Battered Grizzlies Back Home, Face Division Leading Spurs For Third Time.

Colin Rafferty –

Your Memphis Grizzlies are back home for the start of a 4-game home stretch starting tonight against the Southwest Division leading San Antonio Spurs.

Third times a charm, right?

This is the first of a back-to-back, that will see the Phoenix Suns come into the Forum on Wednesday.

The Spurs come into tonight after dropping a game against the Trailblazers on Saturday 115-110.

Giant Spurs superstar, Victor Wembanyama is listed as QUESTIONABLE for tonight’s game he is dealing with a knee injury. Devin Vassell is OUT with a groin injury.

For the Grizz, Ja Morant is listed as QUESTIONABLE, with his status being Day-to-Day, if he is not out on the court tonight, he will be out there before the end of this home stretch.

The Spurs come into the game as a top ten team in total offense, defense, and point differential.

Comparatively, the Grizzlies aren’t that far behind the Spurs in field goal percentage, rebounds, blocks, assists, and steals per game. So, there is hope that the Grizz can stay in this game, even if there is lesser talent on the court.

The past few times the Grizzlies have faced off against the Spurs, it has been the exact same story.

Just like with the Lakers games, the Grizzlies have been able to take the lead against these teams; they just haven’t figured out the last 2-3 minutes.

That is where these games are lost, in the final minutes. Partly due to the injuries the Grizzlies have, and partly since the head coach continues to do asinine substitutions that have zero effect or any feeling that he knows the flow of the game.

Both games this season have been played in San Antonio, a 101-111 loss in November and a 119-126 loss in December. Most recently, these games been back and forth as the last game had 23 lead changes and 12 ties.

The Grizzlies usually get up for these divisional games, but how much help they will have is still up in the air.

Hopefully a good night’s rest in his own bed will help Cam Spencer find his stroke again, he was abysmal last outing against the Lakers.

The hits keep coming and coming and coming, Cedric Coward is set to get an MRI done on his ankle to determine the severity of his sprain. Anytime you hear MRI about an ankle sprain, I wince.

That cannot be good if he is getting an MRI, when has an MRI for an injury not been bad. I’ll tell ya, when they find nothing, and that never happens.

This is a real gut punch; he was on his way to possibly a career night against the Lakers before he landed wrong on DeAndre Ayton’s big oaf foot.

He was all over the place, it looked like once he realized there wasn’t anybody on the floor that was going to stop him, he just kept using his energy and youth to grab rebounds, score at all three phases of the court, and create some good looks for his teammates.

Please join me in a prayer…

“Gracious God,
I call on you right now in a special way.
It is through your power
that I was created.
Every breath I take,
every morning I wake, 
and every moment of every hour,
I live under your power. 

I ask you now to touch me 
with that same power.
For if you created me from nothing,
you can certainly recreate me.
Fill me with the healing power of your spirit.
Cast out anything that should not be in me. 

Mend what is broken. 
Root out any unproductive cells.
Open any blocked arteries or veins
and rebuild any damaged areas. 
Remove all inflammation and 
cleanse any infection. 
Let the warmth of your healing 
love pass through my body
to make new any unhealthy areas
so that my body will function
the way you created it to function.

Restore me to full health 
in mind and body so that I may 
serve you the rest of my life.”

– Reverend Larry J. Hess

Thank you Reverend, Memphis fans needed to see this, we need a sign.

I found this prayer and I think it works for the Grizzlies at this hour, we need all the help we can get.

If we know anything about these Spurs games, it is that we need to find an answer for Harrison Barnes. He has killed the Grizzlies throughout his career and continues to do so this year. In the last outing, he scored 31 points.

I guess GG this is your time, for the love of God, if you get a stop do not go down the court and throw up a shot within 5 seconds of the shot clock. I love the enthusiasm, but brother we need you to be a little more aware of the situation.

You aren’t here to score a bunch of buckets, you are here to contribute meaningful minutes, if that means you get some good looks take them, but you cannot create for yourself so stop trying.

Trust your teammates will find you, and be ready to knock down some shots, otherwise get the ball out of your hands.

I don’t want to sound like I’m hating on the young man, but through my eyes I see someone who is just pushing himself to make a statement. I think the best GG Jackson is one that isn’t thinking too much and allowing his game to shine through ball movement and finding the slips in the defense.

He is still very young, and impressionable to say the least, but there is a reason he has yet to break into the league yet. It is because he is just not ready, he may be closer than we think but I will trust the coaches when they are the ones who seem him every day.

Additionally, the Grizz will need to have a full array of help from all over the court. Jaren, I need you to clean up the fouls, Santi, I need you to be dynamite scoring today, Jaylen, you too.

Jock Landale has played some decent minutes as of late and continues to get around a double-double each night he is hitting shots. He is not a starter by any means, but he can provide some solid minutes on both the defensive and offensive sides.

I’ve said it once, I will say it repeatedly, when the Grizzlies play good defense, they play good offense. They will need their best defense tonight, even if Wemby is not cleared to go.

If the Grizzlies have any hope of trying to salvage a season riddled with injuries they need to start winning, NOW.

Sure, there are guys coming back from injury, some are being added every day, so quit messing around and when these games are within their grasp, hold on to it and don’t let go.

It has been a tough and frustrating season, Grizz fans I am with you when you say, it’s just tough to watch. It is frustrating as well, for all the good the organization has done with identifying talent on the court, they have really put their fans in a bind about this year.

Winning cures everything, so just get some wins, please. 5 games back from .500 and they seem to be trending in the wrong direction. After clawing back and getting within 1 game, TWICE, of .500 and losing to the Wizards, it shows they can win and lose to anyone.

Today would be a good day to start to turn that around.

Tonight is ‘Health Night’ presented by Cigna, tip-off is at 7 PM CST inside FedEx Forum.

What a time to have ‘Health Night’ maybe they can get some help and get Ja back on the court.

**cover image taken from Grizzlies X account post (@memgrizz)**

**all other images are from Getty Images**