Memphis’ Morant Muscle

Memphis has a ton of injuries (Steven Adams, Marcus Smart, Brandon Clarke, the list goes on), but their greatest absence through 25 games was Ja Morant who was suspended. Well, he’s back, and the team is 4-0 with him active before facing the Nuggets on Thursday night. Morant instantly became the catalyst for a team that’s 29th in offensive rating. The Grizzlies have put up at least 115 in all four games that he’s played, well above their season average of 107.3 (30th). Outside of the sixth-most three-point attempts per game, Memphis wasn’t doing anything well offensively before Morant returned. However, he has helped them level up and will try to keep the good times rolling.

In Morant’s absence, the defense maintained a solid level, ranking seventh before play on Thursday. Of course, with Jaren Jackson Jr. in the mix, the Grizzlies are the best team at defending the rim and blocking shots. Along with that, the Memphis defense is fourth in turnover percentage. However, poor defensive rebounding and three-point defense limit Memphis’ defensive dominance. That’s where Marcus Smart and Steven Adams are sorely missed. Still, the Grizzlies can stifle almost any team this season.

Clippers Climbing the Standings

Los Angeles entered December with an 8-10 record. Well, they’re 18-12 before this game, with the two losses coming against the Thunder and Celtics. The Clippers are playing well, and looking to establish another long winning streak. Their strength is the league’s 10th-best offensive rating. They’re sixth in true shooting percentage thanks to the NBA’s fourth-highest three-point percentage. Los Angeles also has solid ball security and offensive rebounding. The Clippers attempt the fourth-highest percentage of midrange shots but also connect at the seventh-highest rate. It took some time, but Los Angeles’ stars hit their stride, resulting in an offensive climb.

Even with depleted frontcourt depth because of Mason Plumlee’s injury (Moussa Diabate has also joined him), the Clippers are 12th in defensive rating. They’re top-10 at forcing misses on midrange shots and three-pointers. At the rim, teams hit 62.0% of attempts (13th). The Clippers have poor defensive rebounding numbers, but it hasn’t cost them too much. Kawhi Leonard is battling a hip injury, but they’ve overcome that too. Los Angeles isn’t just outscoring everyone.