Saturday evening’s matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards was not your typical battle of two subpar teams. As opponents are finding out, Memphis is trying to win as many games as possible. Meanwhile, Jeff Green and the Wizards — winners of two of their last three — are keeping things competitive, too, despite being the fifth-worst record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
As the Grizzlies are playing games with the goal to convey heavy on their minds regarding their 2019 first-round NBA Draft selection, their plan has been gaining traction since February’s NBA All-Star break.