Preview: Grizzlies Host Suns for In-Season Tournament Finale

The Phoenix Suns (9-6, fifth in the Western Conference) are facing off against the reeling and unlucky Memphis Grizzlies (3-11, fourteenth in West) on Friday in Memphis.

The Suns are riding a five-game win streak into a short road trip that begins in Memphis before hitting Madison Square Garden on Sunday and concluding in Toronto against the Raptors next Wednesday.

Here are three storylines to watch out for going into Memphis:

In-Season Tournament Implications

While the Los Angeles Lakers officially clinched Group A after a clean 4-0 sweep in the games they played, Phoenix still has a path to make it to the knockout stage.

While there is only one wild card team that will make it out of the West into the knockout stage, Phoenix looks primed to take that spot with a strong win against Memphis.

If the Suns won the game and put up some massive points in doing so, the only thing to do after the fact is pay attention to what Denver, New Orleans, Sacramento, Minnesota, and Golden State do in their remaining games.

The following elimination scenarios are also applicable for tonight's games ⬇️ https://t.co/gumaxOAJrQ pic.twitter.com/LcG634equ8
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 24, 2023

The bottom line is Phoenix should feel good about the chances of advancing if they are to take care of business today.

Grizzlies are Ailing

The Memphis Grizzlies are off to a surprisingly poor 3-11 start, and much of that can be attributed to the absence of star guard Ja Morant coupled with poor injury luck.

On top of the Morant suspension, Memphis is dealing with a myriad of injury issues, with an injury report for tomorrow's contest spanning nearly half of the roster.

Players listed as out: Jake LaRavia, Xavier Tillman, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke.

The Grizzlies' best player this season in Desmond Bane is also considered questionable for the game with a mid-foot sprain.

The injury situation has become so bleak for the Grizzlies that they were granted hardship exceptions to sign Jaylen Nowell and Shaq Harrison to 10-day contracts.

ESPN Sources: The Memphis Grizzlies plan to sign guards Shaq Harrison and Jaylen Nowell with two newly awarded hardship 10-day contracts. The NBA approved the hardship roster spots after Memphis had five injured players ruled out over the next two-plus weeks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 23, 2023

How Will Vogel Deal With Eubanks Absence?

Suns big man Drew Eubanks hurt his ankle in the second half of the Warriors contest on Wednesday night and has already been ruled out ahead of tip off in Memphis.

He did travel with the team, so that hopefully bodes well for a fairly speedy recovery, but Frank Vogel now must lean further into the route James Jones built for him.

After promising preseason standout Chimezie Metu would see more opportunity as the season went on, Vogel can stand on that promise by utilizing him as a small-ball five, much like we saw against Golden State.

Other possibilities in non-Nurkic minutes are using Kevin Durant as a small-ball five, or even perhaps going even deeper into the bench and giving opportunities to either Bol Bol or Udoka Azuibuike.

While Eubanks being out isn't ideal, this is the perfect opportunity for Vogel to continue showing his ability to be adaptable, and also an opportunity to test the versatility of this roster.

The contest is set to tip off shortly after 3 PM Arizona time.