Grizzlies vs. Pelicans Game Preview | Gameday Update | 12/26/2023

Grizzlies vs. Pelicans Game Preview | Gameday Update | 12/26/2023

Grizzlies fans happy day after Christmas this may seem like a little Deja Vu because just seven days ago the Grizzlies played the Pelicans and it was Mr will gillery who broke the game down with us and we’re doing it again today the Grizzlies are back in New Orleans

Taking on the Pelicans at 700m central time will we won the first game with jaw back I think the real news here is something that you left out which is that today is not the day after Christmas it’s boxing day which I learned today so happy

Boxing Day to everybody out there yes to all of our Canadian Grizzlies fans from up in Vancouver it is Boxing Day do some shopping and then get home for the game this evening get home for the game for sure home for the game all right uh like

I said this was exactly one week ago the Grizzlies and the pels battled it out with johnar back in the lineup um of course if you don’t remember if you didn’t watch that one you mixed a good one because jaah had the game winner and won that one 115 to 113 the Grizzlies

Have not lost a game since then they are three and0 with jaw back in each one of those games uh the trio of jaw jiren and Dez have scored 20 points each and all of those season long or season season High win streak three in a

Row why do you think the pels can end it tonight or do you I think it’s probably going to be another close game like they had a week ago and I think a big part of it is uh something we talked about that last talk

We had was just uh how much J was gonna be able to hit the ground running how much he kind of felt the need to do too much and he’s really looked like the same job we always seen like making plays in the paint getting other guys involved throwing down Aly oops it

Doesn’t feel like he’s missed 25 games he’s playing like regular job and something else we talked about the fact that he’s able to do that allows Desmond Bane to play his natural role it allows jiren Jackson to play his natural role it puts everybody where they’re supposed

To be where it felt like everybody was doing a little too much before now everybody’s kind of falling back into form Marcus Smart who I’m sure we’re talk about he’s coming back which will helped them as well so yeah this team looks really good and we know J’s

Dangerous and if it comes down in the fourth quarter like it did last time we know JS is a guy that makes plays and the pals have a really tough time uh dealing with him so it’ll be interesting to see if they try something different than what they did last time speaking of

Uh coming down to the wire um they went like in that last whatever it was four seconds they went five out and just let J go oneon-one was it herb Jones yes is he still the guy who you think is like the jaw not jaw stopper but jaw slower

Downer today he has that defensive assignment yeah for sure I think he he he would be that guy against any team because I think they trust herb that much and I asked Willie Green about that because pels fans were kind of upset that they didn’t send a double team at J

In that moment to force somebody else to take the shot and I think the pels just have that much faith in herb Jones to defend anybody including JN and I think you might see a little bit more Dyson Daniels I think he had some success against JN in that last game he’s more

Of like a guy who can defend point guards where I think herb is more of a wing uh but yeah I think they’ll throw a little bit of everybody at J I think they’re going to try some different defensive schemes just because J has so

Much success for them at the end of the game yeah I think they’re gonna need Herb to have a much better game than he had last time because job made it look real easy there in the fourth quarter uh okay but let’s rewind and go to that quarter the Pelicans outs scor the

Grizzlies 39-6 now I like to say that jaw is very much like a second half guy he like really gets going that was his first game but the Pelicans destroyed us in that first half like it was almost like turn off the TV and then they obviously

Made this come back have you seen that a lot um like with the Pelicans this season I know like bi was going crazy in that second quarter like there was just like spurts of this team that was like if they get it together for an entire

Game and play like that like it’s going to be difficult for anyone in the League you know what’s crazy as I wrote about this not too long ago that the PS this season are like if you just go by Point differential in the first half they’re

Like a top five team I think when I wrote it they were number two in the league in point differential in the first half and in the second half they’re a bottom five team they’re they’re like minus 100 something in the second half for whatever reason they

Look amazing in the first half of games and they come out of halftime they’re a little LAX of days of scho they fall behind early in the third quarter like they did against Memphis where they were up you know close to 20 going in the halftime and then Memphis got a little

Run together they cut it down to 10 gained some confidence and then it all kind of fell apart from there and I think that’s been a theme with the PS this year they kind of lose some steam as the game goes along for whatever reason and I think that’s going to be a

Big test for them in this game tonight because like you said jot performed so well in second halves and fourth quarters in particular you got to be able to keep that energy going keep your defense intact and not allow them to kind of gain momentum the way that the

Grizzlies did during the course of that game and I think a big part of it was the grizzly was just playing some really good defense and the second half I think you really saw jiren really looking like Defensive Player of the Year jiren in that second half but yeah the pals just

Kind of gotta uh get just more energy uh get better shots they’ve had a big problem with turning the ball over late in games so they just got to be more on point in second halves and I think going against a team like the G Le it’ll be a

Good test for them to see if they figure some stuff SL yeah the turnovers uh has been kind of a storyline for both of these teams actually I know um the pels had 11 turnovers which the Grizzlies converted in 21 points and then I think the pels converted the grizzli turnovers

Into 26 points so there’s 40 something 47 points off of turnovers for the entire game which is very very high so I think a key for both teams will be taking care of the ball um two more things before I let you go because it is boxing day after all boxing day one

Marcus Smart has moved up to questionable and for people who don’t know it goes from like out to doubtful to questionable to probable and so there is a chance that Marcus Smart plays today and he changes the defense of this team he changes the offense as well of

Course um playing that three position but defensively um you saw bi go for 34 you saw CJ go for 18 Zion for 13 how does he help or how does he hinder the Pelicans offense I think it’ll be interesting how much they use them because they can go

To a scheme that they’ve done in the past I think we talked about this before back when Dylan Brooks was with the Grizzlies where they would put one guy in front of Zion and then have jiren Jackson kind of roaming on the back line as a rim protector yeah and they had a

Lot of success with that against Zion and of course they held him to 13 last time but I I think that’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on is how much they put smart on Zion and and try to just have a big body on him make it difficult

For him to just kind of get straight to the Lane the way he does so often than having the shot blocker there on the back line but yeah I think smart is just a a smart smart is a smart player but no I think he just he just makes all the

Right IQ plays he gets other people involved he’ll make some plays in transition I think he’s a guy who you trust a little bit more to make those Corner threes that J opens up so much with his drive to the Lane uh so yeah he’s going to make this team look much

Different uh once he’s able to just play and get in the flow with Bane and Jah and I think he’ll be able to change the way they defend some teams and I think tonight would be a good example how they can defend Zion in a different way than

If you had somebody like Vince Williams or you know Z zier in there yeah he’s a bigger body yeah um okay to end this off give me your prediction for top performers from each team one top performer Grizzly one top performer pal I mean we talked about him I think J is

Always the biggest threat on the Grizzlies especially against the PS just because they don’t really have uh the small smaller body to try to stay in front of him the smaller quicker guy they’re going to put bigger guys on them more length and I think J can try to

Kind of take advantage of those matchups at times and I think you know was Z kind of not really making that much of an impact last time around had a lot of foul trouble I want to see if he comes out aggressive we know that him versus J

Rivalry is always gonna be a thing so I think to show something right yeah we know those guys are boys but like he he saw Jo get all a shine last time with the game winner telling everybody he kept receipts and whatnot and and I

Think Zion is going to try to come in try to make some noise and remind people uh that he can have some huge games as well all right easy peasy John’s Z on the Rivalry that everyone loves two biggest H well thank you so so so very

Much again I tell you every time you’re my favorite and I appreciate you a ton no I appreciate you and as soon as we log off I’m I’m going to unbox some stuff because it’s Boxing Day boxing day happy Boxing Day Wai for Boxing Day basketball the best part of Christmas is

The the day after come on now

Kelcey Wright Johnson and Will Guillory preview the Grizzlies vs. Pelicans following last week’s epic return of Ja Morant. How will both teams adjust in their third meeting of the season?
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