Game Preview: Grizzlies v Spurs

The Memphis Grizzlies play host to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the
Western Conference first-round playoffs at FedEx Forum on Thursday. The Spurs
(3-2) haven’t played their best ball in this series, but they need just one win
in their next two games to sneak into the second-round. What’s been most strange
about this postseason is the lack of defense from the Spurs, as they have
allowed a 29th ranked Grizzlies defense to score at least 104 points in
three-straight games. That’s far from the defense that everyone is accustomed to
with San Antonio and it’s a wonder why they’re struggling so badly. In any case,
they find themselves just one win away from advancing to the next round and
that’s all that really matters at this point. The Grizzlies (2-3) are going to
need to win two-straight games against the Spurs to advance to round two and
that’s a tough task for any NBA team. The good news is that Memphis is 4-0
against San Antonio at home this season and that’s obviously better than anyone
else in the league. Their homecourt has been a fortress for a decade now too,
with the Grizzlies posting a 24-17 record in FedEx Forum this season. Mike
Conley has really been a standout in this series as well, as he has at least 24
points and eight assists in four-straight games against this stingy Spurs
defense. That’s an incredible run for an underrated player and they’ll need him
to do that twice more if they want to pull out the upset in this series. These
teams have played one another nine times this season, as the home team has
prevailed in every game thus far.