Bulls at Grizzlies
A pair of young teams with some work to do on the defensive end meet Friday in Memphis as the Grizzlies open their home slate against the Chicago Bulls. Memphis dropped its opener 120-101 at Miami on Wednesday, allowing 37 fourth-quarter points to spoil rookie Ja Morant's debut.
The 20-year-old finished with 14 points and four assists in a 25-minute effort, but he also had six of the team's 24 turnovers. "I'm not focused on the positives," Morant told reporters. "For me it's just the negative. I felt I could have been better in a lot of places, help my team out with turning up the pace to keep us going. They capitalized on a lot of our mistakes tonight." Despite 35 points and 17 rebounds from forward Lauri Markkanen, the Bulls fell 126-125 in their opener at Charlotte on Wednesday. Chicago allowed the Hornets to hit 23-of-44 from 3-point range while losing its first game for the third straight season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE BULLS (0-1): Rookie Coby White had an impressive debut in Wednesday's loss, finishing with 17 points, seven assists and only one turnover in 27 solid minutes at Charlotte. "I feel like I played with a lot of effort and a lot of energy," White told reporters. "I felt like I could have hit more shots, but shots aren't always going to fall so I'm not going to be too hard on myself. For me, it's all about winning so I'm kind of discouraged we didn't come up with a win." Fellow backup guard Kris Dunn had 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and four steals with zero turnovers in 24 minutes.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (0-1): Forward Jaren Jackson Jr. led four players in double figures with 17 points in the season-opening loss at Miami. The second-year standout was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and Memphis - which was 27th in the NBA last season in made 3-pointers - finished 5-for-32 from long distance as a team. Center Jonas Valanciunas, who averaged 19.9 points and 10.7 rebounds in 19 games with the Grizzlies following a trade with Toronto last season - had a rough opener with seven points in 16 minutes while dealing with foul trouble.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies backup PG Tyus Jones had 15 points, seven assists and two steals in 24 minutes Wednesday.
2. Chicago had a 78-42 advantage in points in the paint in the loss to Charlotte.
3. The Bulls won each of the last four meetings.