Surviving the Thunder: Memphis vs. OKC Preview

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Carmen Patton

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Tonight the Memphis Grizzlies (19-17) will face the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-11) in the 3^rd and final match-up of these two teams for the regular season. Currently, the teams are 1-1. The Grizzlies first faced the Thunder this season in their debut Memphis Sounds home game on November 16. The Grizzlies were victorious that night with a 122-114 victory over the Thunder, who played without Kevin Durant. The Grizzlies then faced the Thunder again on December 8, and experienced the franchise’s worst home loss with an 88-125 loss to the Thunder (with Kevin Durant) in front of the home crowd. These teams have faced each other six times since the beginning of the 2014-15 season until now and the Grizzlies have won 4 of those 6 meetings. Four of those contests were in Memphis though, and the Grizzlies won 3 of those 4. However, the Grizzlies have only won 2 of the last 6 contests in Oklahoma City. Point being, both teams tend to thrive off of their home court advantage against each other. So, how do the Grizzlies steal a win and come home with winning momentum to start the season’s longest home stand?

Rely on Defense

The Grizzlies average about 96 points per game, which ranks them pretty close to the very bottom (29^th) of the league in points scored. The Thunder, 2^nd in the league in scoring, averages about 109 points per game. The Grizzlies tend to allow 99 points to be scored, while the Thunder allows 101 points. The Grizzlies will have to force the Thunder below their average by forcing turnovers (Thunder is 6^th in the league on turnovers), and capitalizing on the turnovers that they force. Defense as of late has been much better. The Grizzlies need to see the Tony Allen that has resurged in recent contests. The Grizzlies have a suffocating defender in Matt Barnes as well. With either of these defenders on the court, opposing teams tend to make mistakes that lead to stops. The Grizzlies will need those tonight. They’ll need both Allen and Barnes to exert their defensive authority all night especially with Kevin Durant participating in most of shoot-around today after missing Monday for a sprained big toe and being upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game.

Let Good Defense Lead to Good Offense

The Grizzlies will have to stay engaged from start to finish in this game. The problem with the 88-125 loss is that the Grizzlies checked out of the game early due to a struggling defense and offense, and they were never able to recover. The middle 24 minutes were absolutely terrible, and for all intents and purposes, the players, coaches and fans could have all gone home at half time because the 3^rd quarter was a nightmare at best. The Grizzlies cannot collapse at any point in this game. They can’t get into a situation where they’re trading slow 2’s with quick 3’s from the Thunder. This Thunder team has the ability to amass points QUICKLY, so the Grizzlies have to commit to defense from start to finish and try to turn that successful defense into productive offense. EVERY possession has to count.

Make Free Throws

The Grizzlies have been on a free throw see-saw here lately. One game they’re good at it; the next, not so much. Tonight needs to be a good game. These teams typically face each other pretty aggressively. So, they can both expect to get to the charity stripe a few times. However many times the Grizzlies go, they need to shoot for making the majority, if not all, of them. The free throws could make a difference either way in this game…as they have in games gone by.

Go Hard in the Paint

This Thunder team has dominated the boards against this Grizzlies team in both contests, and they possibly will again tonight. However, that doesn’t stop their need to be as aggressive as they can in the paint tonight. The Grizzlies need to work for offensive boards and 2^nd chance points. They will also need to try to stop the Thunder from working for offensive boards and 2^nd chance points. Put simply, they’ve got to work in the paint tonight from start to finish.

Consistent Good Play from Everyone

The Grizzlies tend to go how Conley and Gasol go in contests against elite teams. This Thunder team is an elite team, so the Grizzlies need a good night from their Floor General and their Center. In the win against the Thunder, Conley had 22 points on 8/13 shooting (including 4/5 threes) with 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Gasol had 17 points on 7/13 shooting with 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 blocked shot. In the loss, Conley was 0/7 in shooting, and had no free throw attempts. So, he had no points. He did have 6 assists and 1 steal that fateful scoreless night. Gasol had 11 points on 4/9 shooting with 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. The Grizzlies need them to lead. Conley is listed as questionable tonight due to a sore Achilles; so, the Grizzlies may have to rely on other players in their arsenal if he’s unable to give it a go tonight.

Mario Chalmers has provided great production for the bench in the last 2 contests leading all scorers in the win with 29 points (6/13 shooting including 4/7 threes), 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Chalmers contributed 19 points in the loss (6/8 shooting) with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. Zach Randolph, who hasn’t come off the bench in the last two contests, hasn’t seen favor against the Thunder this season (12 points in the win and 9 points in the loss). As he’s coming off an epic night on Monday where he led the Grizzlies to victory in Portland, perhaps some of that momentum can carry over into tonight and allow him to be productive coming off the bench in tonight’s game.

This Grizzlies team will also need some solid offensive play from Jeff Green and Courtney Lee tonight. They’ll need Matt Barnes and Tony Allen to do what they can offensively, but hang their hats on defense, and they’ll need JaMychal Green and Ryan Hollins to help dominate in the paint to create 2^nd chance opportunities. Vince Carter didn’t play in the first match-up, but did play 21 minutes in the loss. This Thunder team may not be the best fit for him, but should he come in, the Grizzlies will need nothing less than VINSANITY type play.

Catch the home team tonight on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. The Grizzlies Claw Crew is hosting an official Watch Party at Double J’s at 124 E GE Patterson Avenue tonight. So, whether you join them or watch from home, let’s get prepared to cheer on the home team to victory tonight. Go Grizz!!

**Statistics from Grizzlies official website, nba.com, and landofbasketball.com**