NBA Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies Offense Firing on All Cylinders

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By @The_Only_Grubes

Memphis Grizzlies

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I don’t think anyone was expecting what happened Monday night when the two NBA teams with the best records faced off in a battle for Western Conference supremacy.

The Memphis Grizzlies completely tore the Houston Rockets apart, with a final score of 119-93, making Memphis the owners of the best record in the league at 10-1. The Rockets could not stop the Grizzlies whatsoever, and the offense was left sputtering on way too many occasions. Dwight Howard and James Harden combined for 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field. As a whole, the Rockets turned the ball over 21 times and could not execute their offense due to the Grizzlies’ disruptive defense.

All night long, Mike Conley and Tony Allen harassed the Rockets’ back court to the point where holding onto the ball wasn’t even an option. Superior team defense led to a lot of easy transition opportunities that resulted in anything from lay-ups and dunks to three-point shots. The transition game was one of the Grizzlies’ big strengths in this matchup, but their half-court offense cannot be ignored.

Memphis executed from start to finish in the half-court, moving the ball and finding open men on the perimeter and in the post for easy buckets. Ball movement has been the biggest difference in the Grizzlies’ offense this season, and it really showed against Houston, as the Rockets’ defenders could not keep up with the speed at which the ball was moving at. The Grizzlies have not been effective outside the three-point line a lot in the past because the ball has never moved at such a high and efficient rate for the entire game. This season, the ball has been moving everywhere at an impressive speed, and it has shown because the Grizzlies have scored over 100 points five times in 11 games, something that has really helped this team be a competitive force in the league.

If the Grizzlies are going to keep having shooting nights where they go 7-of-17 from deep, then a lot of teams are going to have problems stopping this team, especially because the defense is going to keep performing at a high level. The Memphis offense is firing on all cylinders, and as long as the ball stays moving, nothing is going to slow down.

The Grizzlies are here to stay as championship contenders.

Nathan Grubel is an NBA writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @The_Only_Grubes, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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