If there is a positive the Grizzlies can take from their 132-103 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday, it's that they probably won't run into a team having that kind of hot streak again this season.
Even with that thought, the Knicks' uncanny 3-point performance was a joint operation. Sure, every player wearing a blue uniform was scorching the nets, but few of those shots were legitimately contested. One of the Grizzlies' few weaknesses on defense that didn't get dangerously exposed until their last game was their inability to follow the ball and rotate around the perimeter to find the shooter. It's been a problem at times in every game so far this season, but when a team is as hot as the Knicks were on Wednesday, if you can't get to the shooters before they release the ball, you are in for a long night.
The Grizzlies have allowed their opponents to shoot 49.3 percent in their last five games after allowing only 37.5 percent shooting through their first three games. As a result, opponents are scoring 108.6 ppg in the last five games.
The Grizzlies did start well against the Knicks, which is always encouraging. Once again, though, they came out of halftime flat, and the Knicks buried them. They have to play a solid 48 minutes to win consistently.
Tonight, the Grizzlies welcome the 4-5 Milwaukee Bucks, who are coming off an 82-78 win over the struggling San Antonio Spurs. The Grizzlies are catching a bit of a break in that the Bucks' leading scorer, Michael Redd (21.3 ppg), could miss his sixth straight game with a sprained ankle.
The Bucks are in the top five in the league in forcing turnovers (16.7/game) so the Grizzlies need to protect the ball. They must also take better shots. Passing is great, but you can't pass the ball around for 22 or 23 seconds and expect to get a high-percentage shot out of a fadeaway jumper from 19 feet. They can't live and die by the jump shot. Marc Gasol needs to be involved in every play.
O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay should continue to put up big numbers. Gay needs to have confidence in his shot when he has a good look.
The Bucks have a few big bodies to contend with in Andrew Bogut, Luc-Richard Mbah a Moute and Charlie Villanueva. The Grizzlies need to be physical and crash the boards on both ends of the floor.
Keywords: Andrew Bogut, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay
