The Memphis Grizzlies will host the Brooklyn Nets tonight. The Grizzlies have set an embarrassing tradition this season, blowing up huge leads, the end result might differ though. They blew up a 20-point lead against the Chicago Bulls. During their season opener, they lost their 17-point lead but won the match by just 2 points. On the other hand, Jordi Fernandez, the Nets’ head coach and the first Spanish coach in the NBA, celebrated his first win. The Nets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks to achieve this feat.

But the celebrations were short-lived as they lost to the Denver Nuggets soon after. With that, they fell to 1-3 for the season. But there is some positive news for the Nets. Their offense in the first half was unmatched. They built up a 17-point lead, only to blow it up later. 

The defense is not the only worry for both teams. Injuries have also derailed their plans. Grizzlies’ Ja Morant is dealing with soreness in his right thigh and is listed as questionable. Center Zach Edey has also appeared on the injury report because of right calf soreness. The Edey-Morant duo and Konchar, who’s managing right posterior tibial tendonitis, are marked as questionable and day-to-day.

Will the Grizzlies improve upon their defense with No Ja and Zach?

Morant has been managing thigh soreness since the first game of a recent back-to-back series against the Rockets on October 25. He played through the discomfort in the Grizzlies’ home opener against the Magic the next day, but was absent in Monday’s 126-123 loss to the Bulls. Konchar has now missed two straight games, while the 7’4 Edey, is making his first appearance on the injury report.

In Tuesday’s media viewing portion of practice, the 7-foot-4 rookie looked mobile and engaged. He took part in movement shooting drills alongside Konchar before joining Grizzlies assistant coach Anthony Carter for a high-energy rebounding and putback workout.

Zach Edey’s playing time has been somewhat limited over his first 4 NBA appearances, averaging 16 minutes per game and surpassing 20 minutes in just one outing.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins mentioned that Edey’s fluctuating minutes are not based on any single-game reaction. Instead, the team values adaptability, with Edey sometimes finishing games on the floor and at other times supporting his teammates from the bench. “His head is in a great spot,” Jenkins commented. “I’ve been really encouraged by his professionalism doing whatever is asked of him.”

With averages of 7.8 points and five rebounds per game, Zach Edey’s stats might not fully capture his progress, but Jenkins was sure to express satisfaction with his development so far in the NBA.

Not just Ben Simmons, his replacement is out as well

We all know Ben Simmons’ lore with injuries. He’ll be playing in this matchup, as stated by Jordi Fernandez. “With Ben, the plan is, for now, not to play back-to-backs until we give a different update,” the coach said. “He’ll be available tomorrow. I’m not gonna give you exact minutes, but he’ll play good minutes.” He underwent a crucial surgery in March, but still no back-to-backs for the Aussie.

While Nic Claxton had stepped into the starting center role, he has also been ruled out for injury management reasons. Claxton is dealing with a hamstring injury but he did play 26 mins against the Nuggets.

Bojan Bogdanovic (recovering from a left foot injury), Trendon Watford (left hamstring strain), and Day’Ron Sharpe (left hamstring strain) have been ruled out for tonight’s matchup against the Grizzlies. All of them also missed the matchup against the Nuggets.

“Trendon, he’s doing great,” said Fernández after the match against the Nuggets. “Everything is going as planned and we’ll give an update soon. We expect him to be available in the next few — I mean, I don’t know exactly when — but soon.” 

With either team having problems with their defense, it will be intriguing to see how their offense plays out. Both teams missing important players also makes it interesting to see what lineups they’ll be going with.