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Official Game Thread: Grizzlies at Hawks


lethalweapon3

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cd3a8f12-87a4-4109-a2ce-a364d3e179ae-38.

“So you’re saying I just take the handoff, split the double-team HERE, then hurdle the seven-footer THERE. Got it!”

 

The Race for the 8-Seed is underway!

Well, not so much for our dear Atlanta Hawks, who would do well to ignore crazy talk about Tragic Numbers and whatnot. As Atlanta hopes to roar in like a lion in this new month of March, though, their outcomes versus several opponents will have a big role in determining who wins some dates out West with LeBron and LeBrow in the month that follows. Teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, who the Hawks will visit at the end of this week, just days after playing them here at State Farm Arena tonight (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in both MEM and ATL).

Not having had Lottery worries since 1997, fans of the San Antonio Spurs may rue the day their team finally let the Hawks off the hook back in November. Like New Orleans and Sacramento, the Spurs are just 3.0 games back of the last team currently in the Western Conference playoffs, the Grizzlies (29-31), and they’d love to have their two losses to Atlanta back.

The Lillard-less Trail Blazers (3.5 games back of MEM) squandered their chance at a season-sweep of the Hawks, with Saturday’s 129-117 defeat at The Highlight Farm, as did the Suns (4.5 games behind MEM) back in January. The Kings, finally seeming to get out of their own way, hope to avoid a similar fate later this month.

Ending a five-game losing streak that included a pair of defeats at the hands of Kent Bazemore’s Sacramento, Ja Morant and the Grizzlies upstaged the mighty Lakers with a resounding 105-88 win two nights ago at the Grindhouse. Yet, somehow, the first-round matchup for Los Angeles that America wants to see is with a team situated a little further down the Mississippi.

The Pelicans, surprise winners of the 2019 Draft Lottery, had bouncy bowling ball Zion Williamson giving poor Kyle Kuzma fits last night in primetime, and now seemingly everyone is setting their dials 90 days early in hopes New Orleans can make a serious run at a series with the Lakers.

Like the Grizzlies, before the Pels can dream of a run at The King (not you, Elvis), they must take care of business in a pair of games this month against Trae Young and the Hawks. Morant can be rightfully miffed that the Grizzlies are not the consensus Cinderella darlings in the NBA West. But after a long-needed shakeup and a stroke of good fortune that brought the Murray State product to town, Memphis has a lot of good things going for it right now.

Lottery twins De’Andre Hunter (6-for-9 3FGs vs. POR) and Cam Reddish (team-high +16 plus/minus vs. POR, ahead of Hunter’s +12) have given Atlanta Hawks fans reason for optimism with their recent play. However, from the jump, the rookie duo that has taken the league by storm this season is not Hunter and Reddish, but Memphis’ Ja Morant, a three-time Rookie of the Month winner, and Brandon Clarke.

Zach Kleiman took over the executive reins for the Grizzlies (when in doubt, get you a Duke Law School guy), and couldn’t believe his luck when the 33-49 club he inherited, like the Pelicans, leaped over several thirsty NBA clubs, including the Hawks, to nab the top two 2019 Draft selections. Memphis happily “settled” for Morant, and Kleiman sweetened the pot.

Taking a mid-first-rounder he inherited from Utah for Mike Conley (imagine the former point guard star playing like he is now, only still in Memphis), Kleiman’s Grizzlies traded up two spots with Oklahoma City, giving the Thunder prospect player Darius Bazley in exchange for a more finished product in collegian Brandon Clarke.

Morant (17.7 PPG, second now only to Zion; rookie-high 7.0 APG, not far behind 2018-19 rookie Young’s 8.1) has remained the highlight reel he was in the Ohio Valley Conference. Meanwhile, Clarke has been a smooth two-way contributor off the bench, shooting 65.5 2FG% (5th in NBA) while offering per-36 values of 20.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.

I can’t say what I expected to see out of a team coached by Taylor Jenkins, the longtime Hawks assistant and Budenholzer disciple. But I didn’t expect a shift from grit-and-grind to grease-and-grace to work out so smoothly in the early going.

An uptick in tempo for Memphis (103.4 pace, slightly behind 6th-place ATL) was a long time in coming. But I doubt that, even with 2019’s NCAA assist leader in tow, the entire NBA expected to be looking up at Memphis with a league-high 27.1 assists per game. Jenkins has capable ballhandlers in Tyus Jones and De’Anthony Melton at his disposal, and he uses them liberally to free up Morant. Dillon “the Good” Brooks (37.2 3FG%), armed with a new three-year contract extension, and Jaren Jackson, Jr. have helped spread the floor so Morant doesn’t have to kick the ball out to himself.

Several of the Hawks’ recent foes had been struggling in their runs out of the All-Star Break. It’s not terribly surprising that, until Saturday’s win, the Grizzlies seemed to have stubbed their bear claws, too. Jackson has been out of action, the 3-and-PF forward bowing out midway through Memphis’ Western road swing with a sprained knee. Clarke (out, quad strain) followed suit one game later.

Getting Andre Iguodala out of contract purgatory before the Trade Deadline also required parting ways with the team’s second-leading minutes-logger, Jae Crowder, and the surprisingly serviceable Solomon Hill. The return haul from Deadline Day maneuvers included Gorgui Dieng from Minnesota, Justise Winslow from Miami and Jordan Bell from Minny via Houston.

But J-Win’s slow to return, mostly out since early December while working through back issues, and it will take time for Jenkins to get Dieng and Bell up to speed in the rotation with Jonas Valanciunas (27.6 D-Reb%, 9th in NBA; 20+ rebounds in back-to-back games) while Jackson rehabs.

Returning home, however, proved vital for showcasing some of Memphis’ developmental talents. Midway through Saturday’s game, Jenkins trotted out a unit that featured Jones, Dieng, the resurrecting Josh Jackson, and two-way players Jon Konchar and Yuta Watanabe. That crew proved shockingly effective in stymieing a Lakers squad that came into town on an 8-game winning roll.

Morant and his pass-happy Grizzlies set up tantalizing matchups this week with Young and the Hawks (19-43, 11-11 over past 22 games), whose 34 assists versus Portland (led by Trae’s 15 dimes, with just 2 TOs on his part) was a season-high.

John Collins (4 assists, 2 blocks vs. POR) is threatening to join Karl-Anthony Towns (last three seasons) and Kevin Love (way back in 2010-11) as the only modern-era NBA players to shoot 40 percent on threes while averaging 20 points and 10 boards per game, and he’s showing a willingness to fill out other components of the boxscore as well.

With Kevin Huerter (3-for-7 3FGs, 4-for-4 FTs, 8 assists, 3 steals vs. POR) showing signs that he can get it going, Atlanta offered a glimpse of balanced fullcourt effort nearing its peak, one that won’t always need a stellar perimeter outing from Trae (1-for-8 3FGs vs. POR) to thrive.

Drawing Valanciunas out of the paint is a tall order, but the Hawks will look to woo the Memphis big man with plenty of open looks for Collins. Whether shooting or driving, Atlanta will want Hunter to catch-and-react quickly against Kyle “Slo-Mo” Anderson. A stout defensive effort to keep Morant from feasting inside and Brooks, who has been shaking out of a shooting slump (last 3 games 26.0 PPG, 35.7 3FG%), cool from outside will be crucial, particularly if Reddish (doubtful w/ back pain) cannot make it on the court tonight.

Coach Lloyd Pierce’s crew will want to benefit from standout bench performances, as he did on Saturday from Treveon Graham and Bruno Fernando (combined 10-for-10 FGs vs. POR). If Jeff Teague and Brandon Goodwin can match the Grizzlie subs’ energy and production at the point, then the Hawks’ first three-game winning streak of the season will be within reach.

The potential for a strong confidence-building March is here for the Hawks to seize. How many of their foes fare against them this month will become a major subplot in the story of How the 8-Seed in the West was Won.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

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I left out that the injury to Triple-J (NBA-high 4.1 PFs per game) has allowed Dillon Brooks (3.8 PFs per game, 3rd in NBA) to take over the clubhouse lead with an NBA-high 229 personal fouls this season. It would be nice to get him into foul trouble early, especially if he finds himself with a hot shooting hand. Now a top-ten team for free-throw shooting accuracy after drilling an NBA-best 85.4 FT% in February (74.6 FT% in Oct/Nov), the Hawks will want to make the Grizzlies pay at the line.

Memphis has a 21-12 mark against sub-,500 teams, obviously better than the teams below them in the standings. But they have the 4th-toughest schedule going forward, including today. Their biggest threat, New Orleans, surpassed the Hawks after playing the Lakers last night with the "easiest" schedule (44.1% opponent winning record, to the Hawks' 44.4%). Memphis has already played everyone bad in the East except the Hawks (twice) and the Knicks (once).

~lw3

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7 minutes ago, High5 said:

Morant has been trying to jump over people

Doesn't always go so well for mascots leaping over folks so lets see if Bruno is in the same zip code when Ja makes his attempt/attempts against us. 

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3 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

Nutmegs=disrespectful punk

Nuts on guys chin= great athlete

I wasn’t trying to compare them that way. Most fans love both. Just saying the team needs to watch out. I feel like Morant is going to be extra motivated against Trae. 

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52 minutes ago, Thomas said:

A tremor in the force says Trae and Ja square off in the finals down the road just a bit.

Yup I’m on record this past summer. NBA finals 2023 Hawks Grizz. If I had a second fav team it’d prolly be the Grizz. They got our x boy Jenkins, they got my SJSU alumn Clarke, and part of the dirty south a bit too. 
 

Nice preview as always lw3, you always set us up before game time real nice 👍🏾 
 

Hawks -1.5 o/u 240

 

Trae...Ja...Cam...Hunter..Collins.. ok tonight might be really really fun. Vegas expects very little defense so keep ur eyes 👀 open on the oops!

 

GO HAWKS!!!

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20 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

dun-dun-DUNNNNNNN! Potential Nutmeg Alert!

It tolls for thee yet again.

 

~lw3

I want Trae to meg Ja! 😳 If I see that I’m dropping the remote and leaving. I’m sorry that would be the best meg ever.

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Just now, lethalweapon3 said:

News update that I cannot say that I rellish.

~lw3

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Dang it no Clarke and JJJ. Trae/Collins/Hunter and the man whose come alive Huerter, keep it rolling baby. We got what 8/10 at home 🏠? Let’s make it 9 out of 11. 
 

40 minutes till the tip! 😃 

 

 

27 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

Nutmegs=disrespectful punk

Nuts on guys chin= great athlete

More likely tonight:

Trae megs Ja?

Ja jumps over Trae for a slam?

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Never thought I would see this day really. Truly believed Jordan could be our version of Draymond in the late first or early second that draft year. So uh....maybe not.

Grizzlies will cut Jordan Bell to make room for Anthony Tolliver

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