Apr 9, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies power forward Ed Davis (32) goes up to block a shot by Charlotte Bobcats power forward Tyrus Thomas (12) during the game at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden–USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies won their 53rd game of the season following a 94-75 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Mike Conley led all scorers with 20 points and dished out seven assists. Zach Randolph had 11 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes. Memphis shot 47.6% from the field held the Bobcats to 37.5% shooting and 14% from three. Memphis remains the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 19 points and Gerald Henderson had 13 points. It wasn’t the production we’ve been expecting out of the Bobcats backcourt. Walker and Henderson combined for just two free throw attempts in 75 total minutes. Henderson went 6-16 from the field while Walker was 9-17. A big part of this backcourt’s success recently has been their ability to penetrate and get to the line. Credit the Grizzlies for limiting that part of their game tonight.

Bismack Biyombo collected 12 rebounds to lead the frontcourt. Biyombo also went 1-7 from the field. Josh McRoberts had eight points and eight rebounds, while shooting 3-11. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has six points and six rebounds. In short, it was another lackluster night from Charlotte’s dreaded frontcourt.

In the meeting earlier in the season between the two teams, Memphis was able to put a clamp on the Bobcats struggling offense. As we saw this past Friday against Miami, the Bobcats have not been too encouraging offensively when put in front of a quality NBA defense. Memphis is peaking at the right time with just 12 days until the postseason, while the Bobcats are still figuring out the same questions they had two and three months ago.

One of the main things to take away from today’s game is identity. Memphis is all about smash-mouth, in-your-face defense. They play as a team, they communicate and they don’t stop coming at you. The Bobcats are a young team, still searching for an identity. Whether it’s a team that’s going to go at you with smallball guards to run up the scoreboard, or a team that’s going to grind you into a half-court setting, the Bobcats need to pinpoint an identity. Doing so goes a long way in to how you construct your team. Memphis has structured their team around their defense and their big men, which has really helped turn around the franchise.

Nov 17, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker (15) drives on Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) during the second half at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the league’s best defenses. The Charlotte Bobcats are one of the league’s worst offenses, as well one of the worst defenses. Tuesday, the Bobcats will roll into Memphis looking to pull off an upset victory over a Grizzlies squad that is 19-7 since the all-star break.

The Grizzlies are have been gelling since the all-star break and the trade of their former leading scorer Rudy Gay. The Grizzlies defense is first in opponents points per game at 89.7 and second in defensive rating. With a record of 52-25, the Grizzlies are the fifth seed in a stacked Western Conference. The Grizzlies record would be good enough for the second seed in the less-competitive Eastern Conference. The Grizzlies play smash-mouth basketball on defense. They’re anchored by the play of their all-star caliber big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, and the point guard play of Mike Conley.

The Bobcats were defeated by the Grizzlies earlier in the season 94-87. Conley led all scorers with 20 points and Randolph had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Gasol stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. The Grizzlies held the Bobcats to 37.6% shooting and scored 25 points off the Bobcats turnovers. After seeing how the Bobcats crumbled against Miami’s defense Friday, we could see a similar story Tuesday night. The Bobcats already struggle getting consistent looks, and the Grizzlies won’t make things any better for them.

Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker will again be relied on to carry the bulk of the Bobcats offense. Walker struggled last week with facilitating and shooting. He shot only 14% from three. While Walker’s three-point shooting has come and gone alot this season at a 31.8% clip, he’s a lot better than that percentage. Walker will have an interesting matchup with Conley, who statistically is also having a career year.

Henderson played well last week, and continued his post all-star surge. Individually Henderson hasn’t seen too many defenders like what he will tomorrow night in Tony Allen. Allen is a strong, athletic and physical guard who frustrates defenders with his throwback defensive ability. Allen isn’t a great scorer, but he embodies everything the Grizzlies are about. This will be the matchup to watch for tomorrow’s game.

Memphis will have a big advantage inside with Randolph and Gasol taking on the likes of Josh McRoberts, Bismack Biyombo and company. The Grizzlies bigs aren’t afraid to bang, rebound the ball well, and are a handful to deal with inside. If the Bobcats are going to have any chance to win the game, they’re going to have to match the level of the Grizzlies big men. McRoberts has done a great job of bringing some consistency in rebounding and activity to the Bobcats bigs, but it would be nice to see that spread to the rest of the frontcourt Tuesday night.

Nov 17, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats center Byron Mullens (22) drives on Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) during the second half at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats fell back to .500 after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies 94-87 Saturday night.

Despite winning the fourth quarter 27-19, the ‘Cats could not overcome some early double digit deficits.

Kemba Walker even went on his own personal 9-0 run in that quarter and finished with 17 points (on 17 shots…), eight assists and five rebounds.

Byron Mullens led the Bobcats in scoring with 18 points, but it took him 21 shots to get there. TWENTY-ONE. He did grab nine rebounds, though, and against Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, that’s a good stat.

Speaking of those two guys, they combined for 30 points and 21 rebounds. Mullens and Brendan Haywood combined for 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Hakim Warrick came off the bench to score five points, block one shot and grab four rebounds in 10 minutes (that’s 18 points and 14.4 rebounds per 36 minutes… for what it’s worth).

Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon had decent games off the bench. They combined for 22 points and five assists on 10-of-21 shooting.

As a team the Bobcats lost for a few reasons. Usually these guys are pretty good from the free-throw line. Against Memphis they shot just 19-28 from the stripe. If the made seven more of those shots the game would’ve went into overtime.

The ‘Cats also turned the ball over 16 times (just six times in the second half, though) and lost the (Mike Dunlap stat here) combined blocks/steals battle 17-12.

In a positive, but sad and weird twist, the Bobcats actually won the rebounding battle 46-44.

It all comes back to free-throws, though. Whereas the ‘Cats missed nine of their 28 FTs, the Grizzlies hit 30 of their 34.

The Bobcats will be back on the court Monday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at TWC Arena.