Grizzlies at Jazz
The Memphis Grizzlies have yet to beat a Western Conference playoff contender and will get another chance when they visit the surprising Utah Jazz on Saturday. The Grizzlies dropped two of the first three on a five-game road trip that finishes up at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Memphis lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers by a combined 99 points while knocking off Indiana, Brooklyn and the Sacramento Kings. "They're a young team, they're athletic," Memphis coach David Joerger told reporters following the 115-96 loss to the Blazers on Thursday. "We're a little older and slower, but they beat us to every single ball. They got whatever they wanted." The Jazz are still looking for their first home win but are coming off a 96-84 victory at the Denver Nuggets. Utah allows an average of 80.3 points in its four road games but was routed 108-92 by Portland in its lone home contest.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Southeast (Memphis), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (3-3): The usually-stout Memphis defense surrendered 72 points in the second and third quarters against Portland to let the game get away, and the team is searching for answers. “It’s not going to get any easier. This (expletive) ain’t going to get easier,” power forward Zach Randolph told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We gotta play strong, gotta play tough, can’t be soft, gotta take the hit. That’s what we do. This is crazy.” Randolph has been one of the more consistent Grizzlies and recorded his third double-double in the last four games with 16 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (3-2): Utah is built much like the Grizzlies only younger, with 24-year-old Derrick Favors and 23-year-old Rudy Gobert matching up with Randolph and Marc Gasol on the inside. Favors sat out the second half of Thursday’s win due to illness and is questionable for Saturday, but Trevor Booker picked up the slack with 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Gobert is averaging 13 rebounds and 3.6 blocks for the league’s top scoring defense.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The road team has taken each of the last five meetings.
2. Memphis G Mike Conley is averaging 8.3 points in losses and 16.3 in wins.
3. Utah G Gordon Hayward went 7-of-13 from the floor on Thursday – his first game this season shooting 50 percent or better.