Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Hornets: Game 13 Preview - Continued Success
by marcus.privitt on Jan 18, 2012 7:00 AM CST
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PrintRecords: Memphis Grizzlies (6-6) at New Orleans Hornets (3-10)
8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Line: Memphis by 4.0
Opponent Blog: At the Hive
Injury Report: MEM: Arthur (out for season), Randolph (knee); NOR: Ariza (groin), Gordon (knee), Henry (ankle)
In an attempt to make it four straight wins, the Grizzlies visit the struggling New Orleans Hornets tonight for the second time in five nights. After coming off an unbelievably strong win against Chicago, things are looking up for the Grizz. Expect continued success in New Orleans.
More after the jump.
The Grizzlies arguably played the best they have all season this past Monday against Chicago. In the game, Rudy Gay scored 24 points with 11-18 shooting and Marc Gasol dropped 19 points and 10 rebounds. Memphis shot 69.2 percent in the first half, and, at halftime, led 58-38.
Last Saturday, when New Orleans visited the FedExForum, the Memphis Grizzlies played more solid basketball. In the game, Rudy Gay put up 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 108-99 victory. To even out the box, Mike Conley had 17 points and seven assists, while Marreese Speights and Tony Allen each finished with 12 points.
The issue last Saturday, however, was not the New Orleans starters, but the bench. When the reserves begun taking the court, the Grizzlies lead was threatened and the Hornets came within a basket of tying the game. Eventually, it was Rudy Gay that scored seven over a two-minute span and saved the Grizzlies from any danger.
The Hornets are coming off an 84-77 loss to Portland on Monday night: a game in which they scored their lowest point total of the season. The Hornets turned the ball over 19 times and went 0-9 from three-point range. The loss was also their sixth straight at home.
Expect New Orleans to follow the successful pattern of a fast-paced offense to hurt the Grizzlies. The losers of five-straight and ten of eleven, the Hornets are seeking to snag the win in front of the starving home crowd.
Regardless, Memphis shouldn't be too intimidated. Expect another eye-opening performance from both Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol, who have been unstoppable as of late. With the Grizzlies defense coming off the best game of the season against Chicago standing up against the damaged Hornets offense, the Grizzlies will be able to control the pace and get enough looks at the basket to let the guys do their thing. Things should flow well and points will come: though the Grizzlies must control the pace.
Final Prediction: Memphis 98, New Orleans 84
Game thread will be up and going at 8:00 PM. See you then.
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Let’s make this a flurry of wins that matter! Don’t wanna jinx it, but I think this is less a fluke and more who the team is. And don’t wanna jinx it, but when Z-Bo comes back— rather than a struggling team being rescued, we may seem a very good team become great.
"Chipper Jones is better than me." -- David Wright
Especially when the new blood is a fellow Braves fan!
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 12:14 PM CST up reply actions
Hey….listen here, I didn’t give you any flack for being a sox fan!
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 2:47 PM CST up reply actions
This is true.
My B…it’s hard to hate on the Braves when they felt the exact same pain that comes with choking a wild-card lead.
by marcus.privitt on Jan 18, 2012 2:52 PM CST up reply actions
Exactly!
I really appreciated the Red Sox doing it to because it took all the attention off the Braves. It was weird because several “experts” picked both teams to go to the World Series. Here’s to this year though!
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 2:55 PM CST up reply actions
Before the season started, 32 of 28 of ESPN baseball experts picked the Sox to go to the world series. That hurt.
by marcus.privitt on Jan 18, 2012 2:56 PM CST up reply actions
I'm with you there.
The Grizzlies are definitely a solid, scary team when they’re on their game. I feel like if we had more market-ability, we’d get way more press than we do. Regardless, though, it’s not press that wins games. It’s basketball – and we’re good at that.
by marcus.privitt on Jan 18, 2012 8:15 AM CST up reply actions
Not with the way the guys at ESPN run things. ESPN loathes the small market. NBA Network talks about us a good bit when we are doing well, and those guys love ZBo. But we would have to develop into an OKC type team to get any love at all from ESPN.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 10:02 AM CST up reply actions
we aren't OKC though
We aren’t consistent (yet), and we don’t have superstars (yet).
Hey, my hometown ’04 Pistons got absolutely no love from anyone. The grizz should never bother seeking respect from anyone except the citizens of Memphis. Hopefully this team will just surprise the hell out of everyone.
Tonight would be a good night to start forming some sort of identity with the backup PG role. I hope Selby steps up and shows us that we don’t need Vasquez. Also, it is not a good idea to be playing Conley for 40+ minutes a game. He’s gonna get hurt again or get winded and take dumb shots.
I think ZBo would be getting the superstar love if he wasn’t hurt. But I definitely agree that we shouldn’t care about that.
I’m not a huge fan of Selby. I don’t like the way he runs the offense. I liked Pargo much better. If we are stuck with an undersized rookie, I’d at least like to go with the one who isn’t a selfish player. No harm intended to Selby, but he is constantly looking for his own shot.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 12:21 PM CST up reply actions
Rudy Gay + ZBo combo is definitely marketable – it’s just they aren’t consistent. Grizzlies aren’t a consistent team. But we’re getting there.
by marcus.privitt on Jan 18, 2012 2:53 PM CST up reply actions
ZBo is pretty consistent. He’s averaged 20 and 10 for the last few years. If that’s not consistent, I don’t know what is.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 2:55 PM CST up reply actions
That's true.
Rudy Gay though? What you got on his numbers?
by marcus.privitt on Jan 18, 2012 2:56 PM CST up reply actions
He’s been decently consistent, but not superstar level consistent. 20.1, 18.9, 19.8, and 19.8 the last four seasons.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 3:10 PM CST up reply actions
In a shortened season where we are trying to do as much as we can until we get Randolph back, or if we get Randolph back, these are the kind of games you can’t overlook. We gotta play smart, gritty basketball and come out of here with a win tonight.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 10:04 AM CST reply actions
I think they have a recipe for success now with this crew and will just continue to build on it. Chicago beat the Suns by like 30 pts last night. That makes me believe the Grizzlies pushed them to play harder than they had been in their previous games of averaging 80pts and less (and still winning though). Grizzlies will take care of business but I wont be surprised if they struggle time to time in a game with this kind of atmosphere (e.g. a vacuum)
Upon Further Review
I think I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy your writing, Marcus. However, I do have a bone to pick with you. Really?? Did we seriously need another reminder that DA was out for the season?? Seriously?!
Sorry…sometimes it just still hurts.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jan 18, 2012 4:40 PM CST reply actions
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