The Memphis Grizzlies are heading to Northern California with their strong recent form, starting with a game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
The Grizzlies have won 15 of their last 19 games and will play the Golden State Warriors on Saturday as part of a back-to-back. This will be the final game of a five-game road trip for Memphis, which included a loss to Oklahoma City and wins against New Orleans and Phoenix in the past week.
On Tuesday, Memphis defeated the Suns 117-112, even without star guard Ja Morant, who is out indefinitely with a sprained right shoulder. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cam Spencer mainly took over the point guard duties in Phoenix. Spencer, the reigning NCAA champion from Connecticut, played 16 minutes, his third-highest of the season.
The Grizzlies got contributions from all nine healthy players in that game. They are hoping to add a tenth player for the Sacramento game, as rookie Zach Edey is trying to return from a concussion that caused him to miss two games.
With key players like Morant, Marcus Smart, Santi Aldama, Jake LaRavia, and Brandon Clarke all injured, coach Taylor Jenkins knows the team must work together to keep winning.
“It starts with our mentality, our competitive fire,” Jenkins said. “To be able to sustain it for 48 minutes just shows poise and resilience.”
This mindset has been especially important on the road, where the short-handed Grizzlies have won five of their last seven games, including wins in Boston, Washington, and Atlanta before their current trip.
In their 115-110 win against the Kings at home last month, Memphis got double-digit scoring from four different bench players. Smart, Aldama, and LaRavia combined for 45 points off the bench.
Edey missed that game with an ankle injury, and if he plays on Friday, he will face Kings star Domantas Sabonis for the first time.
Sabonis had a huge game on Wednesday, contributing 17 points, 21 rebounds, and seven assists in a 113-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Kings have won two of their last three games since firing coach Mike Brown.
Those wins were over the Dallas Mavericks and the 76ers, with interim coach Doug Christie encouraging his players to take pride in defending their home court.
“Don’t nobody come in your house messing with your stuff. You feel what I’m saying?” Christie said. “This is where we reside, and when you come up in here, you’re going to feel us up in here. That’s just the way it is. It doesn’t matter.
There’s nothing like your home. These people deserve that and that’s what we’re going to give them.”
The Kings made a big comeback against the 76ers, scoring the final 15 points of the game to win by six. De’Aaron Fox, who had 18 points in the previous matchup with Morant, has been on fire in the last two games, scoring 33 and 35 points as part of the Kings’ two-game win streak.
