It’s time to see if the Pelicans can keep their momentum.  After edging out a tight one against the Warriors, they get to take on the Grizzlies tonight, an opponent who they have been very good against the past couple years.  The one thing you should note, however, is though the Grizzlies are frequently being referred to as a “slumping” team over their last 10, they have been playing a really tough slate of games and have no really bad loss in that stretch.  They are still dangerous.

Schedule-wise, it is important for the Pelicans to win tonight.  They are in the middle of a 5 games in 7 nights stretch, and it would be good to grab a couple games at the start – since they are going to be exhausted by the time they hit the Sunday-Monday back to back against Houston and Minnesota.

Injury-wise, the Grizz will be without Tony Allen.  Randolph and Jeff Green are both questionable for the game with back injuries – but Green is likely to play and Randolph had the same injury concerns last Saturday when he still played.  He just had three days rest, so I kinda think he’ll play tonight.

So, what makes the Grizz interesting, with or without Randolph?

Keys to the Game

• The Grizzlies’ boardwork has been bad.  Shockingly for a team famed for its pair of big men, the Grizzlies are a middle-of-the-pack rebounding team and are ranked 20th on the offensive glass.   In case you weren’t aware, New Orleans is currently tied for 6th overall on the glass and 4th on the offensive end of things.  If the Pelicans don’t win the boards, they could be in trouble.
• Guard the Ball.  The Pelicans have been more turnover prone since Holiday went out, and that could feed directly into the Grizzlies plans.  They are the 6th best team at generating turnovers, and this is one of the primary reasons their own offense isn’t below league average.  If the Pels are coughing up the ball, it’s bad.
• Make the shots you get.  That may be a bit of a “duh” but the Grizzlies never give out free throws and run people off their preferred shots on the perimeter.  The Pelicans are a bit reliant on their three point shooting (wow, when did that happen?) so they’ll need to finish at the rim when they do get penetration.

Enjoy the game!  And if you can make it, the Watch Party is on tonight at Tracy’s!