have a back to backthat is, two games in two nights, was the occasion for Taylor Jenkins to rest some of the main players of the grizzlies in his confrontation with the Heat of this Monday. A complicated company, we are talking about one of the most leading teams in the East even though it has been hit by injuries at the start of the season. But the victory against the Pistons, away from home, linked him with one against the Floridians to add three in a row and already reach the heights of the West. 101-93 in an appointment in which the leader Ja Morant and auxiliary pieces such as John Konchar or Jaren Jackson were not present. The hole provided by them allowed us to see the best Tyus Jones (28+10) and again in ownership to the Canarian power forward Santi Aldama (18+10). A round day for Memphis: necessary air in the body for three of its protagonists and victory against a great rival so as not to lose the rhythm of the first position.
Spoelstra is recovering troops. Jimmy Butler, for example. What he is going to have to recover is also his fang and the rhythm lost in the face of so much loss. Their Heat are 11-13 and the Celtics or the Bucks are taking too much advantage in the standings. In this clash against the Grizzlies, it had merit, if it can be reduced to that, that the good part of the Grizzlies during the second quarter came to little or nothing and the result remained tight until the last minutes. Synonymous with the fact that the visitors held up well even without clear ideas and playing almost by instinct. What Morant usually absorbs is too much for Jones, his understudy, and he was seen, in the former’s absence, eager to prove that there is a guaranteed gamemaster in him. Miami couldn’t stop Tyus at any time and didn’t take advantage of Memphis’ horrible outside shooting percentage: 8/32 (25%). The one who did scratch on the outside was Aldama, with that ability to appear in defense on the inside thanks to his long arms and, in the same way, play on the outside in attack to combine triples with penetrations in contact against shorter and faster opponents. The role that Jenkins has given Aldama this season is clear and concise, the player has understood it perfectly and the idea works on the court when used. For the Spaniard, one of his best games in the NBA: 2/5 on three-pointers and 6/7 on two-pointers in 34 minutes. In the last quarter they all contributed to maintaining the local advantage (Brooks, with a triple to improve a very bad night shooting; Adams, scoring despite not being his main mission; Clarke, cutting the area like a king) and Aldama closed the fight with a layup going from the corner to the rim against Lowry’s defense. And strategy approved.