Happy December: Grizzlies At Pelicans Preview
It’s December Grizznation! Despite some shudder-evoking play, a 50 point loss, a tough schedule and a small bite from the injury bug your Grizzlies are heading into tonight’s game against the Pelicans as the 5th seed in the West. I don’t know about you but when I look at that I don’t feel quite as bad about the month of November. It’s time for for the Grizzlies to keep on grinding and give us a December to remember. In a good way.
Tonight the Memphis Grizzlies are in New Orleans to face the second to last team in the West. This is our first match up against New Orleans. The Pelicans have had a disappointing start to the season and have certainly not lived up to the expectations many had for them. In the last 2 weeks the Pelicans have started to find a small margin of success. They picked up 3 of their 4 wins during this time, beating San Antonio once and the Suns twice. The Pelicans have had a their own bite from the injury bug as well. Quincy Pondexter is out after knee surgery with no timetable to return and big man Kendrick Perkins is out indefinitely with a pectoral injury. Anthony Davis missed some time earlier in the season as well. All in all the Pelicans should be a team we beat.
This game should get December started on the right foot and here’s how.
Be careful of the trap game.
We’ve been there too many time as fans of this team. The Memphis Grizzlies love getting caught in trap games. This is a season that we cannot afford to lose those kind of games. We almost did against the 76ers and it would have been ugly. Dropping a much needed win to a losing team is exactly what the Grizzlies cannot do. It was obvious that despite the win the morale after Sunday’s game was not positive. The Grizzlies have a tendency to play down to their competition and Sunday’s game was proof that we still have that issue. The Grizzlies cannot afford to take that risk tonight.
The Big Man Matchup. Anthony Davis is having a heck of the season. “The Brow” is averaging 23.9 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocks. Despite some injuries he continues to come up big for the Pelicans. In their victory over the Spurs, Davis grabbed 18 rebounds and dominated the paint. The Pelicans scored 46 points in the paint. Tonight the Grizzlies are going to have to be in control of that paint. The return of Zach Randolph should alleviate some of the pressure that has fallen on Marc Gasol since Randolph’s injury. Gasol has been playing a lot of minutes and if Sunday’s game was any indication, it appears he’s tired. Hopefully tonight Randolph will bring the grit and grind, giving Gasol a little bit of rest. Gasol will still need to have an effective night on the court and make his way to the free throw line by being aggressive in the paint. The Grizzlies cannot give up easy baskets down low and must fight for their rebounds. The more offensive rebounds we grab, the fewer defensive ones Davis can have. In their wins the Pelicans average 48 rebounds so we want to be in control of the ball.
Let’s not turn the ball over. Mmmmmkay? The Grizzlies played a lot of sloppy basketball on Sunday. They did not take care of the ball, committing a season high 26 turnovers that led to 28 points for the 76ers. Creating free offensive possessions for your opponent, while you are running back to get on defense, is not ideal. The Grizzlies will have to ensure they do not allow this to happen tonight. Turnovers were a big reason, if not the biggest reason, the 76ers were able to get into the game and stay in the game. Giving the Pelicans those same opportunities could be dangerous. A losing team can play brutal ball when they smell a win and the Pelicans are desperate for another win.
Guard the dag-gone 3-point line. The last thing the Grizzlies want is for another big night by the opposition from beyond the arc. In their wins the Pelicans shoot 40.2% from three. Ryan Anderson has the ability to get hot if you let him and that is exactly what we do not want to happen. In the Pelicans 4 wins Anderson has shot 57.8% and scored 26 points per game. Keeping him from having that kind of offensive impact is going to be vital.
The game will tip tonight at 7pm on Fox Sports Southeast. Let’s Go Griz!!
*Stats from ESPN.com, NBA.com and basketball-reference.com*
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- Grizzlies Out Hustle Rockets and Head to Dallas - October 24, 2017
- The Grizzlies are Backed Into A Corner: Spurs Win Game 5 - April 26, 2017
- Memphis at San Antonio: Grizzlies Did Not Layeth the Smacketh Down - March 25, 2017
