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After a day off at home to savor a 37-point blowout of the Knicks, the Cavs take on the Memphis Grizzlies for the first time this season. The Grizzlies are tied for second in the West at 37-19. The Grizzlies are 21-6 at home and 16-13 on the road. They are an incredible 24-3 against teams under .500 and 13-16 against teams .500 or over. So playing on the road against teams over .500 they have not been particulary good.
The Grizzlies have stumbled a bit recently, losing 3 of 5. Their wins were against Phoenix, losers of 8 of 9, and Orlando, 9-18 in their last 27 games. Their losses were all by 13-14 points. The website cleaningtheglass.com ranks them 6th in offense and 7th in defense for the season, but in their last five games they’re 23rd in offense and 19th in defense. They don’t have anybody injured so I don’t know why their play has fallen off lately.
This game will feature the two highest scoring teams in the NBA as the Cavs and Grizzlies are tied at 122.8 ppg. Memphis is ranked 22nd in scoring defense, but that is mainly because they play at the league's fastest pace.
While Memphis may run the fewest pick-and-rolls, the Grizzlies are the fastest-paced team and lead the league in drives. - The Athletic
The Cavs are 1st in pick-and-rolls, 3rd in drives, and 7th in pace.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from a team like Cleveland is the Memphis Grizzlies. While the Cavaliers spam pick-and-roll to the point of running it almost once for every minute of a 48-minute game, the Grizzlies are down at 21.2 pick-and-roll possessions per game, 4.5 fewer than any other team in the league.
“They play a certain way, and they’re unwavering in how they play, particularly offensively with their concepts,” Lakers’ coach JJ Redick said before a December visit from the Grizzlies. “They’re going to get middle. And they’re going to get into their wheel concept. And they’re going to mess you up when they get middle. And those guys just do it, over and over again. Multiple times a possession, multiple possessions in a row.”
A typical Memphis possession features a shot within the first six seconds of the shot clock. Redick noted that when his video team put together a scout on the Grizzlies, most of the possessions did not have a set play: “It’s literally transition, transition, random, transition, transition, random.” - The Athletic
So this could be a shootout with both teams racing up and down the floor. The Cavaliers have more firepower than at any point this season now that De’Andre Hunter is on board and Jerome, Wade, and Okoro are back from injury. They overwhelmed the Knicks, scoring 29 points above the Knicks’ defensive average, and that despite calling off the dogs for the entire 4th quarter.
However, Jarrett Allen (hand) and Darius Garland (hip) are listed as game time decisions, so the Cavs could be down a couple of key starters.
The Grizzlies rank 2nd in points in the paint and 9th in fast break points. They don’t shoot a lot of 3’s, ranking 20th in 3-rate, but they are 8th in 3-point percentage and also in 2-point percentage. They lead the NBA in field goal attempts per game, they’re 2nd in offensive rebound percentage, and 6th in free throw attempts per possession. The one area where they are weak offensively is turnovers; they rank 26th in turnover percentage. I’m sure that’s mostly due to playing with the fastest pace in the league.
This is going to be a challenge for the Cavs defensively, especially with the offensive rebounding as the Grizzlies average 13.3 per game. If Allen is out the challenge will be even greater. Normally the Cavs should match up well against the team that leads the NBA in drives because the Cavs defend the rim better than anybody, but if Allen is out that will change the equation.
The Grizzlies have been exceptional defensively, ranking 6th in both 2-point and 3-point percentage. However, they foul a lot, ranking 25th in opponents’ free throw attempts per play, and their defensive rebound percentage is on the low end of average. They are 22nd in points allowed per game, but that’s mostly because they play so fast that their opponents take a lot of shots.
PF Jaren Jackson Jr leads in scoring at 23 points per game on 49% from the field and 36% on 3’s. Jackson is 6’10”, 242, so this will be a great matchup with Evan Mobley, unless Mobley plays center with Allen out.
PG Ja Morant averages 20.5 points and 7.3 assists on 44% overall and 31% on 3’s. Morant is only averaging 29 minutes per game this year and I don’t know why. His career average is 32. His numbers are down across the board.
At 6’2”, 174 Morant is a little guy and has never played more than 63 games since his rookie year. Last year he played 9 before going down. Maybe they just want to get him to the playoffs healthy.
SG Desmond Bane is having a solid season at 18.2 ppg on 49.5% from the field and 39.5% on 3’s. He’s chipping in 6 rebounds and 5 assists, both well above his career averages. SF Jaylen Wells, a rookie 2nd round pick, is starting and averaging 11 points on 45% and 37%. Wells is a beanpole at 6’8”, 206.
Rookie center Zach Edey is 7’4”, 305. He averages 9 points and 8 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. Between Edey, Jackson, and Wells the Grizzlies have a lot of length on their front line. Santi Aldama, 7’0”, comes off the bench to average 13 points and 7 rebounds. Luke Kennard also comes off the bench and is shooting 47% on 3’s.
So this is shaping up to be a very entertaining game with a fast pace and a lot of scoring on both ends. I’m expecting a wild one with the ball flying up and down the floor. The Grizzlies have been just average on the road and have a losing record against teams .500 and over (like the Knicks), so that is in the Cavs’ favor. Both teams have had one day off. The Cavs are 26-4 at home and with Hunter now in the rotation they appear to be better than ever. But not having Allen or Garland or both could throw everything out of whack,especially Allen against the team that leads the league in drives and is second in second chance points.
The Grizzlies have hit a speed bump lately, losing 3 of their last 5 and all by 13-14 points, while barely scraping by against struggling Orlando by 1 point.
The Cavs buried the Knicks under a hail of 3-pointers on Friday, going 19-for-37, and that was with Garland having an off night (1-for-6). I’m sure they will come out and try for another 40-point first quarter. I like the Cavs in this one but if Allen or Garland are out it could go either way. The Grizzlies are great offensive rebounders and that has been a Cavs’ vulnerability.
The Grizzlies have stumbled a bit recently, losing 3 of 5. Their wins were against Phoenix, losers of 8 of 9, and Orlando, 9-18 in their last 27 games. Their losses were all by 13-14 points. The website cleaningtheglass.com ranks them 6th in offense and 7th in defense for the season, but in their last five games they’re 23rd in offense and 19th in defense. They don’t have anybody injured so I don’t know why their play has fallen off lately.
This game will feature the two highest scoring teams in the NBA as the Cavs and Grizzlies are tied at 122.8 ppg. Memphis is ranked 22nd in scoring defense, but that is mainly because they play at the league's fastest pace.
While Memphis may run the fewest pick-and-rolls, the Grizzlies are the fastest-paced team and lead the league in drives. - The Athletic
The Cavs are 1st in pick-and-rolls, 3rd in drives, and 7th in pace.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from a team like Cleveland is the Memphis Grizzlies. While the Cavaliers spam pick-and-roll to the point of running it almost once for every minute of a 48-minute game, the Grizzlies are down at 21.2 pick-and-roll possessions per game, 4.5 fewer than any other team in the league.
“They play a certain way, and they’re unwavering in how they play, particularly offensively with their concepts,” Lakers’ coach JJ Redick said before a December visit from the Grizzlies. “They’re going to get middle. And they’re going to get into their wheel concept. And they’re going to mess you up when they get middle. And those guys just do it, over and over again. Multiple times a possession, multiple possessions in a row.”
A typical Memphis possession features a shot within the first six seconds of the shot clock. Redick noted that when his video team put together a scout on the Grizzlies, most of the possessions did not have a set play: “It’s literally transition, transition, random, transition, transition, random.” - The Athletic
So this could be a shootout with both teams racing up and down the floor. The Cavaliers have more firepower than at any point this season now that De’Andre Hunter is on board and Jerome, Wade, and Okoro are back from injury. They overwhelmed the Knicks, scoring 29 points above the Knicks’ defensive average, and that despite calling off the dogs for the entire 4th quarter.
However, Jarrett Allen (hand) and Darius Garland (hip) are listed as game time decisions, so the Cavs could be down a couple of key starters.
The Grizzlies rank 2nd in points in the paint and 9th in fast break points. They don’t shoot a lot of 3’s, ranking 20th in 3-rate, but they are 8th in 3-point percentage and also in 2-point percentage. They lead the NBA in field goal attempts per game, they’re 2nd in offensive rebound percentage, and 6th in free throw attempts per possession. The one area where they are weak offensively is turnovers; they rank 26th in turnover percentage. I’m sure that’s mostly due to playing with the fastest pace in the league.
This is going to be a challenge for the Cavs defensively, especially with the offensive rebounding as the Grizzlies average 13.3 per game. If Allen is out the challenge will be even greater. Normally the Cavs should match up well against the team that leads the NBA in drives because the Cavs defend the rim better than anybody, but if Allen is out that will change the equation.
The Grizzlies have been exceptional defensively, ranking 6th in both 2-point and 3-point percentage. However, they foul a lot, ranking 25th in opponents’ free throw attempts per play, and their defensive rebound percentage is on the low end of average. They are 22nd in points allowed per game, but that’s mostly because they play so fast that their opponents take a lot of shots.
PF Jaren Jackson Jr leads in scoring at 23 points per game on 49% from the field and 36% on 3’s. Jackson is 6’10”, 242, so this will be a great matchup with Evan Mobley, unless Mobley plays center with Allen out.
PG Ja Morant averages 20.5 points and 7.3 assists on 44% overall and 31% on 3’s. Morant is only averaging 29 minutes per game this year and I don’t know why. His career average is 32. His numbers are down across the board.
At 6’2”, 174 Morant is a little guy and has never played more than 63 games since his rookie year. Last year he played 9 before going down. Maybe they just want to get him to the playoffs healthy.
SG Desmond Bane is having a solid season at 18.2 ppg on 49.5% from the field and 39.5% on 3’s. He’s chipping in 6 rebounds and 5 assists, both well above his career averages. SF Jaylen Wells, a rookie 2nd round pick, is starting and averaging 11 points on 45% and 37%. Wells is a beanpole at 6’8”, 206.
Rookie center Zach Edey is 7’4”, 305. He averages 9 points and 8 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. Between Edey, Jackson, and Wells the Grizzlies have a lot of length on their front line. Santi Aldama, 7’0”, comes off the bench to average 13 points and 7 rebounds. Luke Kennard also comes off the bench and is shooting 47% on 3’s.
So this is shaping up to be a very entertaining game with a fast pace and a lot of scoring on both ends. I’m expecting a wild one with the ball flying up and down the floor. The Grizzlies have been just average on the road and have a losing record against teams .500 and over (like the Knicks), so that is in the Cavs’ favor. Both teams have had one day off. The Cavs are 26-4 at home and with Hunter now in the rotation they appear to be better than ever. But not having Allen or Garland or both could throw everything out of whack,especially Allen against the team that leads the league in drives and is second in second chance points.
The Grizzlies have hit a speed bump lately, losing 3 of their last 5 and all by 13-14 points, while barely scraping by against struggling Orlando by 1 point.
The Cavs buried the Knicks under a hail of 3-pointers on Friday, going 19-for-37, and that was with Garland having an off night (1-for-6). I’m sure they will come out and try for another 40-point first quarter. I like the Cavs in this one but if Allen or Garland are out it could go either way. The Grizzlies are great offensive rebounders and that has been a Cavs’ vulnerability.
