Grizzlies at Hornets
THE STORY: The Memphis Grizzlies can catch the New Orleans Hornets in the Western Conference standings with a victory when the two teams meet in New Orleans on Friday. Memphis has won six of eight games and is just one game behind New Orleans and Portland in the Western Conference playoff race. The Grizzlies are three games ahead of Houston for the final playoff spot but the focus has changed toward how high Memphis can finish now that the Grizzlies have clinched their first winning season since 2005-06. The Hornets are still reeling from the season-ending knee injury to star forward David West but have won two of three games since losing West on March 24. The Hornets and Grizzlies meet again in Memphis on April 10.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CST.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (43-32): New Orleans was seeking a role player when it acquired Carl Landry from Sacramento in February but the four-year-veteran is now a significant member of the starting lineup after West’s season-ending injury. Landry has played like West the past three games, averaging 21.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. Landry had 21 points during Wednesday’s 95-91 victory over Portland after having 24 points and 10 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers three nights earlier. Marco Belinelli scored 16 points and made four 3-pointers against Portland and Emeka Okafor had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The victory over the Trail Blazers was the opener of a five-game homestand that runs through April 8. New Orleans is 25-11 at home.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (42-33): Tony Allen struggled to get consistent minutes in the first half of the season. Now he’s one of the leading contributors of Memphis’ second-half surge. Allen is averaging 14 points and 2.4 steals in March, a far cry from his scoring averages of 4.5 points in November and 5.8 in December. Allen has back-to-back 20-point scoring efforts and is one of the main reasons why the Grizzlies have sustained their success despite losing small forward Rudy Gay to a season-ending shoulder injury. Allen had 21 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday’s 110-91 victory over Golden State. Zach Randolph added 20 points and 13 rebounds and Mike Conley scored 20 points. The Grizzlies are 15-23 on the road.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Okafor is averaging 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and shooting 65 percent over the last two outings. Allen is averaging 19 points and shooting 71.4 percent (25 of 35) over the last three games. New Orleans forward Trevor Ariza is averaging just six points while making 5 of 14 shots over the past two contests. Memphis forward Shane Battier is averaging just three points over the last six games.
KEY STATISTIC: Memphis shot a season-high 56.5 percent in Wednesday’s victory over Golden State. The Grizzlies are tied for sixth in field-goal percentage at 47 percent. New Orleans is fourth in scoring defense at 93.5 points and hold opponents to 45.2 percent shooting from the field.
SEASON SERIES: New Orleans has won both meetings. The Hornets notched a 103-102 home overtime victory on Jan. 19 and delivered a 98-91 win in Memphis on March 4.
KEY INJURIES: MEMPHIS: G Jason Williams (back); G Xavier Henry (knee). NEW ORLEANS: F David West (knee).
LAST WORD: “Those are some big shoes to fill and we got to just do it collectively on the boards, defensively and offensively. Right now, I’m just doing what I can do. Hopefully, it will be better than what it is now.” – Hornets forward Carl Landry on filling in for injured standout David West.