After a string of struggling opponents, the battle-tested Memphis Grizzlies will serve as a better barometer for Joel Embiid and the Sixers
After wins against the depleted Pelicans, aging Lakers and struggling Kings, the Sixers will now play against a real Western Conference power.
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No disrespect to the depleted New Orleans Pelicans, the aging Los Angeles Lakers, and the struggling Sacramento Kings, but those teams didn’t serve as a true barometer for the 76ers during this homestand.
The Sixers beat those three teams with losing records to improve their home record to 13-10.
But we’ll get a better idea of how much the Sixers have improved at home during Monday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wells Fargo Center. The contest, the fourth of a five-game set at home, will also provide a sense of how much the Sixers (30-19) have improved overall.
Back on Dec. 13, they suffered what is tied for this season’s largest margin of defeat in a 126-91 setback to the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
The Sixers were without starters Joel Embiid (right rib soreness) and Seth Curry (right shoulder soreness). But Memphis (35-17) was equally undermanned with Ja Morant, who was voted an All-Star starter, being among four Grizzlies sidelined.
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On that night, Memphis led by as many as 27 points (96-69) in the third quarter, taking the game’s biggest lead at that point on Dillon Brooks’ layup. They then extended their lead to 36 points in the fourth quarter.
Things were so lopsided by game’s end that the Sixers rested four starters — Matisse Thybulle, Tobias Harris, Andre Drummond, and Tyrese Maxey -- in the fourth quarter.
That marked the last game that Embiid missed. After finishing with 17 points and 14 rebounds in a five-point home loss to the Miami Heat on Dec. 15, he’s been on a magical run.
The MVP candidate has averaged 33.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 54.2% from the field over the last 20 games, leading the Sixers to a 15-5 record.
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Now, he’ll face a squad that has been his kryptonite.
Embiid, who was voted an All-Star starter for the fifth consecutive time, has averaged 13.3 points and shot 35.8% in six career games against Memphis. That’s his lowest scoring average and shooting percentage against any NBA team.
In addition, the Grizzlies are one of the league’s hottest teams. They’ve won three straight and 16 of their last 19 games. Morant has scored 30 or more points in each of Memphis’ last six games. On Friday, the third-year player recorded the highest-scoring triple-double in franchise history with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 119-109 victory over the Utah Jazz. He had 34 points in 34 minutes the following night in a 115-95 win against the Washington Wizards.
The Sixers know they’ll have to set the tempo early against the Grizzlies.
“If you start out [with low energy] against Memphis, you’ll be down 30,” Doc Rivers said. “They’re a good basketball team. They’re well-coached. They play together. Them and Phoenix, to me, are two of the most physical, tough-minded teams in our league.
“And when you look at both of those teams other than Chris Paul with Phoenix, a lot of young guys. But [when facing] both teams, you know you have to have your mental hat on, you mental-toughness cap on when you play those teams. We are going to have to have that.”
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The Grizzlies lead the NBA in rebounds (48.3 per game), blocks (6.5), and steals (10.1).
And as the Sixers found out in December, the Grizzlies have more than one scoring option. Brooks (18.4 points), Desmond Bane (17.8), Jaren Jackson Jr. (16.4, 2.3 blocks), and Brandon Clarke (10.1) join Morant as Memphis’ double-digit scorers.
“They got a pretty good team, obviously, with or without him,” Embiid said of Morant, who was sidelined for 12 games, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 19. “Even in the games that he missed, they were like 10-2 …”
Embiid also noted how Morant knocks down big shots and attacks the basket.
“To be able to compete against them and get this win, we’re going to have to do it as a team,” he said. “Bane has been playing great for them this season. They’ve got a couple good players, [including] Jaren Jackson.
“So we got to do it as a team, and we got to worry about all of them.”