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What did the Grizzlies do over the summer?
You mean other than steal everyone's favorite player? Memphis has probably seen less turnover than most of the West's better teams the last four or five years. They kept their biggest free agent, Marc Gasol, in town, and will hope to do the same next summer with Mike Conley. Early on it seemed that they might have stagnated a little, stumbling out to a 3-6 start, but a four-game win streak put them back over .500 and it appears they have righted the ship. Memphis was considered a lock for the postseason coming into this year, so this will be a game where the Dallas may be considered an underdog despite the better win-loss record.
What stat might surprise you about Memphis?
Despite their very talented frontline, the Memphis Grizzlies have not been a good rebounding team so far. In fact, they've actually been slightly worse in total rebound rate (No. 24 in the league) than Dallas (tied for 22nd). Zach Randolph has missed the last to games with a knee injury and his presence in the paint was sorely missed. JaMychal Green and Brandan Wright give them youth and more athleticism but not the boards. Hopefully Dallas can eliminate the second chance opportunities that really hurt them Sunday against the OKC Thunder.
What's the key matchup?
A Gasol-Zaza duel could be fun in an all-craft/zero-elevation kind of way, but the West is ruled by point guard play and Memphis has the ever-dangerous Mike Conley and a resurgent Mario Chalmers, who has had a few shockingly dominant performances since being traded to Memphis. Limiting their damage will go a long ways toward making this one a victory instead of a second straight "L".
How to watch
Tune into to Fox Sports Southwest to catch the action, or get your fix via League Pass. The game begins at 7 p.m. CT.