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.
Topics
Memphis Grizzlies Grizzlies Subscriber OnlyIt’s GivingTuesday week! Will you join the celebration?
Donate now to help power our free community news access program.You know the value of having unlimited access to The Daily Memphian’s news. When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians with quality, in-depth local news through
- free access at over 300 schools and libraries
- free podcasts and radio broadcasts
- free newsletters
- and more!
Thank you for keeping up with local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Chris Herrington on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Chris Herrington's stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Related stories
Herrington: ‘South Carolina Connection’ lights up scoreboard
Ja Morant and GG Jackson, two Grizzlies from South Carolina, helped the Grizzlies run past the Spurs Monday night at FedExForum.
Herrington: How Jaren Jackson Jr.’s All-NBA bid could impact his Grizzlies’ future
Chris Herrington breaks down all the different scenarios involving Jaren Jackson Jr.’s contract situation and what’s best for the Grizzlies.
Grizzlies trade deadline rumor roundup, one day out
One day out — the NBA trade deadline is 2 p.m. Thursday — let’s sift through some of the latest rumors that might be relevant to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.