Good defense was the difference in Saturday's game as the Memphis Grizzlies ran into a determined Utah Jazz squad that hounded them into mistake after mistake in a 103-94 loss. The Jazz seemed to be a step quicker than the Grizzlies, who buckled under intense defensive pressure after opening the game with a 9-2 run.
Once they fell behind, their youth and inexperience kept the Grizzlies from climbing out of their hole. Like many young teams they seem to panic when a team gets hot. The Grizzlies fell behind by double digits early in the third quarter as they went cold from the floor.
A few Grizzlies have had good stats over the past couple of nights that would seem to suggest success for the team. I don't think this team has much trouble scoring when it can hold onto the ball and run a consistent offense. The problem is that they get flustered and turn the ball over a lot more than they should.
O.J. Mayo led the team with 23 on Saturday while Rudy Gay added 21. Mayo continues to make his case for Rookie of the Year, although he may get overlooked with the way the Grizzlies are struggling.
The San Antonio Spurs come to town on Monday before the Grizzlies pay a visit to the Jazz on Wednesday. The Spurs haven't looked like the dominant team they have been this decade. They have been without their star guard Manu Ginobili, but have also shown signs of aging. Their roster has been more or less the same for their three titles, and even the great Tim Duncan is beginning to slow down.
Keywords: Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz
