It’s the final day of games before the playoffs officially begin! We move to Memphis tonight, where the Grizzlies face off against a Dallas team that is coming off an upset win in Sacramento. Expect Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis to deliver vintage performances after some negative talk surrounding this team in the post-Luka era. Jason Kidd has struggled against the Grizzlies earlier in the year, but he’s a coach I trust to make the necessary adjustments to ensure this game remains close.
Playoff Klay came alive in the Mavs’ victory over Sacramento a few nights ago with 23 points on five made three-pointers. Thompson will carry the offensive load for Dallas tonight with Jason Kidd playing him 30+ minutes in a win-or-go-home away matchup. Klay hasn’t had the most consistent season by his standards, but still gets hot at the right time. He’ll draw either a Ja Morant or Desmond Bane matchup early in this one, which he could exploit early on, especially with Memphis playing at a high pace and Morant turnover-heavy on the offensive end more often than not. After dropping a grand total of 0 points in his only Play-In game with Golden State, Klay will bounce back with not one, but two great games in this playoff phase.
Scottie Pippen Jr. has come out of nowhere to be a key player for the Memphis Grizzlies, especially after Jaylen Wells’ injury. Pippen is a great rebounder out of the guard spot, averaging 3.2 boards per game on top of his 4.3 dimes per game post ASB. Pippen played 34 minutes for Isilo’s squad in the Bay on Tuesday night while sporting the second-best +/- on the Grizz team with +4. His impact is visible on both the eye and, in this case, the stat sheet.
Dallas will keep this game close. Jason Kidd is too good of a coach for this to be a blowout, and Anthony Davis, Lively, Naji Marshall, and P.J. Washington make up too great a defensive core to let Memphis run wild against them. Although Dallas went 0-3 against the Grizz, including a brutal loss in the post-Luka era, the adjustments will be made to keep the underdogs in this game, including utilizing size to defeat the Grizzlies’ speed. Anthony Davis and Klay should have vintage performances, and in this clutch spot, I’m trusting them to get this game within a few possessions down the stretch, similar to how Memphis stuck with Golden State earlier this week.
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