Grizzlies vs. Jazz: Can Memphis Avoid the Upset?
This Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. EDT, the Memphis Grizzlies head out to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they will take on the Utah Jazz in what marks the Grizzlies’ fourth straight road game on their current five-game West Coast swing. Entering into this game, the Memphis Grizzlies have dropped their last three games and four of their last five games, falling to the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings. The team also sits just two and a half games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold the first Play-In Tournament spot as well, a gap that has been closing the last couple weeks. This latest slump coincides with the Grizzlies losing their power forward Brandon Clarke for the rest of the season after the big man suffered a high-grade PCL sprain in his right knee during the Grizzlies’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last Wednesday.
The battle against the Jazz comes at a crucial time for the Memphis Grizzlies, who are desperate for any positive momentum they can muster before they begin their brutal four-game stretch against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and the Golden State Warriors, all of which currently sit at least 10 games above .500. Fortunately for the Memphis Grizzlies, the Utah Jazz currently sit as the second worst team by record in the entire NBA and have dropped 12 of their last 13 games, one of which came at the hands of the Grizzlies back on March 12th. It is also worth noting that the Jazz’s star player, Lauri Markkanen, has missed the last three games due to both illness and personal reasons, and his status is still uncertain for the Tuesday night clash. Thus, this game presents an opportunity for the Memphis Grizzlies to gain some momentum as they begin the final stretch to the playoffs, which begin in just a few weeks.
With the loss of Brandon Clarke, Grizzlies’ coach Taylor Jenkins will likely turn to Zach Edey to provide more minutes against the Jazz. While Clarke and the Memphis Grizzlies’ center Jaren Jackson Jr. were a formidable duo, outscoring opponents by 8.2 points per 100 possessions when on the court together, Zach Edey and Jackson actually generated slightly more points per 100 possessions, 10.1 when on the court together. As for the Grizzlies’ star player, Ja Morant, the status of his availability for the game is still uncertain. Ja has missed the last four games for the Grizzlies due to left hamstring soreness. While the team can handle being without their star, as they are 15-13 without him, they fare much better when he brings his electrifying talent to the court, as they are 28-15 when Ja plays. As it turns out, this Tuesday night matchup against the league’s second-worst team, the Jazz, has become much more pivotal than the Memphis Grizzlies may have foreseen, as the game will introduce the team’s new lineups and possibly set the team’s trajectory for the rest of the regular season.
