NBA Game of the week: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Detroit Pistons

This Saturday at 7 PM the Memphis Grizzlies will travel to Detroit, facing the Pistons in a game that’ll hold high value for both regarding playoff seedings.

As Memphis fights to escape the Play-In and secure themselves a Playoff spot in a tightly packed west (when is it not), Detroit tries to retain its 5th seed from Milwaukee.

Both teams have young cores that are looking to find an identity with Detroit specifically escaping the limbo of being a lottery team after not winning a playoff game since 2008.

This success comes from the development of Cade Cunningham, who made his first All-Star selection this year.

Also, the addition of key pieces like Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley being added along with the development of Ausar Thompson, have flipped this team on its head.

The storyline for the Grizzlies has been a little bit different, as Memphis has seen ups and downs since the 2021-22 season, where they peaked at losing to the Golden State Warriors 4-2 and Ja Morant had an incredible series averaging 38.3 points.

Since then, Memphis faced a nightmare injury riddled season in 2023-24, finishing 13th in the West and now has seemingly bounced back to playoff contender territory. The question for them is: just how high is their ceiling?

As far as their matchup this weekend is concerned, as of Thursday night Detroit is missing Jaden Ivey and Tobias Harris, with Cunningham questionable for Friday’s game at Toronto.

Memphis isn’t missing any notable players.

Something to note is the weakness in the Pistons’ frontcourt depth, which can and has been exposed by Jaren Jackson Jr. in past matchups.

However, their three point shooting as a team, barring a swift return from Harris, should be able to outperform the damage done by Morant and Desmond Bane.

On the other end of things, Memphis allows 20 points per game off of turnovers, which Cunningham and the guard talent of Detroit force many of.

Memphis does exceed Detroit in most team metrics both offensively and defensively, notably dominating the paint ranking #2 in rebounds and #3 in blocks throughout the league.

Keys to the Game:

Detroit: Need to find a way to contain Jackson Jr., Perimeter Defense needs to be elite.

Memphis: Keep turnovers to a minimum, Feed JJJ in the post.

Prediction:

PISTONS 123 - 117 GRIZZLIES

If there’s one last conclusion we can come to from the outcome of this game, it’s who’s the better of these two soon-to-be first round exits.

In all seriousness, it's just a bit too early to call either one of these teams a true championship contender but next year, who knows?

Chris Vadnais is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email cmv5562@psu.edu.