Toronto Raptors vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Game Preview, TV channel, start time

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Who's Playing

Matchup: Toronto Raptors (49-19) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (33-37)

Where to Watch

Date: Sunday, August 9

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

TV: TSN (Canada), League Pass (USA)

Location: VISA Athletic Center, Orlando, FL

Game Preview

Every game here on out matters for the Grizzlies.

Heading into Sunday, the Grizzlies hold a 1.5 game lead on the Portland Trail Blazers and a two-game lead on the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They'll be doing all they can to hold onto that No. 8 seed to avoid falling in the Western Conference standings and having to win two straight games as opposed to one to make the playoffs should they qualify for the play-in tournament.

It's been a rough start for the Grizzlies in Orlando. They lost their opening four games, three of which came against opponents fighting to make the playoffs over them. However, they picked up their first win on Friday, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder by 29 points.

Dillon Brooks stole the show for the Grizzlies, going off for a game-high 22 points. Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 19 points each while Brandon Clarke scored 12 points off the bench on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting.

The Grizzlies will be looking to ride that momentum into Sunday's game when they take on the Raptors.

The Raptors have the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference all but locked up at this point. All they need is to win one more game over their next four or for the Boston Celtics to lose one more game to clinch the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, as well as the Atlantic Division for the sixth time in seven seasons.

Following Sunday's game against the Grizzlies, the Raptors will take on the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets to finish out their seeding games.

The Raptors have been one of the NBA's hottest teams in the bubble, but they're coming off of a tough loss to the Celtics, in which Boston brought to light some of Toronto's biggest weaknesses. Look for Pascal Siakam to have a bounce-back game, as he had one of his worst performances of the season against the Celtics.

Injury Report

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week that Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. will miss the remainder of the season with a meniscus tear in his left knee.

In 57 games this season, Jackson averaged 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game on 39.4 percent shooting from 3-point range.

For the Raptors, the team announced on Friday that Patrick McCaw is leaving Orlando to seek treatment for the reoccurrence of a benign mass on his left knee.

Game Notes

  • Entering Sunday's game, the Grizzlies rank 20th in offence (109.0) and 15th in defence (109.8) on the season.
  • The Raptors rank 12th in offence (110.8) and second in defence (104.7).
  • This will be the first time Jonas Valanciunas has played against the Raptors since he was traded to the Grizzlies at last season's trade deadline.
  • Valanciunas is having one of the best seasons of his career, posting averages of 15.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
  • This will also be Marc Gasol's first time playing the Grizzlies since he was traded to the Raptors at last season's trade deadline.
  • Gasol spent the first 10 seasons of his career in Memphis, where he blossomed into a three-time All-Star and a one-time Defensive Player of the Year.
  • Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has been one of the best roll men in the league this season. According to NBA.com, he ranks in the 95th percentile with an average of 1.51 points per possession.
  • Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is averaging 18.9 drives per game this season, the fifth-highest rate in the league behind only Russell Westbrook (20.7), Luka Doncic (20.2), DeMar DeRozan (20.0) and Trae Young (19.9).
  • Our NBA.com Staff picked Morant as this season's Rookie of the Year.

Last Time They Played

Date: Jan. 19, 2019

Score: Toronto Raptors 119, Memphis Grizzlies 90

Raptors: Danny Green — 24 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL

Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. — 16 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST

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Author(s)
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Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News