The first meeting between the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans already told us this matchup has a little more edge than a typical November game. One overtime, one point, and a result that could easily matter again when the teams meet for the second time in their four-game season series on Friday night at Smoothie King Center.
That is the larger frame here: the Pelicans beat the Grizzlies 135-134 earlier this month, and both teams arrive looking for a cleaner response. New Orleans is coming off a 145-111 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, while Memphis most recently fell 123-118 to the Denver Nuggets. So while the record line is important, the matchup carries more weight than a standard regular-season date because each side has already seen how thin the margin can be.
The Grizzlies have the more stable early-season profile at 7-4, while the Pelicans are 4-8. But that gap does not fully explain how the first meeting played out, or why this rematch still feels competitive. Last season, the teams split the series 2-2, which is another reminder that these games tend to stay tight even when the broader standings say otherwise.
The individual storyline around Cameron Boozer adds another layer. The Grizzlies rookie power forward is averaging 16 points, just under 10 rebounds and 5.5 assists, and the matchup with Zion Williamson is clearly one of the central angles. Boozer has been productive enough to matter in multiple ways, not just as a scorer. That matters against a Pelicans team that will need more than one stop or one hot stretch to control the game.
New Orleans, meanwhile, can still lean on Williamson as the matchup piece that can tilt the floor. The source frames Cameron Boozer and Zion Williamson as the key individual battle, and that is fair: when a game has already been decided by a single point, the details around those two players become more than just a subplot. They become the game.
Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The line also reflects how close this one could be, with the Grizzlies listed at 3.5 and the Pelicans at -115 and -105. That is not a huge spread for a rematch of a one-point overtime game, and it fits the evidence. These teams have already shown they can trade punches for 48 minutes and still not separate.
If the first meeting was a warning, this one is the follow-up. The Grizzlies have the better record, the Pelicans have the earlier win, and the series is still only getting started. In a four-game set, that is exactly the kind of result that can echo all season.
