The Grizzlies are the sensation of a rather dim West and the big reveal of the season … if the Cavaliers didn’t exist. If his excellent march needed confirmation, none better than a triumph in Phoenix, on the track of his Conference champion and one of the legitimate contenders for the ring (113-114). In an electric game, of tremendous resolution and in which they won even though they had neither Dillon Brooks nor De’Anthony Melton. In the Suns they were not (the pandemic does not spare anyone) neither DeAndre Ayton nor Jae Crowder nor the coach, Monty Williams. But yes all the others.
The Suns also played with their guard up after their painful Christmas loss against the Warriors. But they lost again, which is rare, and they remain at 26-7, one game behind the Bay team and two ahead of the Jazz. That they are there again, just in case. Behind that trio of favorites (Warriors, Suns, Jazz) these Grizzlies who are now a resounding reality have established themselves as rooms, more and more settled: 21-14, more than three games ahead of the fifth, all moving towards another playoff ticket. Right now they have more ballots to have a field advantage in the first round than to fall to the play in who have played in the two editions of this new format (cross in the bubble, heads last season with a great victory in San Francisco).
For more than three quarters, the Grizzlies showed (on defense and offense) why they are one of the best teams in the League right now. They won 75-89 before the last quarter, after a fabulous first half by Desmond Bane (19 points) and an atomic third quarter by Ja Morant (15 points). And a complete domination of the Steven Adams zones, at ease without DeAndre Ayton and with Javale McGee loaded with fouls.
If all that part of the game was impressive, it was even more so how it withstood the final assault of the Suns, with the public on the warpath, the team of Taylor Jenkins, a highly underrated coach who is one of the big favorites for the Coach of the Year award. The Suns carried it all, with the best minutes of a Chris Paul who was bad in the first half, with a furious defense and points from Payne and Cam Johnson. A triple by Devin Booker made it 113-112 that culminated a miraculous comeback after his team forced a air ball by Kyle Anderson. But there was one attack left, and Ja Morant managed to break Paul and score on penetration, absorbing the contact with Mikal Bridges. A basket house brand, as a superstar, who decided a first level game and raised some Grizzlies who, of course, did not deserve to lose.
Morant finished with 33 points and 4 assists, Bane (career ceiling) with 32, 6 rebounds and a 6/11 in triples. And Steven Adams, fundamental, with 13 points, 16 rebounds (9 in attack) and 7 assists. In the Suns, Booker (from less to more, like his team) added 30 points Chris Paul 13 and 13 assists and Jonhson 19 and 7 rebounds.
SA SPURS 104-UTAH JAZZ 110
The good progress of the Spurs (14-19 now) stopped before Utah Jazz (24-9), a team that has won twelve of its last fourteen games and is back there, this season making less noise behind the Warriors and Suns, the two favorites in the West. Established third in contention, the Jazz are marching at an excellent pace, once again in the it was quin snyder, Y in San Antonio they stopped a packed team that had been scoring 110 points or more for ten games. But in the crucial casualty war, Dejounte Murray’s was more important to Popovich’s than Donovan Mitchell’s to Salt Lake City.
After a first quarter almost recess in which the two teams scored everything, the Jazz got serious on defense in the second set, in which they linked 0-11 and took advantages of up to 15 points, with Rudy Gobert (16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks) turned into a nightmare for some Spurs who spent more than five minutes without a basket in play and they signed a 7/26 in that second quarter in which they only scored 16 points. Clarkson (23 + 8 + 5) put the percussion and the rest were made between Ingles (17 + 3 + 3), Conley (12 + 6 + 2) and Bogdanovic (19 points). At the Spurs, 21 points and 8 assists from Derrick White, 17 points from McDermott …
CLIPPERS 108-NETS 124
Life is going to be tough for the Clippers, that weeks will go by without Paul George and, of course, without the return of Kawhi Leonard, much less close. The West is cheap and the play in brings the top ten to life, but each victory is going to be golden now for the Angelenos, who can suffer a lot to endure in the playoff train and who fell with a crash (108-124) against the Nets and are at 50% wins, still fifth in the West but only one game ahead of the ninth. The Nets have won six of the last seven games, are 23-9 and still lead in the East despite the loss of Kevin Durant as Kyrie Irving has yet to make his debut.
Since it was called Crypto.com Arena, the former Staples has seen two Nets wins. In both games he was clear in command after three quarters. But if they were scared to death against the Lakers at Christmas, this time they had no major problem, well led by James Harden, who finished with 39 points, 8 rebounds and 15 assists and that in the last five games, his best moment of the season, he is at 29-9-11 on average. Also, of course, Patty Mills put the outside percussion (18 points in 6 triples) and Nic Claxton the inside physique (18 + 5). In the Clippers, who made up the score as they could, the best Marcus Morris: 24 + 5 + 6. Yes, difficult weeks are coming for Tyronn Lue.