Spurs and Grizzlies Meet for Play-In Matchup
The San Antonio Spurs take on the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum on Wednesday night in a Western Conference play-in game.
The Spurs (33-39 in regular season) head into the start of the play-in phase of the postseason with an almost complete absence of momentum, as San Antonio dropped each of its last four games and 10 of its last 12 overall. Their final stumble of the regular season was a close call in the form of a 123-121 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 23 points, adding four assists and three rebounds. Jakob Poeltl generated a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included three blocks. Rudy Gay furnished 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Quinndary Weatherspoon netted 11 points, two assists, one rebound and one steal. Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker contributed matching nine-point tallies.
The Spurs expect to be without Luka Samanic (hand) and DaQuan Jeffries (not injury related) for Wednesday's game. Trey Lyles (ankle) will carry a questionable tag.
The Grizzlies (38-34) finished the regular season on a much brighter note, posting five wins in their last six contests and a 22-18 record overall in the second half of the campaign. Their final regular-season game on Sunday did result in a 113-101 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Jonas Valanciunas led the way with a 29-point, 16-rebound double-double that also included one assist and one steal. Dillon Brooks furnished 18 points, six assists and two rebounds but fouled out after 30 minutes. Ja Morant supplied 16 points, nine assists, three rebounds and one steal. Jaren Jackson registered 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks. Kyle Anderson managed 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.
The Grizzlies will list Grayson Allen (hand) as questionable for Wednesday's contest.
The Grizzlies won the three-game season series from the Spurs by a 2-1 margin, notching 129-112 and 133-102 victories Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.
The Spurs (33-39 in regular season) head into the start of the play-in phase of the postseason with an almost complete absence of momentum, as San Antonio dropped each of its last four games and 10 of its last 12 overall. Their final stumble of the regular season was a close call in the form of a 123-121 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 23 points, adding four assists and three rebounds. Jakob Poeltl generated a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included three blocks. Rudy Gay furnished 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Quinndary Weatherspoon netted 11 points, two assists, one rebound and one steal. Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker contributed matching nine-point tallies.
The Spurs expect to be without Luka Samanic (hand) and DaQuan Jeffries (not injury related) for Wednesday's game. Trey Lyles (ankle) will carry a questionable tag.
The Grizzlies (38-34) finished the regular season on a much brighter note, posting five wins in their last six contests and a 22-18 record overall in the second half of the campaign. Their final regular-season game on Sunday did result in a 113-101 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Jonas Valanciunas led the way with a 29-point, 16-rebound double-double that also included one assist and one steal. Dillon Brooks furnished 18 points, six assists and two rebounds but fouled out after 30 minutes. Ja Morant supplied 16 points, nine assists, three rebounds and one steal. Jaren Jackson registered 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks. Kyle Anderson managed 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.
The Grizzlies will list Grayson Allen (hand) as questionable for Wednesday's contest.
The Grizzlies won the three-game season series from the Spurs by a 2-1 margin, notching 129-112 and 133-102 victories Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.
Lakers Host Warriors in 7-8 Play-In Game
The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Play-in Tournament on Wednesday.
The Warriors (39-33) struggled at times throughout the season but ended as one of the strongest teams in the NBA. In fact, they come into this matchup winning six straight and 15 of their final 20 games in total. That's easily their best stretch of the year, and it says a lot about how much they've grown. Stephen Curry is the one who carried them to this point, leading the NBA with nearly 32 points per game. That's the MVP Curry we remember from former years, and it pairs wonderfully with a resurgence from Draymond Green as well.
The Lakers (42-30) fell all the way to seventh in the west, but this is a club no one wants to face right now. Injuries to LeBron James, Dennis Schroder, and Anthony Davis dropped them all the way down there, but all three were good to go for their final few games. That led to them finishing up the year with a five-game winning streak, showing why they're the defending champs. The most important part about that is the fact that James and Davis both looked healthy together for the first time in months. That's one of the scariest duos in the NBA, and it looks even better when you see that they added guys like Andre Drummond and Talen Horton-Tucker as well.
The loser of this game will face the winner of the Memphis-San Antonio matchup later this week. These teams played three times during the regular season, with Los Angeles winning two of those. They won both of those games by nearly 30 points and have beat the Warriors in five of their last six meetings dating back three years.
The Warriors (39-33) struggled at times throughout the season but ended as one of the strongest teams in the NBA. In fact, they come into this matchup winning six straight and 15 of their final 20 games in total. That's easily their best stretch of the year, and it says a lot about how much they've grown. Stephen Curry is the one who carried them to this point, leading the NBA with nearly 32 points per game. That's the MVP Curry we remember from former years, and it pairs wonderfully with a resurgence from Draymond Green as well.
The Lakers (42-30) fell all the way to seventh in the west, but this is a club no one wants to face right now. Injuries to LeBron James, Dennis Schroder, and Anthony Davis dropped them all the way down there, but all three were good to go for their final few games. That led to them finishing up the year with a five-game winning streak, showing why they're the defending champs. The most important part about that is the fact that James and Davis both looked healthy together for the first time in months. That's one of the scariest duos in the NBA, and it looks even better when you see that they added guys like Andre Drummond and Talen Horton-Tucker as well.
The loser of this game will face the winner of the Memphis-San Antonio matchup later this week. These teams played three times during the regular season, with Los Angeles winning two of those. They won both of those games by nearly 30 points and have beat the Warriors in five of their last six meetings dating back three years.