Rick Carlisle offered a complimentary assessment of the Memphis Grizzlies’ strong-side defense.

“They’re a great defensive team – as good as I’ve seen in this league in many, many years,” Carlisle said prior to Saturday night's game against the Grizzlies. “So we got to get the ball moved. If we try to come down on the strong side and play strong-side basketball, it’s going to be extremely difficult not only to score, but to get shots.”

The Grizzlies are fifth in field-goal-percentage defense and second in points allowed per 100 possessions.

“We want to get the ball up the court and get it moved to the weak side as much as possible and get them moving around,” Carlisle said. “If they lock into you on the strong side, they’ve got great individual defenders and a good team defense.”