Grizzlies are enjoying some time off after being eliminated from the NBA Cup

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Time off is rare in the NBA, and when it’s offered, it’s often gladly accepted. The Grizzlies will use a four-day break between games to rest and refocus before returning to play on Friday.

Memphis was eliminated from the Emirates NBA Cup tournament after losing 3-1 in group play. The elimination means the team can spend a few days at home instead of in Las Vegas. Despite the time off, some players are still living in the gym.

“It’s almost like a little All-Star break before the All-Star break. You know, I think it’s going to pay off, especially with the way we play and how fast we play,” Desmond Bane said.

“I think some guys did a few little things on their own, but I think they just didn’t live in the facility, whether it be the on-site gym or wherever you feel most comfortable and have some family time there spent at home. It was like this. “It’s good to spend a little time away from basketball.”

“I think we can get a lot of work done. We don’t train much during the season. Just take some time off, recover from basketball for a bit, but also do meaningful work. We won’t get something like that again,” said Santi Aldama.

The break actually leads to the “rest vs. rust” scenario. The Grizzlies have won nine of their last 10 games and moved into second place in the Western Conference, a place they have not reached since occupying that spot at the end of the 2022-2023 regular season.

The team leads the league in points per game (122.1) and blocks (7.0 per game), is third in rebounding (47.6 RPG) and fourth in net rating (8.0). Their opponents are shooting 33.2% from three (leading the NBA) and 43.8% from the field (fourth), while the Grizzlies are shooting 48.9% from the field and 35.4% from deep.

It’s a level of play they want to maintain while taking advantage of the time to rest. During the break, the team will use two training sessions to regain their strength before another long series of games between Friday and New Year’s Day.

“(The rest is) important for sure, but we don’t want to lose the momentum we’ve been playing the last few weeks,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Luckily our boys came into the game with great concentration and then tomorrow we will challenge them to get back to the dynamism and intensity that we need.”

Although the Grizzlies are not playing in the tournament portion of the NBA Cup, they will have another chance to face the Brooklyn Nets in one of two make-up games in which the LA Lakers also take part.

The Nets are a team in the East that has two wins over the Grizzlies despite their 10-14 record. It’s a rare third game in an interconference matchup where the Grizzlies have something in mind.

“We just have to beat them, man,” Aldama said. “They wanted to win more than us in the last two games. We just have to find a way to do it.”

The meeting point is on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the FedExForum.