Banged-Up Memphis Grizzlies Lose 3 In A Row
It’s safe to say that Dave Joerger is not having a very merry Christmas. After defeating the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs on a brutal back-to-back, the Memphis Grizzlies have lost three straight games.
Losing to Chicago on Friday night and Cleveland on Sunday is excusable, and somewhat expected after the significant amount energy they expended earlier in the week. However, a loss at home to the Utah Jazz is something no one saw coming.
Defensively, Memphis has been lackluster. Particularly on the perimeter. Chicago knocked down 10 three-pointers Friday night, including six from Nikola Mirotic. The Grizzlies had no answer for the rookie, big man from the former Yugoslavia.
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Mirotic finished 27 points, his highest total of the season and best game of his career.
Cleveland thoroughly dominated Memphis with the fourth best offense in the NBA (112.1 offensive rating). The Cavs shot 50 percent from outside and 60 percent from the field. LeBron James controlled the game with 25 points and 11 assists.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, their efficient three-point shooting came crashing down to earth against Cleveland. Memphis shot 1-of-16 from three-point range, killing any hopes of a comeback victory.
Against Utah, it was more of the same. The Jazz shot 9-of-19 from three, and got 21- and 23-point nights from Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks .respectively. The two-man combination of Marc Gasol (24 points and 12 rebounds) and Mike Conley (28 points and four assists) was not enough to hold off Utah.
The Grizzlies look a step slow on defense, which could be due to fatigue, but they also have been dealing with injuries. Tony Allen has missed all three losses and the San Antonio victory with a corneal abrasion that he suffered against the Warriors.
Without Allen, Memphis has been forced to start Tayshaun Prince. Prince is nowhere near the defensive player that Allen is, but most would expect him to provide at least more offensively than Allen typically does. That has not been the case.
He started in all three losses, and shot 3-for-8, 1-for-4, and 0-for-3, respectively. Poor shooting without elite defense is almost like Memphis playing 4-on-5.
Perhaps more importantly, Memphis has been without Zach Randolph for the last two games. Randolph is dealing with a sore right knee and has been day-to-day. Randolph was having a very good under-the-radar season, averaging 16.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per game on 48.3 percent shooting.
The absence of Z-B0 allows teams to focus more of their defensive attention to Marc Gasol.
Without Randolph, the Grizzlies have opted to start Kosta Koufos. Koufos has been a much more suitable replacement than Prince has been (13 total points on 50 percent shooting in two games), but he does not have the knack for scoring that Randolph does.
Without Randolph almost the entirety of the scoring load falls on Conley and Gasol, which so far has not been enough.
The injuries certainly make life more difficult for the Grizzlies, but this is the NBA. There are no excuses. You have to win games when you are not 100 percent, if you are going to become a championship contender.
The “next man up” philosophy that many teams preach is not just a mantra, it’s a requirement if you want to win a title.
After a much-needed break, Memphis will return home Friday night to take on the Houston Rockets. The two teams have split their first two meetings, with each team winning in a blowout. If Allen and Randolph do not return soon, Memphis could take a tumble down the Western Conference standings.