Herrington: In battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2, Grizzlies have a wide gap to close
Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at FedExForum. (Brandon Dill/AP file)
Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life. As far as he knows, he’s the only member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who is also a member of a film critics group and has also voted in national music critic polls for Rolling Stone and the Village Voice (RIP). He and his wife have two kids and, for reasons that sometimes elude him, three dogs.
At FedExForum on Saturday night, it was a battle of No. 1 and No. 2 in the NBA’s Western Conference.
No. 1, the Oklahoma City Thunder, were playing without three of their top seven or eight players, on the road, on the second night of a back-to-back.
No. 2, the Memphis Grizzlies, had every potential member of their rotation available in the same game for the first time all season. They were at home, coming off two days' rest. And after losing by 24 at Oklahoma City in late December, in the first matchup of the season between these teams, they had something to prove.
Instead, Oklahoma City delivered a lesson: The Grizzlies may be No. 2, but right now it’s not a close No. 2.
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