Buckets

As we have discussed on the podcast, great teams win the games they are suppose to win and that is what the Grizzlies did in emphatic fashion last night in Charlotte, 130-99. The Grizzlies said not so fast to a trap game and won a game they were suppose to on the road, leaving no room for error like in OKC just under a month ago. The Grizzlies have now won 4 in a row and once again got a great effort from all 5 starters. What is most impressive during this win streak is the return to Grizzlies basketball after a terrible road stretch.

Sure, most of this has been at home, but 2 road wins in convincing fashion have been just what we have been missing over the last month. Wins over Toronto by 13 and last night by 31 have but the road blues far behind them as the calendar has turned to 2023. The Grizzlies have been handling business as of late against teams they should be beating. The high flying acrobatics of Ja, defensive pressure of Dillon, and Steven Adams grabbing seemingly every rebound are back with an exclamation point. After losing inexcusably at Oklahoma City on December 17th, the Grizz have not lost to a team with a sub .500 record. Opportunities to continue that streak are on the horizon with games at Orlando and home for the Jazz and Spurs before the schedule picks up. This is what will continue the upward trajectory. Winning against teams you are suppose to beat will help with seeding at the end of the year, especially if you hit a hot Celtics, Warriors, or Nuggets team down the stretch. The teeth of the Grizzlies’ schedule lies ahead of them, including a 5 game Western Conference road trip staring in 2 weeks with games at the Lakers, Suns, Kings, Warriors, and Timberwolves. The last time Memphis had a road trip in that area of the country the results were disastrous. This is where the Grizz have to mature and improve as the season is progressing. Even with the last 2 wins on the road, the Grizzlies still sit at 9-10 on the road. Enough with the negative talk though. The Grizzlies handled business last night in what could have been a trap game.

The Grizzlies could have easily slept through this game after 2 big wins over Western Conference foes, including the Pelicans who were in first at the time. This Wednesday night game could have gone the way of OKC after that long win streak. But the boys in Beale Street Blue showed up with the mark of a championship caliber team. They jumped out early and never looked back. Ja always has a big crowd of family and friends in Charlotte and he did not disappoint them. There was no opportunity for the lowly Hornets to get anything going as the Grizz held them to under 100 points on a night and shot 50% from the field on offense. With 5:32 left in the first quarter the Grizzlies had a 67.6% chance of winning, which turned out to be the lowest it would be the rest of the game. Steven Adams continued his dominance on the boards last night and all starters had a positive net rating. Ziaire continues to struggle this year but it was all smiles otherwise. The Grizzlies seem to be priming the pump and working the kinks out. Can it continue with another road game against a team they should beat in Orlando? I think we will see Coach Jenkins have the team prepared to avoid a let down Thursday night. As the pieces come together leading up to the All-Star break, don’t be surprised to see the Grizzlies atop the Western Conference and Taylor Jenkins as a candidate for Coach of the Year.

The Grizzlies play again tonight in a back-to-back road trip at Orlando at 7 pm eastern.