{"id":529784,"date":"2026-01-11T16:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T16:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/529784\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T16:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T16:14:18","slug":"nets-vs-grizzlies-preview-the-start-of-a-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/529784\/","title":{"rendered":"Nets vs. Grizzlies preview: The start of a road trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MEMPHIS,<\/a><\/p>\n

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – DECEMBER 26: Jaren Jackson Jr. #8 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at FedExForum on December 26, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

No fireworks this time. The Brooklyn Nets took on a resurgent Los Angeles Clippers team at Barclays Center on Friday night. It was over early and the Clippers cruised to an easy <\/a>121-105 win.<\/p>\n

The opponent tonight is looking to figure things out. The Memphis Grizzlies had 21-point second half lead and 14-point fourth quarter lead against a severely shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder team. Unfortunately for the Grizz, they let the lead slip and lost a heartbreaker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Gotham Sports on streaming. Tip after 3:30 PM.<\/p>\n

No EJ Liddell, Haywood Highsmith, or Ben Saraf. Michael Porter Jr is out for first half of a back-to-back rest purposes.<\/p>\n

The following are out for the Grizz:<\/p>\n

Ja MorantScotty Pippen, JrTy JeromeZach EdeyBrandon Clarke<\/p>\n

John Konchar is questionable as he continues to recover from left thumb surgery.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s taken a few years to get here, but it appears Memphis is officially looking to get out of the Ja Morant business. On Friday afternoon, it was reported that the team has begun exploring trades <\/a>of their former franchise player. It\u2019s a fall from grace for a player many expected to be the next great superstar of the 2020s. Now, his on court value is the lowest it\u2019s ever been and his reputation has continued to take hits from all angles. How bad has it gotten? Well\u2026<\/p>\n

All these weeks later and that still stings. Morant\u2019s time in Memphis is likely up, and I\u2019m sure he and the team will look back with regret at the missed opportunities they had to become a new power in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n

For Brooklyn, they\u2019re going to look to make their way into the paint as often as possible. The Grizzlies allow teams to shoot 68.8 percent inside the restricted area, tied for fifth highest in the NBA this season. Without Porter Jr, offense will be hard to come by for the Nets. Can Egor D\u0451min help them find easy shots in the painted area? We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know, man. The team is expecting more of Thomas, especially now that he\u2019s the leading man coming off the bench. But if he continues to do the same stuff and show no tangible signs of growth, it makes his life more difficult.<\/p>\n

Player to watch: Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/p>\n

Assuming Morant is out the door, everything falls on JJJ\u2019s shoulders. It doesn\u2019t feel like he\u2019s been in the NBA for eight seasons, but he has and has a surprisingly expansive resume. You spend a few minutes on social media and you\u2019ll see someone bemoan why Jackson Jr isn\u2019t going to rim punishing smaller defenders, etc. It\u2019s something that\u2019s been a problem for a long time, but maybe things are starting to turn around. From STATSSAC over at Grizzly Bear Blues<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, the fact that the rest of the roster had clear understanding that Jackson Jr. was exploiting those mismatches was just as important to his success. Not only did the priority become clear to get him the ball, but the focus also centered on how to make him most effective once he had it. That awareness from the team as a whole is what will help Jackson Jr. remain consistent when he clearly is having success early in games.<\/p>\n

It should be noted that one good game against one of the NBA\u2019s most disappointing teams does not guarantee Jackson Jr. will be at an All-Star level moving forward. But it certainly is a reference point that Jackson Jr. remains fully capable of making star level impact. And perhaps most encouraging is being in sync with the rest of his teammates to frequently feature Jackson. Jr. on offense.\u201c<\/p>\n

He\u2019s getting more shots closer to the rim this season compared to last, so that\u2019s a good start. Jackson Jr. has a lot on his shoulders and the Grizzlies will need a lot more from their All Star as they enter a new era.<\/p>\n

Noah Clowney will get the JJJ assignment, and it\u2019s the first in what promises to be a tough week. The Nets have Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavs waiting for them on Monday night and the Nets have been impressed with how Noah has played for much of the season. Even when his shot isn\u2019t going, you see the flashes of greatness and walk away impressed when he\u2019s able to make something shake. He\u2019s been a bright spot for the Nets this season and this week will be a great measure of his progress.<\/p>\n

For the first time in a long time, the University of Miami has a chance to stand on top of the college football mountain. Let\u2019s take a trip back in time<\/p>\n

And ones in the air for Bob Weir<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – DECEMBER 26: Jaren Jackson Jr. #8 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball during the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":529785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3795],"tags":[7,294,293,177,4070,6,19734],"class_list":{"0":"post-529784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-memphis-grizzlies","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-grizzlies","10":"tag-memphis","11":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","12":"tag-memphisgrizzlies","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-nets-game-previews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115877358155648131","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=529784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/529785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=529784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=529784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=529784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}