The Boys Are Back in Town: Grizzlies vs. Magic Preview

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Carmen Patton

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Tonight the Memphis Grizzlies (25-20) return to the Grindhouse for a brief homestand after a tough loss on Saturday night to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzlies are 7-3 in their last 10 games. With the exception of a few hiccups & a few injuries, 2016 has proven to be kind to the Grizzlies. Tony Allen, who hasn’t participated in the last few games due to a knee & hamstring injury, did participate in shoot-around this morning. Per Coach Dave Joerger, he is a game time decision for tonight. The Grizzlies will face a young and hungry team in the Orlando Magic (20-22), who hasn’t seen good luck lately losing 9 of their last 10 games. What do the Grizzlies need to do to get a win in front of the home crowd tonight?

Don’t Underestimate the Competition

Sure, they’ve lost 9 of their last 10 games. Sure, they’re below 0.500. Let’s be clear though, this game can be lost if the Grizzlies don’t take the Magic seriously. The Grizzlies must stay engaged the entire 48 minutes. They can’t afford to lose their heads because of bad officiating. They can’t afford to risk turnovers because they fail to get the ball in on time. They can’t afford to become discouraged and let defense slip because offense is suffering. They’ve got to play ball for 48 minutes. They’ve got to stay engaged for 48 minutes. The Grizzlies are 16-7 at home. The Magic are 8-11 on the road.

Get a Quick Start, but Don’t Run Out of Gas

The Grizzlies appear to be working on coming out of the gate hard, and they’re doing a pretty good job at it. In the last two games, the Grizzlies have come out in the first quarter firing on all cylinders. That sounds great. What’s not great is how they’ve collapsed in the 2nd quarter and allowed their opponents to go on runs without answering by connecting on their shots. Pace yourself Grizzlies; you don’t have to try to score all your points in the first quarter. There’s 36 more minutes to play after then. Don’t use all your gas the first quarter.

Defend. Get Stops. Capitalize on Said Stops.

The Grizzlies are leaders at forcing turnovers. This doesn’t always translate into points for them though. The Grizzlies will need to capitalize on the stops that they get. A forced turnover on the defensive end that doesn’t translate into points on the offensive end is slightly a waste. The Grizzlies need to avoid empty possessions. Every steal needs to count. Every forced turnover needs to count. Every stop needs to count.

The Grizzlies are home all week. Come out and support the home team this week as they take on the Orlando Magic tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday and the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. Let’s close January out on a winning note. Whether you make it to the Forum or catch them on tv, on the radio, or via the app, be sure to support the home team. Go Grizz!!