Magic at Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are fighting to stay in the top eight in the Western Conference with a slew of teams chasing them for the No. 8 spot and need to pick up as many wins as they can, especially against teams with losing records. The Grizzlies will try to make it two in a row against sub-.500 teams from the East when they host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
Memphis sits four games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings and won four of its last five games but is staring at a brutal closing stretch with 12 of the final 18 games against teams currently in the top eight of their respective conferences and five of the other six against teams chasing it in the West - Portland (twice), New Orleans (twice) and San Antonio. "We still have 18 games to go," Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas told reporters after bouncing back from a 121-96 loss at Dallas on Friday with a 118-101 home win over Atlanta on Saturday. "We have to get some more wins. It's on us to do it. I think, lately, we've been playing great basketball." The Magic are in the No. 8 spot in the East, 5 1/2 games clear of Washington, and improved to 2-1 on the four-game trip with a 126-106 win at Houston on Sunday. "I thought we were more balanced - the guys who guarded their two great players did a good job, they didn't make a lot of mistakes, our team defense was better and we're playing better and better offensively," Orlando coach Steve Clifford told reporters. "We're getting the ball going more toward the paint, we're playing with more pace and we're getting more quality shots."
TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: FS Florida, FS Southeast
ABOUT THE MAGIC (29-35): Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic each recorded a double-double on Sunday as Orlando pounded the smaller Rockets and did enough defensively against former MVPs Russell Westbrook and James Harden to breeze to the easy win. "That's where we had our advantage and we knew that they didn't have any shot-blockers, so we were just getting to the rack, playing inside out, posting (Vucevic), posting myself and making the right play," Gordon told reporters. "I think we executed pretty well, and we were able to stop their two superstars. We did a pretty good job of that, too." Gordon posted a double-double in six of his last eight games and averages 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (32-32): Valanciunas led the way with 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 17 rebounds for his sixth double-double in the last seven games on Saturday and helped spark the defense with three blocks. "He finds a great way to play to his strengths," Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters of Valanciunas. "I think he has really found a comfort zone within our offense. Defensively, him being a rim protector and paint protector and finishing off those rebounds is huge. He has gotten comfortable with where he can make an impact on both ends of the floor." Valanciunas is averaging 14.1 points on a career-best 58.1 percent shooting and a career-high 11.1 rebounds in his first full season with the Grizzlies.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies reserve SG Josh Jackson is averaging 17 points over the last four games, raising his season mark to 10.2.
2. Magic PG D.J. Augustin averaged 21 points in the last two games after totaling two points in the previous two contests.
3. Orlando dominated the first meeting 118-86 in a home win on Nov. 8, holding Memphis to 37 percent from the floor.