Five victories in a row on one side, four in a row on the other. The meeting between Nuggets and Grizzlies pitted the two most fit teams in the Western Conference against each other. But what could have had “shock” value did not happen, notably due to the absence of one of the main protagonists: Ja Morant.
Sick, the Grizzlies playmaker missed his first meeting since his return from suspension. With him, the Grizzlies continued this series of victories, generating the hope of a crazy rise in the standings.
“ It's clearly a very different team with Ja Morant, so we benefited from his absence tonight. This team played very good basketball. I'm proud of our guys, as soon as we found out about Ja's absence just before kick-off, they did what they had to do “, congratulates Michael Malone at the end of a match won by a margin of 37 points.
Before this match, the Nuggets coach had taken the time to analyze how the return of the leader of the opposing team changed the situation for the Grizzlies. “ They play fast. Over the last four games, they averaged 17 points (on counterattack), Ja is the spearhead of this attack. He is so fast in transition, with counterattacks all on his own “, reminded the technician.
Fast and indoor play
Without their will-o'-the-wisp at the start of the season, Taylor Jenkins' men saw their average points on fast play drop to 11.5 (27th NBA), a little less than what they recorded last night in Denver (12) . But this speed of play is not the only aspect to take into account according to Mike Malone.
“ Probably the most concerning item is the racket. Over the last four games, they have averaged 60 points in the paint, the best average over this four-game stretch. And it's pretty crazy, Ja averages 20 points, on his own, out of these 60 points », quantified the technician, emphasizing the devastating penetrations of the leader, who at the same time struggles to punish from afar (17%).
“ So it starts with the transition game and it carries over to the half court game. He is difficult to stop in himself, so you have to make sure to block his path, limit his penetration corridors », continued Malone, also mentioning the importance of the two-player game: “ You're going to see a million pick-and-rolls, he's number 1 in the league in pick-and-rolls per game right now. We have to be ready, from the back to the inside. »
Even if they ultimately didn't have to deal with Ja Morant, his players were ready.
| Ja Morant | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | SAME | 67 | 31 | 47.7 | 33.5 | 77.6 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 7.3 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 17.8 |
| 2020-21 | SAME | 63 | 33 | 44.9 | 30.3 | 72.8 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 19.1 |
| 2021-22 | SAME | 57 | 33 | 49.3 | 34.4 | 76.1 | 1.4 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 27.4 |
| 2022-23 | SAME | 61 | 32 | 46.6 | 30.7 | 74.8 | 1.0 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 26.2 |
| 2023-24 | SAME | 4 | 36 | 50.6 | 16.7 | 81.5 | 0.8 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 8.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 28.8 |
| Total | 252 | 32 | 47.3 | 31.8 | 75.4 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 7.4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 22.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
