Magic vs. Grizzlies Game Preview | Gameday Update | 1/26/2024

Magic vs. Grizzlies Game Preview | Gameday Update | 1/26/2024

Gle’s fans Welcome Home the guys have been on the road for over a week but they are back today playing on the uh playing against the Orlando Magic joining me for the very first time Kendra Douglas to break down this game tonight Kendra are we excited we’re very

Excited I feel like for this team they want to bounce back just lost against Cleveland at the Kia Center so and this is also going to be the first trip that we have here on the road before we go on a 10day so I think they would love to bounce

Back and I’m excited I’m I’m here in Memphis yeah yes um okay so the magic are 23 and 21 eth in the east 9 and 14 on the road the Grizzlies at home this year Kendra good news for you bad news for me four for 15 at home

13th in the west you mentioned it Orlando coming off of a loss from Cleveland the Grizzlies however coming off two wins against the Raptors and the heat very shorthanded with only eight or nine guys I’m going to read out our injury report real quick okay so San

Dama today is questionable out is of course Stephen Adams Desmond Bane Brandon Clark Jake laravia John morand derck Rose and Marcus Smart in terms of Orlando is there anyone big that is noteworthy about injuries um I think just Gary Harris is the only one um and I think that’s been

I hate to say great for us but like great that we are starting to get guys healthy and back because we were in that position where we had people just out and so it’s really good that we are continuing to grow and get healthy and so it’s it’s a process so I understand

What you’re going through yeah a little bit of that now we need to get some of the guys back in the lineup I think we’re still a few weeks out um from a lot of the big guys coming back uh for today’s game we’re looking at Orlando

For the first time and it’s like look both these teams are bottom five in the league in points per game they’re bottom five in the league in assists per game the one thing that stood out to me from not having watched Orlando a whole lot

This year is that they are eighth in the league in points in the paint the Grizzlies 28th in scoring in the paint however they are top 10 in defending the paint so you’re looking at two top 10 teams going head-to-head Grizzlies defending the paint Orlando scoring in

The paint what do you what do you think that U matchup looks like in tonight’s game well for starters I think that thing that Pao said after the loss against Cleveland was that this team has to be consistent on both ends of the court and so I think when you look at

This matchup you’re going to see a team that’s looking to continue to be really hone in on their defense again because that’s what their BR and butter that’s literally what they are known for and when it comes to points in the paint I think that what you’ve seen glimpses of

Like Second Chance points is that they’re really trying to impr improve on and work on and I think you just see them kind of pack the paint a little bit more if you know they can’t get out for the three so I’m excited because I think

This is more of a not a Revenge game but more of a like let’s get back to playing Magic Basketball kind of game for them and I think you’ll see just how much they are going to be a little bit more aggressive defense you said it they are

Six in the league defensive rating Grizzlies 11th like I mentioned both low-scoring teams you think this is a very like defensive old school low-scoring game I think so I think it might be it it all depends on who gets hot though like you know within the

League it only takes like one person to get hot but with this team they they live off of their defense this is what they’re known for this is what they’ve worked so hard for this is what what keeps teams you know wondering this is when we went on that nine game win

Streak like that was that was when we leaned so hard on the defense so I think you’re GNA see that but at the same time it really just all depends on who gets hot at the right time too because we’ve seen that like even with in certain

Games like powo can drop like 40 and like it it just you just don’t know how like how the night’s going to go so I but I do think if this team leans on defense it could be a very low scoring game but that’s not bad it’s not bad

It’s not let’s talk about Paulo because he leads this magic team in points per game rebounds assists all three of those categories what have you liked about him this season I think the growth and just wanting to make sure that he is you know growing from that rookie year I think

That was the biggest thing for him wanting to do that is just to kind of see take that next step and take that next level I think him playing in the feeble men’s World Cup helped him see other competition I think him continuing to be in you know the great categories

And be able to uh be around so many like-minded people I caught up with him uh when we were in Phoenix and I kind of asked him about him and his relationship with KD and he said it started when KD was with um Brooklyn and so he was just

Like that’s when it started and so when you see guys kind kind of get form relationships with guys who are going to continue to be amazing in this league and continue to dominate you’re seeing that he’s taking that next level and the next step so I think that’s been the fun

Part of it all is just seeing him mature and and get to that next level the fun thing about me is when we see guys who played for Team USA and you have Paulo on one side you’re gonna have jiren on the other side and how well they know

Each other in their game and how much you know like jiren’s going to how the guards on his team like watch out for and the same for the opposite way so I think that’s always kind of like a fun storyline to watch and we finally get

Another one we don’t have a ton of them around the league but we’ll get one against Orlando yeah that’s always the fun part too though is that those relationships that you know really form within when they play outside of their team so it it’s kind of cool to see that

But then also cool to see like their growth from it and just you know the experience they take away from those kind of opportunities okay because it’s the first time we’re playing this team let’s do matchups we are down a 100 guys so good luck picking um one match up

That you’re excited to watch tonight if we’re down you know if we’re going to like what we got going on probably like Paulo and Vince that’s probably going to be one that you look out for um and I think I mean I hate to say that’s it but

I mean I feel like that’s probably the one that we’re going to see the most throughout that night and overall though it should be a really good game I’m excited to see what this magic team does um because you can just tell that they feel as if if everyone is able to stay

Healthy if if everyone is able to stay you know able-bodied they just they they haven’t played their best basketball yet they haven’t played their best Orlando Magic basketball yet so if we can just continue the consistency of playing like this or you know continue being healthy

I think it’s just like it’s it’s going to be cool to see because I think that this is their time to really you know put themselves out there even more like this is it and on the flip like that’s what or those what Orlando Magic fans want Grizzlies fans on the other side

Are I think going into games now being like the the guys that are going in you’re being led by your your two-way players Main and jiren Jackson Jr you got nothing to lose so you’re going in with the mindset of hey we have nothing to lose here we’re going to play at

1200% and just hope for the best and it’s been working the last two games games against a very healthy Miami team against a very healthy uh Raptor team and so I think you’re heading into this game trying to keep Orlando from getting back into that win column so it’ll be

Fun I gave you I gave you a little bit of a spark I told you how we only had like eight players and we played Denver and we ended up up beating Denver so I don’t want to continue to give us give you guys our good energy but I mean hey

Anything can happen in this league it’s night in night out everyone is giving it their all so anything can happen but you know really hoping that the magic 2 get get the win in this game tendra thank you so so much for breaking this one

Down um I’ll see you in a few hours at the arena and yes see you soon go magic wo

Kelcey Wright Johnson and Magic team reporter Kendra Douglas discuss tonight’s Orlando Magic vs. Memphis Grizzlies game.

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