Hornets at Grizzlies
THE STORY: Memphis, coming off its best game of the season, hosts slumping New Orleans. The Grizzlies broke a three-game losing streak with a 94-83 win over New York on Thursday. Memphis built a 25-point lead in the third quarter, forced 19 turnovers and held the Knicks to a season low in points. "It was the kind of performance Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has been waiting to see. "Our intensity, our focus, our discipline were really good on both ends of the court," he said. Hornets coach Monty Williams would like to see his team do something other than lose. New Orleans has dropped eight of nine and is still searching for an identity after trading Chris Paul. The latest loss came at home Friday night when the Hornets fell 87-80 to Minnesota. New Orleans shot 37.8 percent for the game and scored a total of 30 points in the second and third quarters. The Hornets, playing without Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza, have yet to score 100 points in a game this season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CST (New Orleans), Sports South (Memphis)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (3-8): Center Chris Kaman averaged 11.7 points and shot 51 percent from the field in his last two games going into Friday. That changed against Minnesota when he missed all 10 shots and scored two points. Carl Landry also struggled with three points and missing seven of eight shots. Marco Belinelli scored a season-high 20 points while Emeka Okafor had 16 points and 14 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to keep the injury-riddled Hornets from another loss.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (4-6): Rudy Gay, who has been slow to recover from shoulder surgery that forced him to miss last season's playoffs, scored a season-high 26 points against New York. The win featured the balanced effort Memphis will need while Zach Randoph is out for two months with a torn knee ligament. O.J. Mayo also reached a season high with 18 points while Tony Allen scored 12. Marc Gasol recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Marreese Speights has made two starts at power forward in place of Randolph. He's averaged six points and five rebounds.
2. Hornets forward Jason Smith returned Friday after missing three games because of the death of his grandmother. He scored six points and had three rebounds.
3. The Grizzlies have won four of the last six meetings with the Hornets. The teams split four games last season.