**What:** Charlotte Hornets (19-28) (10-15 away) at Memphis Grizzlies (18-26) (9-13 home)
**When:** 8:00pm Eastern
**Where:** FedExForum; Memphis, TN
**How to watch:** FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
**Outfitting:** Hornets–Association (white), Grizzlies–Icon (navy)
**Game Lines:** Hornets -1.5, Hornets money line -142, O/U 231.5
**Injuries:**
Hornets: Mason Plumlee-out (groin)
Grizzlies: Ja Morant-out (elbow), Zach Edey-out (ankle), Brandon Clarke-out (calf), Scotty Pippen Jr.-out (toe), Ty Jerome-out (calf)
My have the Grizzlies fallen. A few years ago, they looked like one of the best up and coming teams in the league. They won 50 games in back to back year with a core that was all in their early to mid 20s. Recent years have reminded them how fleeting success can be in professional sports. The entire team got hurt and missed the playoffs, then they made the playoffs but fired their coach along the way. They traded away one of their core pieces in Desmond Bane and it looks like Ja Morant is next. The latter can’t stay on the floor and has been making more headlines with his antics than his play for a few years now.
This season has been a roller coaster on its own. Memphis got off to a brutal 4-11 start but bounced back and nearly crawled all the way back up to .500. They were 15-16 after a win the day after Christmas. They’re 3-10 since then. They’ve been bottom 10 in both offense and defense.
They simply don’t have any go-to player on offense. Jaren Jackson Jr. is the leading scorer among healthy players, but he’s not the best shot creator. Most of the scoring his done by committee. Santi Aldama has led the team in scoring eight times this season, if that tells you anything. One of the few bright spots is Cedric Coward, who has delivered on his mysterious but appealing potential in the draft last summer.
That’s about all I got. The Grizzlies are a pretty unremarkable team. They don’t do anything really well but don’t do anything terribly. They’re just kind of mediocre to below average at most things. A focused Hornets team can and maybe should win this game.
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