January 24, 2015
Brandon Dill/AP
Grizzlies guard Vince Carter shoots a 3-pointer against 76ers' K.J. McDaniels
The Sixers headed down to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies in the second night of a back-to-back. The results we quite predictable, despite the Sixers (8-36)getting out to an early lead.
In the end, it was a 101-83 win for the Grizzlies, who improved to 31-12 on the season. Here are some observations on the game:
If you're just a casual Sixers fan, you may not be too familiar with the Western Conference, especially a smaller market team like the Grizzlies. If that's the case, you may have been surprised to see a familiar face come off the Memphis bench in Saturday's game against the Sixers.
Vince Carter, who will turn 38 on Monday, is in his first year with the Grzz - his 17th in the NBA - after spending the last three seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. It's no surprise that Carter is nowhere close to the player he was in Toronto, but he's been able to stay healthy the last two and a half seasons. Unfortunately, that hasn't translated into much offensive success for Carter, who once averaged 27.6 points per game (2000-01 season with Raptors).
Carter scored 13 points (6-of-14 shooting) in 24 minutes, his most in over a month (Dec. 17 vs. Spurs). Carter also had six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block, while committing just one turnover.
While that used to be a below-average game for Carter, it's one of his better games this season. In 40 games, not counting the Sixers game, he's playing a career-low 16.3 minutes per game, while having his least productive season ever (5.8 PPG, .332 FG%).
That's okay, because this is how I'll always remember him. Also like this.
And the Sixers fan in me...like this.
The Sixers' two starters down low were Nerlens Noel and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. They weigh a combined 455 pounds, 70 pounds lighter than the Memphis combo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol (525 pounds total).
And that's after Gasol lost a lot of weight in the offseason, but he's still strong enough to bang down low.
Randolph is a different animal all together. He's one of the scariest guys in the NBA. Oh yeah, you go guard him in the post.
Jerami Grant, the second round pick out of Syracuse, scored a career-high 16 points vs. the Grizzlies, to lead the Sixers in scoring. Michael Carter-Williams was the only other Sixers player to score in double digits (10).
During the television broadcast, Mark Zumoff said the Grizzlies were "a franchise without much success." Since they moved from Vancouver to Memphis prior to the 2001-02 season, however, the team has a .482 win percentage. Over that same period, the Sixers are winning at a .444 clip.
Coincidentally, both teams have seven trips to the playoffs, but after this season, only one - the Grizzlies - will have eight. They're currently second in a very deep Western Conference.
The loss was the Sixers' fifth in a row. If they lose Monday in New Orleans, it'll be the first time they've lost more than five straight since they lost their first 17 to start the season. That can be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you feel about the team tanking...
