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New Orleans Pelicans will host Memphis Grizzlies in a 'Southwest division showdown' at Smoothie King Center. Zion Williamson and Ja Morant will go head-to-head for the first time in the 2020-21 season.
The Grizzlies (9-8) are standing at 9th position in the Western Conference and will enter this game with a 2-game losing streak. They lost the last two games to Indiana Pacers (134-116) and Houston Rockets (115-103), following a 7-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans will look to take home-court advantage and extend their 2-game winning streak and have won 4 of their last 6 games. The New Orlean Pelicans are currently at 12th position in the Western Conference but have started to gain momentum. Their young stars - Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson are slowly but steadily finding the groove.
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Match Details
Fixture: Memphis Grizzles vs New Orleans Pelicans - NBA Season 2020-21.
Date & Time: Saturday, February 6th, 9 pm, CT (Sunday, February 7th, 7:30 am IST).
Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Memphis Grizzlies Preview
The NBA has come to know that the Grizzlies have modeled their game around their rising star Ja Morant. This clearly reflects well as the Grizzlies stand 2nd in the league with 28.2 assists per game.
Since Ja Morant's ankle injury in December, the Memphis Grizzlies' starters have ranked last in points per game, in free throw attempts per game, and 3-point percentage. But their bench has done a commendable job of holding the reigns together to help the team win and are league leaders in the aforementioned categories.
Grayson Allen and Jonas Valanciunas are likely to return after being away from the court due to health and safety protocols. Jonas Valanciunas is leading the team with 10.4 rebounds and will be tested against the forces of Steven Adams and Zion Williamson inside the paint. Kyle Anderson had an off game against the Rockets with 0-7 from the field but he will have to ensure that he goes off in this game if the Grizzlies have to stand toe-to-toe against the Pelicans.
Key Player - Ja Morant
Ja Morant and Memphis Grizzlies have been an inseparable team in the NBA. The reigning Rookie of the Year stood fourth in the Western Conference backcourt in the initial round of All-Star fans voting. He has ranked ahead of Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and Chris Paul.
Ja Morant has been the key playmaker and scorer for the Grizzlies in the past two seasons. He is currently leading the team with 18.9 points per game and 7 assists. With 49.6% field goal percentage, he is one of the most athletic finishers in the NBA but needs to work on his 3-point scoring to become a full-fledged threat.
In tomorrow's game, he will be facing Lonzo Ball who will look to keep him out of the paint. He is definitely the most anticipated player to watch on the Grizzlies roster and that's what makes him unpredictable while he lulls the defense to sleep and makes those game-changing plays to this teammates.
Memphis Grizzlies Predicted Lineup
G- Ja Morant, G- Dillon Brooks, F- Kyle Anderson, F- Brandon Clarke, C- Jonas Valanciunas.
New Orleans Pelicans Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans have started to show signs of life after a slow start to the season. Their young guns have made their intentions clear as they have won the last 4 of the six games and are on a 2-game winning streak.
They stole the last game against the Pacers with Brandon Ingram's go-ahead basket. He scored team-high 30 points and got 7 assists with 12-21 shooting.
Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe are new additions to the squad this season and have taken up their roles fairly well in adjusting with the youngsters. Steven Adams is leading the team in rebounds with over 10 rebounds a game.
Lonzo Ball has been the key-facilitator on the Pelicans squad. Lonzo went on to hit 5 three-pointers in their last win and has shown excellence with his shooting prowess this season.
The New Orleans Pelicans won the last season's series against the Memphis Grizzlies 3-to-nothing and will look to deal with the guests in the same fashion.
Key Player - Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson in his sophomore year has become a force to be reckoned with. He tied Blake Griffin's record and became the second-fastest player to reach 1000 points in just 44 career games. While shooting at 59% from the field he is leading the Pelicans with 23.5 points.
He is surely one of the most explosive players to watch in the paint. The entire NBA is clueless in figuring out how to stop the 20-year-old due to his combination of strength and agility.
Zion Williamson alongside Steven Adams is a nightmare for the opposition's defense. The Grizzlies defense will be exposed as they will be at a size-strength disadvantage in this match. Zion Williamson will look to make his way to his first All-Star game if everything goes well. He ended up 6th in the Western Conference frontcourt fan-voting.
New Orleans Pelicans' Predicted Lineup
G- Eric Bledsoe, G- Lonzo Ball, F- Brandon Ingram, F- Zion Williamson, C- Steven Adams.
Memphis Grizzlies vs New Orleans Pelicans Match Prediction
This game will feature the fun rivalry between future All-Stars and childhood friends Ja Morant and Zion Williamson. The New Orleans Pelicans have the size advantage but the Grizzlies have their shooting arms steady and a deeper bench. The Grizzlies will have to fight hard in the paint against the likes of Pelicans' big men protecting the ring.
The New Orleans Pelicans look favorites to win the contest but Grizzlies have the potential to pull an upset over any heavyweight team. It is expected to be a close game and the team with better scoring will secure the win.
