Today the Grizzlies lost 104-113 to the Warriors to eat a three-game losing streak, and the team's core Morant has not won since his return. Morant finished with 21 points and six rebounds, and his performance was definitely not bad. But as team leader, Morant missed two key goals in the final moments and failed to help the team close the point gap. The Warriors scored consecutive points under the leadership of Payton Jr. and Curry, taking the initiative in the game into their own hands.
It doesn't matter if the game is won or lost, after all, it's just a regular season game. But in this game, the Warriors had two main players who did not play, and Wiggins and Poole both averaged nearly 20 points. The two did not fight, which is equivalent to the Warriors giving up two members of the generals, and the Result is that the Warriors still win at home. The Grizzlies tied the points gap in the 4th quarter and had the hope of winning, but the Grizzlies did not do well in key ball handling and defensive ends.
Most importantly, the Grizzlies haven't won since Morant returned. While Morant has only played two games, it's definitely no coincidence, especially the last game he lost to the Thunder. Morant didn't play the Grizzlies before, creating the biggest win-point difference in NBA history. And then Morant returned to the Grizzlies and lost, what does that say?
Morant had one statistic in the league during his injury: defensive efficiency. Morant, though small, lacks a perfect endpoint and breakout point on the offensive end. But the Grizzlies have moved up a notch from their overall defensive level, and Morant is brilliant offensively. In terms of defense, he is not excellent, Morant's figure is relatively thin, although there is a movement speed, but in the anti-breakthrough forward and the change of defense inside the field, Morant's disadvantage is very obvious. And Morant spends most of his time on offense, he does a mediocre job on the defensive end, and he doesn't put his energy into the defensive end, which is equivalent to the rest of the team helping Morante share the pressure.
Morant is not there, and the Grizzlies have every five on the court to defend and play very tenaciously. Beat teams like the 76ers, Lakers, Trail Blazers. In the last game against the Thunder, rookie Gidy cut the efficient data, and today Morant returned to Curry to score 46 points. It seems that his defensive problems really need to be paid attention to.
In addition to defensive problems, Morant also encountered obstacles when playing key balls. The Warriors have played several games with the Grizzlies before, and last season's playoffs, the Grizzlies beat the Warriors to advance to the playoffs. The Warriors' first game of the season was officially due to the Grizzlies. The Warriors adjusted their thinking and began using Payton Jr., a defensive slamman against Morant, instead of Wiggins vs. Morant as before. Peyton Jr. is very aggressive in his defense and moves fast enough to keep up with Morant, who clings to Morant like a piece of candy today.
At the same time, the Warriors also targeted the breakthrough of limiting him when defending Morant, which can give him some shooting space. But there is no way to give a chance to break through. Morant's feel today also proves this, in the area within the three-point line, Morant's shooting rate can still reach more than 50%, but outside the three-point line, Morant shot all 4 shots today. The three-pointer feels depressed. So in the final moments, Morant's key throw didn't go in, and the Warriors were shrinking inside against defensive Morant's breakthrough.
The Grizzlies can't do without Morant, and last season the Grizzlies played into the playoffs. The Grizzlies are firmly in the top five in the West this season, and Morant is also credited, but Morant is not perfect as a leader. Defensively, crucial balls and some of the game details he had to learn, and the team's defeat in these two games of comeback was not a good sign. If Morant wants to block the mouth of the doubter, he must lead the team as soon as possible, and the sooner the winning time, the better. Dear spectator friends, why do you think the team lost the two games that Morant returned? Feel free to leave a comment in the article comment area.