Spurs at Grizzlies
THE STORY: The San Antonio Spurs open a nine-game road excursion when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. San Antonio brings a four-game winning streak into the annual rodeo trip, named for the event that will be staged in the Spurs’ home arena. San Antonio’s next home game is Feb. 29 against the Chicago Bulls. The Spurs are only 3-8 on the road but one of the victories came in Memphis 83-73 on Jan. 30. San Antonio received 42 points from guard Tony Parker in Saturday’s victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder and leads the Southwest Division by two games over the Dallas Mavericks. Memphis is 3 1/2 games off the pace in fourth place and has lost two straight games as it begins a four-game homestand. The Grizzlies lost by 18 points to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Center Marc Gasol had a forgettable outing with as many turnovers as points (seven of each).
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (San Antonio), SportSouth (Memphis)
ABOUT THE SPURS (16-9): Parker had nine assists against Oklahoma City to pass Avery Johnson as San Antonio’s all-time leader with 4,477 career assists. The 11-year veteran set the record by running the patented pick-and-roll play with longtime teammate Tim Duncan. “It’s a great honor,” Parker said. “To be mentioned in the same category is great. When I first got here, all I heard was Avery Johnson and what he meant to this city, the community and the Spurs organization.” Parker is averaging 18.1 points and 7.7 assists.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (12-12): Forward Rudy Gay was thoroughly frustrated by San Antonio's defense in the Jan. 30 meeting when he missed all seven field goal attempts and scored one point in 34-plus minutes. It is only one of two times all season when Gay hasn’t scored in double digits and he has fared well since the sluggish outing by scoring 20 or more points in all four games. Gay has scored in double digits 12 times and is averaging a team-best 18.4 points per game.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Eighth-seeded Memphis upset the top-seeded Spurs in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
2. San Antonio forward Matt Bonner scored 15 points on five 3-pointers in the Jan. 30 win over the Grizzlies.
3. Memphis guard Tony Allen (knee, hip) could miss his second straight outing.