Hornets at Grizzlies
THE STORY: The New Orleans Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies can rest easy knowing that whatever transpires in the season’s final days will have no impact on their playoff hopes. Both teams have already secured postseason berths, but where they’ll be seeded still remains to be seen. Currently occupying the final two spots in the Western Conference, the Hornets and Grizzlies will battle one another on Sunday with playoff positioning on the line.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, SportSouth, Cox Sports
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (45-34): With wins in eight of their last 10 games, the Grizzlies are riding high. They officially secured their first playoff berth since 2006 following Friday’s 101-96 home victory over lowly Sacramento. Zach Randolph finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds and sealed the win with a pair of free throws with 4.8 seconds remaining. Memphis still has plenty to play for in its last three contests, as it sits one game behind No. 7 New Orleans and 1 1/2 games back of sixth-place Portland. Depending on how things play out, the Grizzlies could jump as high as the No. 6 seed and steer clear of meeting San Antonio or possibly the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (46-33): The Hornets have the same mindset as the Grizzlies heading down the stretch - get to the No. 6 seed. They are in an even in a better position to do, sitting a half-game behind Portland while owning the tie-breaker over the Trail Blazers. The way they’ve been playing coming in, the Hornets look determined to climb the standings. They’ve won three in a row and six of eight overall, including a 109-97 triumph over Phoenix on Friday. Willie Green exploded for a career-high 31 points while Chris Paul handed out 12 assists in the win. Sunday marks the eighth game New Orleans will play without David West, who is out for the year with a knee injury.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Green has buried 7 of his last 12 attempts from 3-point range. Hornets forward Trevor Ariza is averaging 15.8 points on 51 percent shooting in his last five. Sam Young is averaging 10.0 points in 24.4 minutes during his last five outings for Memphis. Randolph has been getting it down offensively but hasn’t blocked a shot in 10 games.
KEY STATISTIC: 53. The number of Randolph’s double-doubles this season, putting him behind only Dwight Howard, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin.
SEASON SERIES: This is the final of four meetings. New Orleans was victorious in the first two contests before Memphis posted a 93-81 road win behind Randolph’s 28 points on April 1.
KEY INJURIES: MEMPHIS: G Jason Williams (back); G Xavier Henry (knee); F Rudy Gay (shoulder). NEW ORLEANS: F David West (knee).
LAST WORD: "We've been through a lot. Those 20-win seasons that we've had, the bumps and trades and different things going back and forth. We've had a tough road. To be here right now, you couldn't ask for a better way for it to turn out." - Memphis guard Mike Conley, on the feeling of finally getting into the playoffs