Looking to avenge last Friday's defeat, the San Antonio Spurs host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night in the third meeting of the season between the two Western Conference contenders. The teams split the earlier games, each ending up in overtime.
Grizzlies vs. Spurs preview: Can San Antonio stay dominant at home?
The Spurs haven’t lost a game at home since Nov. 19. Can the Grizzlies end San Antonio’s dominance at home?
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Since a 101-98 win over the Spurs last Friday, the Grizzlies have struggled in a pair of games, dropping both by at least 21 points. A 99-73 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday was particularly bad, as L.A. dominated despite the absence of star guard Chris Paul.
The Spurs have had some trouble on the road as of late, losing each of their past three games away from home, but they've owned their home court all season. Tim Duncan and company have a league-best 16-2 home record this season, including 12 straight wins dating back to November.
The first two games of the season series were thrillers, with each game going into overtime. The Spurs prevailed in the first game, 99-95, but Memphis took last week's game behind strong performances from Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph.
Can the Grizzlies stop Tony Parker?
Any team playing against the Spurs needs to properly plan for point guard Tony Parker, but that’s especially true for Memphis after the Frenchman torched the Grizzlies in this season’s first two games.
During the first two Spurs-Grizzlies games this season, Parker averaged 30 points per game and 5.5 assists per game, shooting 51 percent from the field. Of Parker’s five 30-point games this season, two of them have been against the Grizzlies.
While the Grizzlies have one of the better defenses in the league, Parker has been able to attack the rim and rack up points both times he’s faced them. If Memphis wants to avoid another tight overtime game, stopping Parker would be a good place to start.
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