Grizzlies at Seattle Preview
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February 19, 2008
With the All-Star Break behind them, the Grizzlies get back to work tonight in Seattle. Memphis has won the first three meetings this season, and will be looking to complete the sweep. Here are a few storylines to watch.
Offensive outbursts
The first time the Grizzlies beat the Sonics this season, they did so despite shooting just 37.6% from the field and committing 18 turnovers. They didn’t have those problems in the next two meetings.
In the last two games between these two teams, the Grizzlies were unstoppable offensively. They averaged 124.5 points per game, both regulation contests, and scored 30 or more points in six of the eight quarters. They shot a scorching 53.8% from the field and 51.2% from three-point range over those two contests, while committing an average of just 13.5 turnovers per game in the last two contests. In the November 19 win, seven Grizzlies scored in double figures, while in the January 18 victory, four different Grizzlies poured in 20 or more points.
Of course, this is a very different Grizzlies team than the one that earned those first three wins over Seattle. In the last meeting against the Sonics, Pau Gasol and Bobby Jones combined for 44 points, and obviously neither player is still with the team. However, Rudy Gay didn’t play in the last matchup, and was limited to 4-12 shooting in the one before that. Assuming Gay plays as well as has through most of the season, he’ll help compensate for the loss of the players no longer with the team. The Grizzlies will need a strong showing from him in this contest to keep the offensive numbers at a high level.
Containing Kevin
If Kevin Durant’s shot is falling, the struggling Sonics have a chance. But on many nights this season it hasn’t been falling, and on those occasions Seattle finds themselves in trouble.
Durant leads all rookies in scoring with 19.4 points per game, but his points are coming mostly because of the volume of shots he takes. His nearly 20 points per game are coming on just 40.2% field goal shooting and 28.2% three-point shooting. His 858 field goal attempts account for a shade under 20% of the team’s field goal attempts of the season, as the team’s fortunes ride with him. In Seattle wins, he’s making 46.5% of his field goal attempts and 40.4% of his threes, while in losses those numbers drop to 38.1% from the field and 23.6% from the arc.
With those numbers in mind, the Grizzlies’ 3-0 record against Seattle this season is due in large part to success in guarding Durant. He was 3-17 from the field in the first game of the season series, and was limited to just eight field goal attempts the second time. The last time these teams met he had a better time of it with 22 points on 8-18 shooting, but made just four trips to the free throw line after taking 18 attempts in the first two games. The Grizzlies will be looking to put the clamps on Durant one more time.
Bad time for a break for Hakim
If there’s one player who probably didn’t want a break over All-Star Weekend, it was Hakim Warrick. When play resumes Tuesday in Seattle, he’ll be looking to pick up where he left off right before the break.
Warrick joined the starting lineup in the last two games before the All-Star break and made the most of his opportunity. He scored 20+ points in each of the last two games, a mark he’d only hit once in the previous 50 games of the season, averaging 23.5 points on 63.6% shooting along with 10.5 rebounds.
While it will be difficult for him to keep posting those numbers for an extended time, the Grizzlies need Warrick to give them some offensive production from the post in the absence of Pau Gasol. With the attention Gasol used to draw, it opened up room for the perimeter players. If Warrick can do the same, it will be a big boost for the Grizzlies.
Catch tonight's broadcast starting at 8:30 p.m. on SportSouth and 103.5FM.
Check TV listings. A link for pre-game notes can be found on the Gametime page.