Colin Rafferty –
Don’t look now but, your Memphis Grizzlies have won 4 out their last 5 games after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers last night 112-107.
The Grizzlies, however, are eliminated from the NBA Cup as they were fighting for one of the remaining Wild Card spots. The Phoenix Suns took the spot the Grizz were looking to take, only due to Point Differential.
That sucks, but at least the Grizzlies went 3-1 and were able to erase a 17-point deficit in New Orleans on Wednesday and 13 points last night. There is a fight in this team.
Not great that they are getting down to those teams, but at least they are coming away with the wins now. Earlier in the year it might have looked different, but not now. They win the game.
The Clippers got out to a 63-50 lead at the half but were unable to continue their great shooting in the second half. A theme for them throughout this year.
The Grizzlies were able to keep chipping away, and by the beginning minutes of the 4th quarter, the game was tied.
LA was led by Kawhi Leonard’s 39-point night along with James Harden who contributed 23 pts, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists.
The Grizzlies dominated in rebounds, assists, and points in the paint. They also were a cool 44% from the field and 43% from three-point land.
Jaren Jackson Jr. 24 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, Zach Edey added 5 points, but 19 rebounds, and Vince Williams Jr. finished with 16 pts, 1 reb, and 5 assists.
It was a full team effort as the bench came in and adding 47 points; KCP, who had been struggling from behind the arc, came in and dropped 4 straight 3 pointers. When you’re hot, keep shooting.
Santi added 13, Landale had a couple of threes to get him up to 12 pts, and Cam added 10 pts. The bench came through last night, when the Grizzlies had struggled to get things going early.
From what looked like a terrible start for the Grizzlies in the first half, it seemed to level off in the second. They were getting bullied and pushed around while the Clippers also seemed to hit every shot; in addition to turning the ball over a bunch.
That changed in the second half.
Zach Edey’s impact is being felt, his mere presence on the court makes guys think another second about either going at him or putting up a shot, which might get blocked.
He constantly is getting back tap rebounds, on offense and defense, and has a good connection with Vince Williams right now.
He is a major part of why the Grizzlies have gotten back into the win column recently. It makes me feel confident about how it will look once the Grizz get a few more guys back, especially Ja Morant, who loves the big fella.
Cedric Coward continues to struggle to find his shot on the road, while being lights out at home; this is just a rookie thing that guys will go through, sure travelling has been a part of their journey up to this point, but everyone expects that it won’t continue much longer.
He is just too good to let that be a knock on him.
Jaylen Wells has started to come around shooting, although he had only 13 last night, his shot selection and ability to create off the dribble has improved. I have no worries about him, because even if he isn’t shooting well, he still is a key contributor on the defensive side.
Each day I wake up to write about the Grizzlies and each day it seems easier and more fun. That is because they are looking like a team, albeit not the best but a team.
Just keep treading water and stacking a couple of wins here and there, by Christmas we may all have a different feel about this team than we did at the beginning.
The Grizzlies will be back in action on Sunday as they will travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings. Tip-off is at 8 PM CST. Be sure to look out for the preview tomorrow.
Grizz get the win in LA; now like these Thanksgiving leftovers, keep them coming.
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