MEMPHIS – Two takeaways from last night’s 89-74 victory at FedExForum over the San Antonio Spurs and a look-ahead to Wednesday’s home game against the Phoenix Suns.
TAKE ONE …
Before anyone dismisses the Grizzlies’ win over their biggest potential postseason obstacle in the conference because the Spurs were without MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard and Big Spain’s big brother, consider that this was the very kind of circumstance Memphis regularly squandered earlier this season.
That very fact underscores the progress the Grizzlies (32-22) appear to be making in recent weeks as they moved 10 games above the .500 mark for the first time this season. It’s a distinction they haven’t achieved since the Grizzlies held a 41-31 mark last March just as a rash of devastating injuries, including season-ending setbacks to Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Mario Chalmers, began to derail the season.
No, Monday’s win over San Antonio’s cast of role players doesn’t send any sort of signal to either team as to what a possible Western Conference playoff matchup might look like. But it certainly was a good look on some level for the Grizzlies, who took care of business against a team that rolled out an inferior lineup against them at FedExForum. Memphis beat a team it was supposed to beat on its home court. That wasn’t the case against the Blazers, Heat, Hornets, Kings and Bulls at one stage of the season.
Marc Gasol says the Grizzlies are showing signs of being a consistent threat among the West's top teams.
Memphis has now won six of its last eight games and improved to 8-2 this season over the current top four teams in the conference standings, and has beaten every team in the West at least once.
“It’s nice to catch the Spurs without Kawhi and Pau, so I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves,” said Grizzlies coach David Fizdale, whose team faces the Spurs three more times over the final 28 games of the regular season. “But you’ve got to play the games that are in front of you. I was really happy with the way we played the game and our approach to it. I’m really happy with what we’re starting to do. We haven’t seen what our best basketball can be. Not even close.”
TAKE TWO …
However, Monday was the clearest indication yet the Grizzlies are finally getting close to a preferred playing rotation for the first time this season. And Brandan Wright most definitely will have a place in it.
The Grizzlies might not make a significant move by the trade deadline later this month, but Wright’s recent emergence has provided a much-needed, midseason jolt to the lineup all the same. Now in his second week back from November ankle surgery, Wright’s impact has been both obvious and immediate on a team that was desperate for frontline athleticism and rim protection on the second unit.
In fact, Wright’s instructions to playmakers Mike Conley and Toney Douglas have been simple.
“Just throw it up – I’m going to make you look good,” Wright said after he made all four of his shots, including three dunks, and added three blocks in 14 minutes against the Spurs. “It’s going to either be a foul or a bucket. Having a guy you can throw it above the rim to is always good.”
Injuries have limited the 6-10 Wright to being mostly a tease well into the second season of a three-year deal with the Grizzlies. After dealing with issues in both knees last season and the ankle injury this season, the nine-year veteran played in just his fifth home game Monday against the Spurs.
Wright had a plus-minus ratio of plus-11 in 14 minutes on the floor, which included stints at different stages alongside both Gasol and Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies haven’t thrown lobs all season, but they’ve been a staple in the past week since Wright has been in the lineup.
Now, it’s all about keeping the oft-injured Wright healthy and available as Fizdale finds minutes for him in a power rotation that also includes starting power forward JaMychal Green. At one point in Monday’s game, Wright caught a lob dunk and forced the Spurs to call a timeout. As he landed, Wright sent a scare through the arena when he immediately reached down and grabbed his surgically-repaired ankle.
“It was nothing, man,” Wright would later say. “I got clipped by somebody, and my shoe just came off, so I had to put it back on. I’m feeling good. I got my legs back. It’s going to be a good season for me. I don’t worry about the injuries. Not one thing. Just play every play like it might be your last.”
WHAT’S NEXT …
Conley the facilitator has been a bit more lethal than Conley the finisher this season. That bodes well for both Conley and the Grizzlies amid a stretch in which they face several up-tempo teams.
Memphis’ catalyst has finished with eight or more assists in consecutive games, and four of his past seven, entering Wednesday’s matchup with the fast-paced Suns. The Grizzlies are 13-6 when Conley has dished at least seven assists this season, but are 5-5 in the last 10 games he’s led them in scoring.
The trend is not lost on Conley, who believes he’s getting into a better rhythm as a playmaker the past two weeks as the Grizzlies’ primary rotation has gotten closer to full strength. With Golden State on deck Friday after the Suns, Conley looks forward to picking his spots as a scorer and set-up man.
“I’m just finally getting a real grasp of where guys are going to be, and we’ve gotten a better grasp of our rotation,” Conley said. “The more pieces we add the easier it is for me to understand where guys are going to be on the floor. When games get tight in the fourth quarter, I know I’m going to start attacking (as a scorer). But at the rate we’ve been playing and with the way the ball has been moving, there’s no need for me to get outside of that zone. So that’s what I’ve been trying to balance.”
Conley said it’s all about mixing things up. He mastered that concept in last week’s 115-96 win in Phoenix, where Conley scored a career-high 38 points and also finished with nine assists.
“It allows you to have different spells in games, where you might have five minutes when the defense is keying on you and you’re making plays for others,” Conley said. “Then there might be another five minutes where you’re wide open or pushing the tempo and are ready to go. Either way, I’m just trying to be assertive and keep finding whatever works best for me to help our team.”
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