Thunderous clash ahead with Grizzlies
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/ Matthew Reid / 28 December 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market
This match will be the home opener for the Grizzlies ensuring a loud crowd eager to get their first look at a team who made such a great run last year
Oklahoma City and Memphis combined to produce an epic playoff series last year, and Matt Reid is thankful the NBA haven't made us wait too long to see another clash between these rising Western Conference powers.
Many predicted the Thunder would be the top seed in the Western Conference entering the season and the Grizzlies wouldn't be far behind.
Both sides have young talented rosters and are largely unchanged from the 2010 season. The Thunder have started this season with two wins, while the Grizzlies dropped their opener in San Antonio 82-95 thanks largely to a poor third quarter and 24 turnovers, including 16 from their starting unit.
Rudy Gay had a strong game against the Spurs with 19 points and 10 rebounds, which is important for the Grizzlies as he missed the second half of last year with a shoulder injury (including the playoff series against the Thunder). His ability to score from the perimeter is needed by the Grizzlies as their best two players, in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, do most of their work inside.
The Thunder opened a big lead early in their first game at home to the Magic and cruised to an eight-point win. Their road opener against the Wolves is a more accurate indicator of what to expect from them in this match, with Durant and Westbrook combining for 61 of the Thunder's 104 points and 56% of the team's overall field goal attempts.
Despite a great deal of talent, the Thunder rely heavily on these two all-stars, particularly on the road. They snuck past the Wolves with a four-point win, however the Grizzlies have one of the league's better on-ball defenders in Tony Allen who should reduce the scoring output of the Thunder's main weapons.
This match will be the home opener for the Grizzlies ensuring a loud crowd eager to get their first look at a team who made such a great run last year.
The odds will be around evens for this match with a telling statistic being that the home team has won six of the last eight matches between these teams.
I'm sticking with the Grizzlies to continue that run of home team success.
