After a mid-November to late December stretch that saw the Memphis Grizzlies win 14 out of 17 games to take a firm hold on the two-seed in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies have fallen behind after suffering numerous additional injuries to core guys. Memphis is 2-4 in their last six games against teams considered to be contending for the Western Conference playoffs as they are in the midst of their toughest schedule stretch of the season.
Ja Morant and Santi Aldama returned to the lineup after extended absences against the Houston Rockets on January 9th. Still, their return was spoiled as the Grizzlies lost to the Houston Rockets 119-115 to fall behind 0-2 in the season series. The loss pushed the Grizzlies down 1.5 games behind the Rockets for the two-seed in the West standings, making them 0-3 versus the top two teams in the West (0-1 vs Oklahoma City Thunder).
While the Memphis Grizzlies' schedule gets more difficult with their next five games coming against formidable West opponents (four on the road), they must flip their fortune if they want to be real NBA title contenders.
The Grizzlies are 6-11 versus West's top 12 teams
There are only six teams that qualify for the playoffs outright at the end of the regular season, while teams seven through 10 fight in the play-in tournament for the last two spots. The Grizzlies are currently 3.5 games ahead of their next opponent, the seventh-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Western Conference has 12 teams vying for the top 10 with the 12th-seeded Phoenix Suns only trailing the 10th-seeded San Antonio Spurs by 0.5 games. However, the Grizzlies have a losing record versus the West's best including a 3-7 record against the current top six seeds in the conference.
Furthermore, that record is 3-8 against the current top eight teams in the West and 4-10 against the top 10 in the West. Their four-point loss against the Rockets also signaled another troubling statistic for the Grizzlies in the close games department, as they fell to 2-6 in close games (games within two possessions in the final three minutes) against their Western Conference foes.
If you take away the teams that are currently under .500 that record turns to 0-5 in close games against the best in the West. Yes injuries are a key component to that and the Grizzlies are finally getting healthier but that stat must be reversed quickly and the team has an opportunity to do that in their upcoming schedule. Head coach Taylor Jenkins' late-game decision-making can be a head-scratcher as well.
When Houston learned on its starters, I asked Taylor Jenkins why he didn’t play Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. more in the fourth quarter:
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) January 10, 2025
“Guys coming back from injury, trying to find a rhythm, trying to find a spark from other guys. I’ll evaluate.”
Including their last game against the Rockets, the Grizzlies are in the midst of a six-game stretch of playing Houston, Minnesota, and San Antonio two times each. Second-year wing GG Jackson figures to make his season debut during this stretch which would then only leave Marcus Smart and Vince Williams Jr. as the remaining missing pieces to return from injury.
This is the time for Memphis to show what they can look like at near full strength and prove to not only the world but themselves, that they belong among the West's elite.