Game Preview: New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN

HOW TO WATCH: Bally Sports Southeast/92.9 ESPN Memphis

Injury Report:

NOP: Cody Zeller (Game time decision, knee), Zion Williamson (Game time decision, foot), Dyson Daniels (Knee, foot)

MEM: Derrick Rose (Doubtful, Right Ankle Soreness), Ziaire Williams (Doutbful, Left Hand Bone Contusion), Desmond Bane (Out, Left Ankle Sprain), Brandon Clarke (Out, Left Achilles Tendon Repair), Jake LaRavia (Out, Left Ankle Sprain), Ja Morant (Out, Right Shoulder Labral Repair), Marcus Smart (Out, Right Ring Finger Central Slip Tear)

Projected Starters:

NOP: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, Jonas Valanciunas

MEM: Jacob Gilyard, John Konchar, Vince Williams Jr., Santi Aldama, Jaren Jackson Jr

The Memphis Grizzlies return home after a tough loss in Charlotte on Saturday night to host the 31-22 New Orleans Pelicans. The last time these two teams met, the Grizzlies had a much brighter outlook on the season. Ja Morant came back from suspension in an emphatic way, the season was turning around, and the Grizzlies won a primetime game 115-113 in New Orleans. One week later on the same court, the Grizz won 116-115. Since those clashes in December, a lot of life has happened in Memphis and the same team will not be taking the floor tonight. With injuries to key starters, the departure of Xavier Tillman and David Roddy, the Memphis Grizzlies have entered a developmental phase of the season and will be giving a lot of run to young players to see who fits around the core going forward.

The Grizzlies come into the clash mired in an 8 game losing streak, while the Pelicans have won 5 of their last 6 games. Zion Williamson is a game time decision with a foot injury, after missing Saturday’s win over Portland, but Memphis will have their hands full regardless with former big man Jonas Valanciunas coming to town. The Pelicans, one of the top 10 rebounding teams in the league, will look to exploit the obvious advantage they will have in the paint. Notorious Grizz killer CJ McCollum will look to help New Orleans build on their lead in the Southwest Division.

Here are some players, trends, and storylines to watch in tonight’s game.

Revenge Game

The last times these 2 teams met, Ja Morant returned from suspension and dropped 34 points to lead the Grizz to an emphatic win on the 19th and 31 on the 26th in the one point win. Ja made headlines for hitting a Louisiana based dance trend after a big bucket in the Smoothie King Center that had Twitter on fire. Ja has found consistent success over the Pelicans but alas, 12 will be sitting beside the coaches once again in sweats. Can this young, developing team find success against a hot Pelicans team? Coach Taylor Jenkins will need all hands on deck in order to find success. Speaking of which, Jenkins has been throwing together lineups, rotations, and matchups as best he can, with over 30 different lineup variations so far. Injuries, trades, and unfortunate circumstances rule the day, but can Jenkins find lightning in a bottle to stop the 8 game skid tonight in Memphis? New Orleans comes in averaging almost 116 points per game in their last 6 games and are seeing red after the tough loss to Memphis on December 19. A sluggish win over Portland in the second half of a back to back west coast trip could show Memphis the recipe for slowing down this Pelicans offense, especially without Zion, but can Memphis keep up late to buck the trend? New Orleans will likely come in with vengeance on their mind and looking to get a big win over an embattled Memphis team.

Can Jaren Stay Hot?

Over the weekend after the Charlotte loss, Jaren was catching some heat on Twitter for not doing enough to win. Not sure what more the man has to do has he has now had 20+ points in 7 consecutive games. Jaren has looked the part of aggressor, finishing with a game high 29 against Charlotte on Saturday night, and taking over the offense in the absence of his running mates. Jaren has had to grow up a lot this year, being a leader, a physical post player, and has eclipsed 100 assists for the first time in his NBA career. One obvious area of improvement is rebounding, averaging 5.5 board per game, but we need more out of our only “true center” left on the roster. The addition of Trey Jemison helps take the pressure off Jaren having to step up as the 5, and will help with the load that is Valanciunas in the post. Jaren has had success against New Orleans, averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds, a lot of that with the likes of Steven Adams helping him down low. Can he continue that success and help the Grizzlies find a much needed win?

Stopping CJ McCollum

Noted Grizzlies killer CJ McCollum returns to FedEx forum where he has found an unprofessional amount of success. Dating back to his days in Portland, CJ averages 22.4 points per game against Memphis in 33 games, adding in 3.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds. This feels like an assignment for one Vince Williams, Jr. Vince has already slowed down the likes of Steph, Luka, and Donovan Mitchell in recent weeks, often smiling while getting in their heads. The Grizzlies will need another TA-like performance out of Vince in order to have any shot. Vince will need to mirror CJ and stay in his hip pocket all night if the Grizz want to find a much needed win. In his last 5 games Vince is average 15.6 points and 1.4 steals, but has cooled a bit from a hot stretch in January where he was a leader for this young Memphis team. The offense can be carried by Jaren and GG off the bench, but the defense will have to be paced by the young budding star.

Come into this game with tempered expectations Memphis fans. New Orleans is playing good basketball and are a 9.5 point road favorite this week for good reason. At this point of the season, it is all about development and the future. If the losing trend continues, the Grizzlies could sneak into the top 4 for the the draft lottery. The Grizzlies are currently only 3.5 games away from Portland for the 4th worst record in the league. The injuries give us as fans an opportunity to see who the Front Office can use to piece around the big 3 as our championship window is opening over the next few seasons. Is Trey Jemison an legit NBA big who can back up whoever we get in the summer? Is Scotty Pippen, Jr. the back up PG we have been missing since Tyus Jones’ departure to Washington? Watch these story lines and hope for the best against a stacked deck tonight at the Forum.

Photo credit: Getty Images/NBA.com