First round preview: Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies

The team who ended with the best regular season record squares off against the last team to enter the playoffs. 

Top seed Utah Jazz begin their postseason journey by playing against the eighth seeded Memphis Grizzlies who outlasted the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament. 

Most compelling storyline

The main question for this matchup is can the Grizzlies pull off the upset? This is going to be a matchup between a team with a lot of pressure on their backs versus a squad with nothing to lose. 

The Jazz have been tearing up teams on their way to 52 wins. They’ve had a league-best 11-game winning streak and two other nine-game streaks. They made winning look easy, notching a whopping 39 games by double-digits. And among the 30 teams, they are the only ones who rank in top five in both offensive (116.5) and defensive (107.5) ratings. The Jazz are clearly the superior team on paper.

Then again, you can never count out the Grizzlies. 

Ja Morant is the star of the team but in no way is he surrounded by a bunch of nobodies. Jonas Valanciunas has quietly morphed into a double-double monster. He averaged 17.1 points and 12.5 rebounds, being the anchor for his squad on both ends of the floor. 

What about the collection of Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson, Grayson Allen, Desmond Bane, Xavier Tillman, and Jaren Jackson Jr.? The Grizzlies have a lot of tough and determined players who won’t back down against the Jazz. They can provide complimentary firepower to Morant while being pests on defense. 

Do the Grizzlies have enough for the upset? Maybe, maybe not. But you know this is a matchup worth watching. 

Keep an eye on...

After shadowing Stephen Curry in the play-in, Dillon Brooks should have his eyes set on Donovan Mitchell. Brooks didn’t necessarily shackle Curry (39 points), but you know the Warriors had a tedious time trying to get a shot off every time on offense. Per ESPN Stats and Info, Brooks slowed down Curry to 6-of-15 shooting and 0.85 points per play. 

Next on Brooks’ hit list is Mitchell who finished with a career-high 26.4 points and 5.2 assists during the regular season. Mitchell is the Jazz’s go-to scorer but he’s also coming off an ankle injury. He’s been out since mid-April, missing the last 16 games, and he just returned to practice recently. No time to get back into game-shape for Mitchell who’s going to have Brooks all up on his grill. 

X-Factor

Sixth Man of the Year candidates Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles will play a huge role for the Jazz in the playoffs, none more so than the first round considering that primary playmakers Mitchell and Mike Conley are coming off injuries. 

As mentioned earlier, Mitchell has been missing in action for the last month because of an ankle injury. Conley, meanwhile, recently came back into rotation after dealing with hamstring issues. The veteran guard previously sat out nine outings before returning in the last two games of the regular season. 

If Mitchell and Conley aren’t at full strength yet, the shot-creating and shot-making duties will largely fall on Clarkson and Ingles. Clarkson averaged 18.4 points this season while Ingles has provided 12.1 points while shooting 45.1 percent from deep. 

Winning blueprint

The Jazz’s primary weapons on offense will be their 3-point shooting and pick-and-roll game. They led the league in 3s, knocking down 16.7 per game (they attempted 43.0). Spearheaded by Mitchell and Conley, the Jazz are quick to find the open man on the perimeter. They are an adept 3-point shooting machine who overwhelms opponents through a ton of screens and pinpoint ball movement. The Jazz will look to exploit their offensive weapons against the Grizzlies. 

That being said, the Grizzlies are among the best disruptive teams in the league. The Jazz may be number three in defensive rating, but the Grizzlies are not far off at seventh with a mark of 110.5. They’re not the grit-and-grind Grizzlies of the 2010s but more like masters of mayhem. They are first in steals (9.1) and third in points off turnovers (18.5). Plus, they lead the league in points in the paint (55.8), second shot opportunities (15.0), and fast break points (17.3).  The Grizzlies love to attack relentlessly and they need to play their style against the Jazz.