On Saturday, Alex Caruso was in College Station, Texas, to watch his alma mater, Texas A&M, in the College Football Playoff.
Monday, he’ll be in Oklahoma City playing for the Thunder when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies.
Caruso and the Thunder are coming off a 112-107 setback at Minnesota. Caruso had no steals for just the third time this season in Friday’s loss but remains a crucial piece for Oklahoma City’s defense.
“He’s a gamer. He’s ready to play every night,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Caruso. “He does not have a lower speed. We may play him less minutes some nights, but his output in his minutes is always the same. It’s a really comforting thing for the team and for me to know that you have guys that are going to play at that level regardless of the circumstances.”
Though Oklahoma City is as healthy as it has been all season, the defending NBA champion is also facing its first significant adversity of the season after dropping its second game in its last three after a 24-1 start.
“We’re not a perfect team but we do believe in growth through wins and losses,” Thunder guard Isaiah Joe said.
The game is the first night of a back-to-back for both teams.
Memphis is coming off a 130-122 home loss to Washington on Saturday, a game in which the Grizzlies had led by 20 points. Memphis has won nine of its last 13 overall.
The Grizzlies were short-handed in the loss to the Wizards, including being without Ja Morant for the second consecutive game after he suffered an ankle injury Dec. 15 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Memphis coach Tuomas Iisalo was frustrated with his team’s performance in the loss to Washington.
“No pace, no ball movement … in the second half and on top of this, we allowed the other team to bully us,” Iisalo said.
That figures to need to be much different to pull off a victory Monday.
Oklahoma City comes into the game with an NBA-best 103.2 defensive rating, while Memphis is in the bottom 12 in the league with a 112.5 offensive rating.
“They’re able to, maybe better than any team in the league, wall off the paint and still get out to contest those 3-point shots,” Iisalo said of the Thunder.
Memphis was down to eight players late in Saturday’s game when Brandon Clarke left with a calf injury.
The Grizzlies do figure to have at least two players available Monday if needed that weren’t playing against Washington. Forward GG Jackson and guard Jahmai Mashack each missed that game to participate in the G-League’s Winter League Showcase.
Monday’s game is the second of the season between Memphis and Oklahoma City.
The Thunder won the first meeting 114-100 in Memphis on Nov. 9.
The Grizzlies led that game by 11 at halftime before Oklahoma City outscored them 63-38 after the break.
Monday’s game is Memphis’ first trip to Oklahoma City since last season’s first-round playoff matchup between the teams.
