The Memphis Grizzlies have had a strong start to the season to prove that they mean business in the Western Conference again this season. While this game initially had a lot more juice to it than it does now, the Grizzlies will get a chance to prove such on Christmas against the Golden State Warriors. With the matchup nearly upon, it seems like a good time to lay out our Grizzlies Christmas Day predictions for this highly anticipated game.
The Warriors and Grizzlies underwent a hard-fought series in the Western Conference semifinals last season, and Memphis believed they would have surely won the series had star guard Ja Morant not missed half of the series with an injury. A lot of trash-talking ensued, and Draymond Green ended up responding to a tweet from Ja Morant saying that the Grizzlies could prove they are better than the Warriors on Christmas Day by traveling out west and beating them.
This was before the schedule even dropped, and when it came out, this game initially seemed like must-watch basketball. That isn't necessarily the case anymore now that Stephen Curry is out with a shoulder injury, but this could be a feisty matchup between two very prideful teams. With that being said, let's jump into our Grizzlies predictions and see what could happen in this game.
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3. Grizzlies C Jaren Jackson Jr. will record six blocks
When he's been on the floor for the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. has been arguably the most impactful two-way center in the game. Jackson plays like he's just hopping around on a pogo stick in the paint on both ends of the floor, constantly finishing big dunks or swatting his opponents shots into the stands.
Jackson has quickly become one of the premier shot blockers in the NBA early on in his career, and he proved as much last season when he led the league with 2.3 blocks per game. Jackson has been even better this season, as he's averaging an otherworldly 3.1 blocks per game in his 15 games played so far.
Jackson could be in for a big day against a Warriors team that will have to establish some sort of presence in the paint if they want to win this game. With Curry out, Golden State will have to open up the perimeter somehow, but they won't be able to do it by scoring in the paint, as Jackson will spend most of the day rejecting Golden State's shot attempts in the paint, and when the final buzzer sounds, Jackson will have racked up six blocks on the day.
2. Grizzlies PG Ja Morant will finish the game with a triple-double
One of the more encouraging developments early on this season for the Grizzlies has been the improved all-around play of Ja Morant. Morant is obviously one of the most captivating players in the game, but in order for him to really take the next step forward, he would need to continue to work on improving other areas of his game.
Sure enough, Morant has begun to show those improvements on a nightly basis, especially as of late. Morant's scoring is down in the month of December, but his assists and rebounds per game have shot up. Morant has suddenly become a triple-double threat every time he takes the court, and this sudden change in playstyle has made the Grizzlies all the more dangerous.
With Curry out of this game, Morant should be in total control of the proceedings from start to finish. The Warriors will obviously attempt to make his life difficult, but they haven't had the defensive chops to do so this season. Morant will end up recording his fourth triple-double in the past month against the Warriors after not having one prior to November 27th this season.
1. The Grizzlies will destroy the Warriors by a score 136-97
The Warriors haven't had a good start to the season, and they could be in some real trouble with Curry on the sidelines for the time being. They were struggling to win even when he was playing, and they have been getting destroyed in the early stages of his absence. That won't exactly bode well for them as they go up against a hungry Grizzlies team.
Memphis will be excited to go against Golden State and attempt to rub salt in the wounds. The Grizz will control this game from start to finish, with Morant turning in an exceptional performance to lead the way. Nobody on the Warriors will really be able to take charge on offense, and once again, they will find themselves in the loss column.
The starters will head to the bench fairly early in this game, with both teams emptying their benches to start the fourth quarter with the game not being very close. The Grizzlies will come out on top with a dominant 136-97 win, and while they will surely be happy with the result, this team knows that there will be tougher challenges ahead of them.
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