In the 10th game of the 2026-27 NBA regular season, the Toronto Raptors face a Memphis Grizzlies team that is on the hunt to get back on track. After becoming the final team in the league to stay undefeated (6-0), they have lost three straight games and are now trying their best to avoid being seen as a fluke. 

The Raptors, on the other hand, enter the matchup fresh off a 121-107 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. With Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Immanuel Quickley all out, it was second-year guard Alijah Martin who scored a career-high 27 points on 9-for-11 shooting and 6-for-7 from three. 

Unfortunately, tonight’s game won’t be as star-studded as initially anticipated, according to the official NBA injury report. Leonard (knee), Barnes (groin), and Quickley (hamstring) all remain out, and they are also joined on the bench by Collin Murray-Boyles (illness). For Memphis, Scotty Pippen Jr. (lumbar disc) and Isaiah Stewart (knee) will also sit out the contest. 

This wasn’t going to be an easy game, even with a full roster. Now with four of the Raptors’ top six scorers out, they will need to be fueled by RJ Barrett, Ja’Kobe Walter, and maybe again by Martin. The Grizzlies boast an average roster age of 25.1 years old, and they use that to their advantage in transition. While they aren’t particularly stellar at forcing turnovers (14.8, 23rd in NBA), they push the pace often after a missed shot, as exemplified by their rankings in defensive rebounds per game (35.9, 3rd in NBA) and fastbreak points (17.3, 5th in NBA). The battle of the boards will surely be tested, as the Raptors rank 2nd in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (14.8) along with opposing fastbreak points (11.9, 3rd in NBA). 

These first nine games have shown far from the same defense as last year in Toronto. They rank in the bottom third of the league in opponent field goal percentage (47.2%, 23rd) and opponent effective field goal percentage (54.8%, 21st). However, where the Raptors’ defense has excelled so far is in the possession battle. They rank 1st in opposing field goal attempts per game (80.7) and 2nd in field goal attempts (92.8). They do this with their grit and tenacity on defense, forcing teams to take up more time on average per possession, as well as ranking 1st in both forced turnovers per game (20.2) and steals (11.6). The half-court offense will certainly be a challenge with so many primary ball-handlers out, but if they can impose their will on the defensive end against an extremely inexperienced team, they should have all the tools necessary to capture a win and improve to 6-4.