grizzly fans, I think the Suns offensive and defensive prowess are going to be too much for the Grizzlies on Monday night.
Final Score: Grizzlies 104, Suns 118