The upstart Memphis Grizzlies come to town Monday night, sporting the best record in the Southwest division as they start a four game west coast swing against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.
Memphis (9-6) is on a six game winning streak coming into tonight’s matchup, leaving the struggling Warriors (5-10) to figure out how to stop the Griz’s winnings ways. Memphis has been using solid defense and balanced production to get it done lately, not dissimilar from what Mark Jackson is trying to do with his squad.
The W’s will be out for some redemption after a heartbreaking loss to the Pacers in their last time out on a missed kick ball call by the referees. The W’s are only 1-5 at home this season, though Memphis has struggled at Oracle, losing seven of their last nine contests there including a 115-109 loss in November of 2010 last visit with Monta Ellis dropping 39 points. They may need something similar tonight as well.
Golden State is going to need to stop Rudy Gay, who comes into the game averaging 18.6 points for the Griz, and Mike Conley, averaging 16.7 a game, if they want a chance to win. Dealing with Marc Gasol may be an issue as wellwith the W’s lack of size these days, Gasol is going to be a handful down low for Lee, Biedrins and the like, which is definitely a matchup to watch for.
Also make sure to watch how Stephen Curry’s ankle holds up in his second game back. Curry seemed to be a bit winded with tired legs during the Indiana game, obviously due to his inability to train when injured. Let’s see how he does after some more practice time and recovery under his belt.
For more on the W’s, head over to Golden State of Mind.