The Memphis Grizzlies should have no shame after losing a hard-fought tightly contested battle at the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night. Despite getting obliterated on the boards 57-37 (22-12 on offensive rebounds) they managed to keep pace with the Cavaliers, showing they can compete with the league's best.
However, their loss to the Cavaliers dropped the Grizzlies to a tie for second in the West with the Denver Nuggets. It also dropped them to 2-4 in their last six games after winning 11 of their previous 12 games before their recent stretch that includes losses to the best teams in the NBA, as the fall began with a loss to the number one team in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Memphis returns home this week for a five-game homestand after a five-game road trip that concluded with three games on the East Coast. While they remain in a good position to finish with a top seed in the Western Conference, they only find themselves two games ahead of a team that has surpassed them in the NBA Power Rankings.
The Grizzlies fall to 8 in the Week 19 Power Rankings
The Grizzlies fell two spots down to eight, their lowest ranking since they were ranked ninth in the Week 7 Power Rankings on December 2nd. Included in their recent 2-4 stretch is they have lost three of their last four games, including going 1-2 in their three-game East Coast trip since their return from the NBA All-Star break.
Their only victory was in ugly fashion against the Orlando Magic on Friday night, which saw them erase a 19-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Magic. They played their best basketball in the final five minutes of that game when they outscored the Magic 11-1 to secure the one-point victory and give them a winning record in clutch games at that time (games within five points in the last five minutes).
However, their record fell to 12-12 in those games after their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Grizzlies' defense has struggled since the calendar flipped to 2025, ranking 20th in the NBA as they have allowed an average of 115.7 points per 100 possessions.
FanDuel Sportsbook's now co-favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, along with Evan Mobley, is Jaren Jackson Jr. (+125) after last night's head-to-head battle. Jackson Jr. has found himself back getting into consistent foul trouble as he has had at least four fouls in five of their last six games, including five in each of their last three losses.
The Grizzlies' defensive rating is a -6.3 when he is off the court vs when he is on the court, meaning his defensive impact continues to determine the fate of the Grizzlies' defense. He is still averaging a career-low in fouls per game (3.4) so the team will need him to revert back to his earlier season progress of staying out of foul trouble.