The Grizzlies can't take it easy
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The Grizzlies have it rough.
They drew the Thunder, a team that won 20 more games than Memphis and is firing on all cylinders.
Their head coach, Tuomas Iisalo, is in the fourth week of his first stint as an NBA head coach.
Their star, Ja Morant, is playing through an ankle injury, and has missed ten games since March 1 with many different injuries.
It’ll take some serious underdog mentality to overcome the mighty Thunder.
And then:
By my calculation, the Thunder are outscoring the Grizzlies 49-16 in points off turnovers. Or, as NBA.com calculates fast break points, 48-8.
Those numbers tell the tale that the Grizzlies are only outmatched, but also outworked, outhustled, and outrun. To find some footing, they need do the basics: get a shot every possession, and race back on defense.
Memphis does not have the talent to beat OKC in four of the next five games. But there’s no reason they couldn’t win a game at home tonight, or on Saturday afternoon. This series should be far more competitive.
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