Grizzlies vs. Orlando Preview
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January 23, 2008
The Grizzlies and Magic close out their season series tonight at FedExForum with the Grizzlies looking for a sweep after beating Orlando 123-119 last month. Here are a few storylines to watch in tonight’s game.
Conley in control
In case anyone needs further proof that rookie point guard Michael Conley is doing an outstanding job as the starting point guard, consider his last three games. He’s played 100 combined minutes over the last three contests, and committed only three turnovers in that time. He’s also dished out 21 assists for a staggering assist-to-turnover ratio of 7.0 in that time. That number could be even higher, but Conley only registered three assists Saturday in Charlotte, and with the Grizzlies having shot only 40% that night, who knows how many assist opportunities fell by the wayside with wayward shots.
In any event, while his assist-to-turnover ratio in his last three games represents a small sample size, consider that in 11 games as a starter he’s committed two turnovers or less in eight of those 11 contests, and is averaging just 2.1 miscues per game for the month. His assist-to-turnover ratio for January is 2.78, which over the course of an entire season would put him 21st in the league if he had enough numbers to qualify, and ahead of players like Jason Kidd, Deron Williams and Tony Parker. While it’s probably too late for him to enter the Rookie of the Year race, Conley is quickly establishing himself in the league.
Handling Howard
When these two teams met last month, Dwight Howard ran roughshod over the Grizzlies with 31 points on 10-11 shooting and 20 rebounds. It was the latest in a long line of strong performances he’s had against Memphis, as last season he averaged 27.5 points on 76% shooting and 17.0 rebounds in the season series.
Darko Milicic will again be called on to guard Howard, but he committed five fouls in just over 16 minutes in last month’s meeting and as a result spent much of the game on the bench. With Milicic in foul trouble all night and Pau Gasol sitting out that game due to injury, the Grizzlies’ frontline was overmatched against Howard. While Gasol will be healthy and available to help tonight, Milicic has to stay out of foul trouble and stay in the game.
That said though, he will get help. In order to have a hope of containing Howard, you have to deny him the ball in the first place, so the Grizzlies will likely dispatch plenty of help defense in an effort to keep the ball out of Howard’s hands. If the Grizzlies are successful with that, it’s the first step in beating Orlando.
Don’t lose Lewis
When the Magic acquired Rashard Lewis in the offseason, no one questioned the wisdom of the trade. The max contract, on the other hand, is a different story. But Lewis has played a big role in Orlando’s 26-17 record, and his splits reflect that the Magic are a much better team when his shot is falling. While Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu’s numbers don’t fluctuate much between wins and losses, Lewis’ seem to be an indicator on how the Magic are doing on a given night. His field goal percentage is 46.5% in wins, compared to just 40.4% in losses, while his three-point shooting drops from 41.4% in wins to 35.2% in losses. When he plays well, it pays several dividends: on the most basic level, he can pour in plenty of points when he’s knocking down shots. But it also stretches defenses, giving Howard more room to operate in the paint. And with the attention he and Howard each draw, it opens up space for Turkoglu, who’s enjoying a career year next to Lewis on the perimeter.
Giving Milicic help down low on Howard while not losing sight of Lewis and Turkoglu on the perimeter will be a major challenge for the Grizzlies tonight.
Tip-off is at 7pm. FedExForum doors open at 6pm. Buy tickets online.