Washington Wizards Lead Memphis Grizzlies 62-46 at Halftime of Home Opener

So far, so good for the Washington Wizards in their home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies as they lead 62-46 at halftime.

The leading scorer for the Wizards is forward Corey Kispert who has 22 points on 72 percent shooting.

It seems like everything for Kispert is going down right now and Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. realized he's the hot hand and continued to ride him.

With the Grizzlies missing multiple guys including star guard Ja Morant, who is currently suspended, the Wizards would like to take advantage in front of their home crowd and walk away with their first win of the season.

A Washington defense that struggled against a fast-paced Indiana Pacers team looks to be much improved so far tonight, holding Memphis to 46 points and 34.8 percent shooting.

Pre-game, Monumental Sports and Entertainment sideline reporter Meghan McPeak talked about a conversation she had with coach Unseld Jr. on the defense and how they will try to slow down the Grizzlies.

"They've got big bodies, big guards who are going to try and attack our paint," coach Unseld Jr. told McPeak. "We've got to plug up and shrink our spots."

This Grizzlies team is a much different team than the fast-paced Pacers Washington got dominated by during the season opener as they are much slower-paced and more physical.

Halftime at the house. 🏠#ForTheDistrict | @CapitalOne pic.twitter.com/2fKueoszGg
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) October 29, 2023

You would have to think having center Daniel Gafford stay out of foul trouble is key so far but unfortunately, he limped off towards the end of the half and we don't have news on the severity yet.

If he continues to be out Washington will have to adjust to continue stopping the Grizzlies down low.

As far as the offensive side of the ball the Wizards are shooting the three-pointer at a good clip and Washington's bench has contributed well with points coming primarily from Kispert and forward Danilo Gallinari who has five points.

Thus far, Washington's bench is out-scoring Memphis' 29-13.

Not many adjustments are needed for the Wizards in the second and they will look to keep it going and send the fans home happy with a win.

Update: Daniel Gafford was able to return to the contest to start the second half.

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