After Friday night's home win over Golden State, I breathed a sigh of relief. Today's game may provide a bit more relief.
Minnesota is a tough bunch. They've lost key guys due to injury (Love, Budinger, Roy), but they fight on. Nikola Pekovic is a load and a half on the block, and Ricky Rubio is one of my favorite point guards. I love how he plays with his head up. As much as I like his creative ball-handling and passing, his court vision is what I enjoy most. He could have played point in any era, just based on his ability to move the ball & see open teammates. Many of today's guards at all levels could stand to do similar. Seeing open teammates for easy buckets makes the game more fun.
For the Grizzlies, Tony Allen made a huge difference Friday night. On the nights were he scores in double figures, usually it's opportunity baskets, run-outs, turnovers, etc. That means the Grizz are getting stops, deflections and other hustle plays on defense. Others on the roster have higher profiles, but Allen is the engine that makes the Grizzlies go. When Allen is playing well, home court at FedEx Forum is a decided advantage. His late fouling out on Friday caused some anxious moments.
The guy who backs up Allen and Mike Conley, Jarryd Bayless, can play but he still seems uncomfortable with his role on the team. When he's on the court with Conley, he doesn't hesitate to take his shots. Good for him, confidence-wise, but he leaves out his more efficient teammates (Randolph and Gasol). Also, when Bayless goes in for Allen, the team loses that defensive intensity. Bayless is somewhat undersized at SG, and has nowhere near the defensive range and instinct Allen possesses.
This will be a fun game to watch. Gasol and Pekovic will battle to a standstill in the post. Conley and Rubio will have a great duel at the PG position.
My guess: Grizzlies 97, Timberwolves 87. As usual, my guessing isn't meant for gaming purposes, just for argument/after-the fact critiquing.
After the Game: Grizzlies 105, Timberwolves 88. Tayshaun Prince (18 pts) and Austin Daye (16) combined for 14-17 from the field. Prince was 8 for 8 from the field. The home team got 30 assists on the 41 made baskets. Mike Conley and Zach Randolph added 16 points each, and Tony Allen got 4 steals in 25 minutes. The Grizz led by 20 at the end of the 3rd. The 4th quarter was up-and-down the floor for both teams (Minnesota outscored Memphis 32-29 in the period).
Memphis led in fast break points, 20-4, and outscored Minnesota 50-32 in the paint (despite missing numerous short-range shots in the 1st quarter).
There were some Memphis defensive issues in the game. Luke Ridenour kept going to his right, and Memphis never really stopped him (17 points on 7-13 FG/A). Ricky Rubio got off to a bad start shooting, but finished 6 for 11 as part of his own 17 points. Minnesota shot 49.3% from the field, even with missing key players.
In that post matchup, Pekovic was 8 pts, 6 rebounds. Gasol was 9 pts, 9 rebounds, but added 8 assists.
Memphis played great in the 2nd and 3rd periods, and it was enough for the win. Next up, the Grizzlies host Sacramento Tuesday night. The Kings have a nice amount of talent on the roster, but like a slogan I saw on a different website, the Kings "put the funk in dysfunctional".
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