Colin Rafferty –
After a tough loss on Sunday, your Memphis Grizzlies are back in action on the East Coast, beginning a 4-game road trip against the New York Knicks
The Knicks come into the game with a 6-3 record, third in the Eastern Conference.
They are top ten in offense, defense, and point differential. Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns have this team on a 4-game winning streak and are playing good ball right now.
The Grizzlies will need a strong game out of their stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. to avoid back-to-back losses.
According to Stat Muse, Ja has played the Knicks 9 times; averaging 23.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.9 assists in those games. He likes the bright lights.
Photo Credits: Petre Thomas, Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
MSG has been known for providing some incredible games out of the opponents; Michael Jordan’s 55-point game after returning to basketball, Reggie Miller’s 8-points in 8.9 seconds, Kobe Bryant’s 61-point game, and even Steph Curry’s three point barrage (11-13) that got him 54-points.
There’s magic to be made in the basketball “Mecca.”
The Grizzlies come into the game after a hard-fought loss to the Thunder on Sunday. The first half looked incredible as the Grizz were able to jump out to an 11-point lead by half. The second half was a tale of turnovers and shots not falling.
The effort on both ends of the floor has gotten better and the flow of the games feels different. Maybe they have turned a bit of a corner.
Jaylen Wells looked to be getting back into the swing of things and even though Ja didn’t have a great shooting night, his vision and ability to open up all the other guys helped the Grizz in the first half.
The word on Zach Edey is that he will be out today but are expecting him back tomorrow. At least that is what ESPN has stated on the Grizzlies injury report so it might be day-to-day until he gets cleared.
Getting the big man back will undoubtably make a difference. His ability to set screens, grab rebounds, create second chance opportunties, and block shots makes him a very important piece to the Grizzlies approach.
Photo Credits: Petre Thomas, Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Keep your eyes peeled for Cedric Coward to do some crazy stuff tonight, his first game at MSG should be a fun one. He hasn’t shied away from the moment and tonight shouldn’t be any different.
Be on a rope defensively, don’t let Brunson get downhill, and play with some pace; these are my keys to a victory. Shooting will start hitting if the other parts are smooth and consistent.
Learning how to win on the road is always an important part to the teams make up. Despite injuries to the team, the Grizz have looked better the past few games, I hope and pray that it continues to grow.
The first game of a back-to-back is tonight, Knicks then Celtics. The Grizz should do their best to make sure that it starts out on a good note.
A happy belated birthday to Scotty Pippen Jr. as well, he turned 25 on Monday. We hope to see you out on the court soon.
Tip-off is at 6:30 pm CST. Madison Square Garden and Ja Morant, that’s enough for me to tune in.
Additional Note: Shoutout Desmond Bane, he hit a game winning shot for the Magic last night; he hasn’t played well so far, but that was a good moment for him.
UPDATE: From the Grizzlies PR, “Brandon Clarke has been progressing well in his rehabilitation… He is cleared to begin ramping up basketball activities and is expected to return to play in 6-9 weeks.”
At the earliest we will see him on Christmas; I expect his return will be in 2026.
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