Grizzlies Head to DC In the Wake of Tough Loss to Celtics
Losing to a sub .500 team never makes for an easy night. Losing in the last part of the season, while teams seeded lower than you keep winning, is almost unbearable. Last night the Grizzlies fell to the Celtics 95-92. It was a game of clutch shots made by the Celtics when they needed them. Despite the Grizzlies efforts to claw their way back into the game, led by Mike ‘Captain Clutch’ Conley, the Celtics were even more clutch. There was Smart’s 3-point play on a Courtney Lee foul and Olynyk’s 3-point shot to erase the Grizzlies 4 point lead to 1. To top them all off I keep seeing Bradley icing that 3-pointer over the top of Marc Gasol. Boston scored 22 points off the Grizzlies 21 turnovers and made 8 three-pointers to the Grizzlies 5. In the end the Grizzlies would outshoot the Celtics 47.4% to 43.5% but would allow 31 points in the 4th quarter. It was a tough loss to watch and a tough loss to take.
Last night’s game was laced with the remnants of the loss to the Pelicans. The Grizzlies played flat, that’s all there is to it. The normal tenacity that we have become accustomed to seeing from our team was nonexistent for the majority of the game. Marc Gasol’s impact was limited, Green shot too much and despite trying to rally in the end the turnovers and lack of energy could not be overcome. In the loss to the Pelicans Marc scored only 8 points, shooting only 7 FG. Last night he scored 9 points on 9 shots and a solitary trip to the FT line for a 3-point play. The most shocking stat? He took zero, that’s right, ZERO shots during the crucial 4th quarter. This performance was a far cry from the aggressive big man we saw lead the team to victory over the Bulls on Monday. Then there is Green. I am not going to pick on Jeff Green for shooting, he should shoot. Not only that, I can’t say that it is because he is shooting too much that Marc doesn’t get his shots, especially when it was evident Gasol was preferring the pass. However, I am going to point out that Green took 18 shots against the Pelicans and 13 last night. In both games he took more shots than any of our other starters. The trouble is that he didn’t shoot well, landing only 4 shots last night. In the 4th quarter alone he took 6 shots. My question is why wasn’t the ball in Zach’s hands down low? It was obvious Marc was not being aggressive, but Zach came out and went 2/3 (that’s 66.7% ya’ll) in the 4th. Next time I’m hoping we see him taking the traffic paint shots with the game on the line.
Enough of the bad, because there were two of our guys that stepped up in a big way. Mike Conley and Tony Allen came out in the 4th quarter to win. Despite playing on what is likely an ankle sprain, Conley found a way to give us something to cheer for. In the 3rd quarter Conley went down with what at first glance looked like a knee injury. He was carried to the Grizzlies locker room only to reappear in the 4th quarter with a vengeance. Conley would score 8 points in the 4th quarter and finish the night 9/12. Conley’s 75% shooting was surpassed by non other than ‘The Grindfather’. Tony would shoot 77.8% for the night, landing 7 of his 9 shots. He took 6 of those shots in the 4th quarter and made 5, shooting 83.3%. He would also end the night with 2 steals and 2 blocks. Tony plays well when he travels back to Boston and gave us a bright spot for the night amidst a lot of less than great basketball.
Coming off of the loss to the Celtics the Grizzlies are in DC tonight to face the Wizards on yet another back to back. Since the All-Star Break the Wizards have gone 3-7 and are without question in a slump worse than the Grizzlies are suffering from. Memphis will need to start strong so we won’t have to play catch-up in the 4th quarter.
The Grizzlies will need to force their will in this game. Marc Gasol needs to find a way to be aggressive tonight. The Grizzlies cannot afford another performance like last night’s. This team relies on Marc and his energy level often dictates the game. Marc and Zach matching up against Gortat and Nene will hopefully lead to some entertaining basketball. Marcin Gortat is shooting 55.3% for the season and Nene is shooting 52.4%. Both of the Wizards big men average around 11 points per game. The Grizzlies big men will need to be aggressive, physical and dominant in the paint.
Keeping John Wall and Bradley Beal contained will be the key to this matchup. They are averaging 16.9 and 14.8 points per game, respectively, and have the potential to carry their team to a high scoring win. Memphis will need to slow the game down and force both Beal and Wall into difficult shots. Our big men will need to crowd the paint and clean up the glass. It all seems pretty simple but grit and grind will need to be evident tonight.
Mike Conley is listed as a game-time decision right now. He left last night’s game in a walking boot. Despite the injury being upsetting this could give Mike the opportunity for some much needed rest. He has also been plagued with soreness in his back and neck.
The game will air on NBA on TNT tonight as well as Fox SportSouth. Tip off is at 6:00pm.
Update:
Mike Conley (ankle), Tony Allen (rest), Zach Randolph (rest) and Marc Gasol (rest) all are OUT tonight vs. Washington
— Jon Roser (@Jon_Roser) March 12, 2015
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