NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points - Memphis Grizzlies (107) vs New Orleans Pelicans (103)

The Grizzlies really had to grit out the game against New Orleans, that's for sure. This Memphis team, who likes to play stifling half-court defense and hard playing without giving too many fouls, was forced to work against Anthony Davis' Pelicans today.

Julius Randle, who to be fair has been playing at All-Star levels recently, cut up the Grizzlies in the first half in what was a bit of a scare for the Grizzlies. Let us look at three talking points from this match-up.

#1 Grizzlies got help from their support

Kyle Anderson had arguably his best game of the season, posting 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists with 3 steals and 3 blocks on the defensive end. The Grizzlies play at a maddeningly slow pace, a feature that admirably fits Kyle Anderson.

On a day when Mike Conley was surprisingly quiet, going for 2-12 shooting, JaMychal Green went off for 24 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes worth of playing time. That sort of efficiency is the stuff of stars.

Of course, that isn't to say that Conley didn't contribute, he just did not have that sort of night where he put up numbers on the glamorous end of the court. For a perpetually underrated player like Conley, who is hoping for his first All-Star selection, these sort of performances are not a good indicator. But being the steady and levelheaded player that he is, there's no way he doesn't bounce back from this lackluster performance.

Marc Gasol, who played the same number of minutes as Kyle Anderson (33) didn't get in his groove either, posting just 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in that time frame. However, the Grizzlies new backup center (who won the DPOY award the year after Marc Gasol won it) Joakim Noah also gave a supremely energizing performance, ending the first half in which Memphis trailed 60-58 with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. He would go on to finish with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. On a slow night, Memphis' bench made do.

#2 Should Anthony Davis demand a trade?

New Orleans Pelicans v Charlotte Hornets

Anthony Davis is a perennial MVP and DPOY candidate. He proved that again, even though he had a quiet night with a couple of solid blocks on Kyle Anderson and Noah. Clarification: his "slow" night is 25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists. That's how good he is. The man is unreal, and he's just entering his prime.

Last season, with a rejuvenated Nikola Mirotic and Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday he rampaged his way to the playoffs after Cousins got tore his ACL right before the All-Star game. He finished third in MVP voting this season.

And he's contracted with the Pelicans, an average, celebrate-qualifying-for-the-playoffs team, till 2021. Garnett was someone who fit Davis' mold - MVP and DPOY winning big man who wasted most of his prime on the Timberwolves - and that is a sad scenario absolutely no one wants to see again.

Is it time for AD to demand a trade?

#1 These Grizzlies are here to stay

Casual viewers may not like the Grizzlies all that much. The freewheeling Warriors, for all the All-Stars on their team, are probably the best team to watch. Maybe it's the pacy Lakeshow in Los Angeles.

Houston's isolation-heavy, free throwing, lob-feeding-to-Capela scheme is pretty aesthetic as well (less aesthetic is the blatant flopping and foul baiting). The Kings, Pacers (headlined by lightning-quick Victor Oladipo), Thunder and Raptors are teams that blow out the opposition by running and transition defenses. It's a good strategy for one reason: it works.

But what happens when a team goes against the grain? The Grizzlies are dead last in pace, play with a half-court defense, use long wingspans to clog passing lanes and generally make lives much harder for opponents.

Jaren Jackson Jr is a criminally underrated rookie who will carry Memphis into the future. Memphis has stars who embody the grit and grind spirit - Gasol and Conley. Noah gives them added support and sheer energy from the bench. Memphis has beat some very good teams, and by now it doesn't look like a fluke.

Teams face Memphis with the knowledge that the game will probably be a low scoring, high energy, frustrating affair. But the Grizzlies win. Like it or not, these Grizz are in the playoff race till the end of the season.