The Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies hope to use this season as a stepping stone in the path to the playoffs.
Tenacious defense was one of the Memphis Grizzlies' biggest strengths in 2012-13 during their best season ever. The same couldn't be said of their first game this season, particularly in terms of interior defense. They'll try to get back on track in Friday night's home opener against the Detroit Pistons, who had their way in the paint while starting in winning fashion.
Memphis won a franchise-record 56 games last season and reached its first ever conference finals. The Grizzlies relied on a stingy defense that ranked among the best, allowing a league-low 89.3 points per game while limiting opponents to averages of 43.5 percent shooting and 38.0 points in the paint.
But they were outscored 50-40 in the paint in Wednesday's 101-94 loss at San Antonio, which swept them out of the playoffs. They let teams score 50-plus in the paint eight times all of last season, with three coming against Denver.
Memphis also let the Spurs shoot 52.6 percent from the field and score 19 fast-break points. The Grizzlies limited teams to an average of 12.4 points on the break last season.
The Pistons outscored Washington 56-28 in the paint in a 113-102 home win Wednesday. Greg Monroe finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds while Andre Drummond added 12 and eight, respectively. Josh Smith added firepower to the frontcourt, finishing with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. He's shooting 58.5 percent over his last 15 games against Memphis.
Detroit's win came despite being short-handed, as Brandon Jennings isn't likely to play until at least next week due to an impacted wisdom tooth and fractured jaw. Rodney Stuckey also sat out with a broken right thumb but is expected to play Friday.
They will try and overcome these injuries once again and beat the Grizzlies.
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