The Memphis Grizzlies and the Miami Heat draw the curtains on their 2024-25 pre-season campaign when they go head to head at the FedExForum Arena on Saturday.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides since their clash in the off-season NBA Summer League final on July 23, when the Heat picked up a hard-fought 120-118 victory in overtime.
Match preview
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The Memphis Grizzlies secured another positive result in preparation for the 2024-25 campaign as they edged out the Indiana Pacers 120-116 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday.
In the absence of offensive leader Ja Morant, four players finished with double-figure points, led by Desmond Bane, who scored a game-high 23 points with a 56% FG to inspire Memphis to a relatively comfortable victory.
Highly-rated rookie Zach Edey showed his brilliance at both ends of the court once again as he knocked down 23 points (all in the paint) on 10-of-15 shooting and was one rebound shy of finishing the night with his first double-double.
With head coach Taylor Jenkins trying out several rotations ahead of the regular season, the Grizzlies have picked up three wins from their four warm-up games — their only defeat coming on October 11, when they fell 119-94 against the Charlotte Hornets on home court.
Memphis Grizzlies will now look to close out a pre-season with a third victory on the bounce before kicking off the 2024-25 regular campaign with a clash against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center Arena on October 24.
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The Miami Heat, on the other hand, picked up a second consecutive victory over the Atlanta Hawks this year as they edged out Quin Snyder's men 120-111 win when the two sides faced off at the Kaseya Center on Thursday.
Their opponents led by as much as 11 points in the second quarter, but an efficient Jimmy Butler, who tallied 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, inspired a Heat comeback to take their record to 3-1 in pre-season.
Haywood Highsmith was one of three Miami players to finish with double-digit points as he knocked down 16 points in 17 minutes while Tyler Herro scored 19 in 23 minutes of action while chipping in five assists and five rebounds.
Since kicking off the pre-season with a narrow 111-108 defeat against the Hornets last week, the Heat have now picked up three wins on the bounce, seeing off the New Orleans Pelicans, the San Antonio Spurs and most recently the Hawks.
While Miami have netted 120 points in back-to-back games and average 112 from their four exhibition matches, head coach Erik Spoelstra will now emphasise tightening things up at the backcourt, where they have allowed 100+ points from three of their four opponents.
Following the close of action on Saturday, the Miami Heat will tip off the new regular season journey with a clash against the Orlando Magic at the Kaseya Center on October 24.
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Team News
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The Memphis Grizzlies will be without the services of Luke Kennard, with Jenkins confirming the guard is dealing with foot soreness following Monday's victory over the Pacers.
This has come as a another blow to the Grizzlies, as Kennard, who signed a one-year, $11 million contract in the off-season, joins a growing injury list with Jaren Jackson Jr and floor general Morant.
Jenkins has opted not to risk Morant since his ankle injury scare in the pre-season opener against the Dallas Mavericks last week, but the offensive leader could see limited minutes on Saturday.
Jackson Jr steps up his return from the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury back in April but the 25-year-old forward is not expected to make his return this weekend.
Miami Heat endured an injury-hit 2023-24 campaign, with key players like Butler and Herro spending significant time on the sidelines, but Spoelstra will hope to have a healthy squad this term.
There is no doubt that their season will be largely reliant on Butler's health, but the 35-year-old has looked sharp in the last two games, seeing a combined 45 minutes of action while notching 36 points across both games.
Josh Richardson is yet to feature for Heat in pre-season and the 31-year-old guard, who averaged 9.9 points across 43 games last season, is a doubt for Saturday's clash.
Memphis Grizzlies possible starting 5:
Bane, Pipen, Edey, Aldama, Laravia
Miami Heat possible starting 5:
Herro, Rozier, Adebayo, Jovic, Butler
We say: Memphis Grizzlies to win by 2+ points.
Irrespective of the result on Saturday, there have been lots of positives for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Miami Heat in pre-season and they will both look to close out the campaign on a positive note.
Buoyed by their impressive display against the Indiana Pacers, the Grizzlies return to home court on Saturday with sky-high spirits and we are tipping them to come away with another close win against the Heat.
