Hobbled Grizzlies Host Bucks
By Dan Bruno
The Memphis Grizzlies play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at FedEx Forum on Thursday evening.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Grizzlies (19-36), after a, 121-113, home win over the Rockets on Wednesday. The Grizzlies jumped out to a great start in the game and led, 36-21, after one quarter. They kept the momentum going and pushed their lead up to 24 in the second, before their lead was cut to nine points heading into the break. After conceding the lead briefly to start the fourth, they took over down the stretch and closed out the win to snap a nine-game slide. GG Jackson led the way with 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, in 24 minutes off the bench. Luke Kennard added 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Jaren Jackson totaled 18 points, two rebounds, three assists and a block. Despite continuing to deal with injury trouble, the Grizzlies will look to build on momentum with a chance to add to their, 6-20, home record in their final game before the all-star break. Scotty Pippen (back) is listed as questionable for action, while Desmond Bane (ankle) and Marcus Smart (finger) remain out.
Meanwhile, the Bucks (35-20) are coming off a disappointing home loss agains the Heat. They hope to get back on track and improve on their, 12-13, road record as they face a one-game trip before shutting down for the all-star break. Damian Lillard (ankle) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) both played in the last game and are listed as probable for action on Thursday. Khris Middleton (ankle) will remain sidelined. Lillard, Antetokounmpo and Middleton lead the team in scoring, while Bobby Portis continues to provide a strong boost off the bench, averaging 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Brook Lopez averages 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.7 blocks per game.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Grizzlies (19-36), after a, 121-113, home win over the Rockets on Wednesday. The Grizzlies jumped out to a great start in the game and led, 36-21, after one quarter. They kept the momentum going and pushed their lead up to 24 in the second, before their lead was cut to nine points heading into the break. After conceding the lead briefly to start the fourth, they took over down the stretch and closed out the win to snap a nine-game slide. GG Jackson led the way with 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, in 24 minutes off the bench. Luke Kennard added 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Jaren Jackson totaled 18 points, two rebounds, three assists and a block. Despite continuing to deal with injury trouble, the Grizzlies will look to build on momentum with a chance to add to their, 6-20, home record in their final game before the all-star break. Scotty Pippen (back) is listed as questionable for action, while Desmond Bane (ankle) and Marcus Smart (finger) remain out.
Meanwhile, the Bucks (35-20) are coming off a disappointing home loss agains the Heat. They hope to get back on track and improve on their, 12-13, road record as they face a one-game trip before shutting down for the all-star break. Damian Lillard (ankle) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) both played in the last game and are listed as probable for action on Thursday. Khris Middleton (ankle) will remain sidelined. Lillard, Antetokounmpo and Middleton lead the team in scoring, while Bobby Portis continues to provide a strong boost off the bench, averaging 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Brook Lopez averages 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.7 blocks per game.
Warriors and Jazz Set for Desert Battle
The Golden State Warriors take on the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on Thursday night.
The Warriors (26-26) have been on an encouraging stretch of play as the All-Star break approaches, as they'd won seven of the last eight games, including five straight, going into a Wednesday night battle against the Clippers. However, Golden State wasn't able to hold on to the lead they went into the final period with, allowing 44 points in the final 12 minutes on the way to a 130-125 loss. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 41 points, supplementing them with five assists and four rebounds. Brandin Podziemski supplied 25 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and one steal. Jonathan Kuminga amassed 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Klay Thompson went for 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. Andrew Wiggins managed 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals.
The Warriors will remain without Chris Paul (hand) for Thursday's contest.
The Jazz (26-29) continue to reside in the outer fringes of the Western Conference's play-in picture heading into the All-Star break, but they'll enter their final game before the pause in play having dropped three straight contests. Their most recent stumble came Wednesday night, when they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers by a 138-122 score. Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 18 points, adding three assists and two blocks. Jordan Clarkson delivered 17 points, five assists and three rebounds. Lauri Markkanen turned in 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block. Keyonte George finished with 13 points, seven assists, five boards and two steals. Walker Kessler and Kris Dunn generated matching 12-point efforts while adding seven rebounds and three assists, respectively. John Collins contributed an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double that included two assists, one steal and one block.
The Jazz comes into Thursday's matchup without any injuries to report.
Thursday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Warriors own a 1-0 series lead.
The Warriors (26-26) have been on an encouraging stretch of play as the All-Star break approaches, as they'd won seven of the last eight games, including five straight, going into a Wednesday night battle against the Clippers. However, Golden State wasn't able to hold on to the lead they went into the final period with, allowing 44 points in the final 12 minutes on the way to a 130-125 loss. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 41 points, supplementing them with five assists and four rebounds. Brandin Podziemski supplied 25 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and one steal. Jonathan Kuminga amassed 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Klay Thompson went for 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. Andrew Wiggins managed 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals.
The Warriors will remain without Chris Paul (hand) for Thursday's contest.
The Jazz (26-29) continue to reside in the outer fringes of the Western Conference's play-in picture heading into the All-Star break, but they'll enter their final game before the pause in play having dropped three straight contests. Their most recent stumble came Wednesday night, when they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers by a 138-122 score. Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 18 points, adding three assists and two blocks. Jordan Clarkson delivered 17 points, five assists and three rebounds. Lauri Markkanen turned in 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block. Keyonte George finished with 13 points, seven assists, five boards and two steals. Walker Kessler and Kris Dunn generated matching 12-point efforts while adding seven rebounds and three assists, respectively. John Collins contributed an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double that included two assists, one steal and one block.
The Jazz comes into Thursday's matchup without any injuries to report.
Thursday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Warriors own a 1-0 series lead.
Blazers, Timberwolves Meet For Second Time In Three Days
The Portland Trail Blazers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves at Moda Center on Thursday.
The Trail Blazers (15-38) are in full rebuilding mode and sit second-to-last in the Western Conference, topping only the San Antonio Spurs. Portland has had quite a few issues on both ends of the court this season, and while the struggles were expected following the departure of Damian Lillard, the front office was not expecting to hold one of the league’s worst records at the All-Star break. There are some positives, though. Veterans such as Malcolm Brogdon (15.7 points, 5.5 assists per game) and Jerami Grant (21.7 points) have performed well. At the same time, Anfernee Simons (23.3 points, 5.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per tilt) continues to show why the coaching staff considers him a building block for the future. Still, the play of Scoot Henderson (12.8 points, 4.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game), the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been subpar compared to what other rookies are doing. Portland enters this game having lost five games in a row and seven of its last nine. Their most recent game was a 121-109 loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday. They also own a 9-16 record at home.
The Trail Blazers are listing Moses Brown (wrist), Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) and Shaedon Sharpe (abdomen) as out. Robert Williams (knee) is out for the season.
The Timberwolves (38-16) are oozing with confidence right now, and their 121-109 win over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday was their third win in a row. It was also Minnesota’s fourth win over their last five games, with the lone blip in that span being a 129-123 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 6. The Timberwolves have been one of the most pleasant surprises in The Association this season. They have one of the best records in the Western Conference thanks to the strong play of their stars: Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert. The partnership between Gobert and Towns is finally working after an injury-marred 2022-23 campaign. In particular, Edwards has risen his game to a new level, firmly establishing himself as one of the league’s deadliest scorers. On that note, Edwards is averaging a career-high 26.1 points per game, while Towns (22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds per game) and Gobert (13.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per contest) have posted decent numbers as well. The Timberwolves also own a 19-11 record when playing away from home.
Minnesota is listing Wendell Moore (knee) as a game-time call for Thursday, while Jaylen Clark (Achilles) is out.
The Trail Blazers (15-38) are in full rebuilding mode and sit second-to-last in the Western Conference, topping only the San Antonio Spurs. Portland has had quite a few issues on both ends of the court this season, and while the struggles were expected following the departure of Damian Lillard, the front office was not expecting to hold one of the league’s worst records at the All-Star break. There are some positives, though. Veterans such as Malcolm Brogdon (15.7 points, 5.5 assists per game) and Jerami Grant (21.7 points) have performed well. At the same time, Anfernee Simons (23.3 points, 5.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per tilt) continues to show why the coaching staff considers him a building block for the future. Still, the play of Scoot Henderson (12.8 points, 4.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game), the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been subpar compared to what other rookies are doing. Portland enters this game having lost five games in a row and seven of its last nine. Their most recent game was a 121-109 loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday. They also own a 9-16 record at home.
The Trail Blazers are listing Moses Brown (wrist), Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) and Shaedon Sharpe (abdomen) as out. Robert Williams (knee) is out for the season.
The Timberwolves (38-16) are oozing with confidence right now, and their 121-109 win over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday was their third win in a row. It was also Minnesota’s fourth win over their last five games, with the lone blip in that span being a 129-123 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 6. The Timberwolves have been one of the most pleasant surprises in The Association this season. They have one of the best records in the Western Conference thanks to the strong play of their stars: Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert. The partnership between Gobert and Towns is finally working after an injury-marred 2022-23 campaign. In particular, Edwards has risen his game to a new level, firmly establishing himself as one of the league’s deadliest scorers. On that note, Edwards is averaging a career-high 26.1 points per game, while Towns (22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds per game) and Gobert (13.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per contest) have posted decent numbers as well. The Timberwolves also own a 19-11 record when playing away from home.
Minnesota is listing Wendell Moore (knee) as a game-time call for Thursday, while Jaylen Clark (Achilles) is out.