Wizards at Grizzlies
THE STORY: If the Memphis Grizzlies hope to climb back into second or third place in the Western Conference, dropping home games to sub-.500 Eastern Conference teams will have to stop. After falling to the Toronto Raptors on Friday, the Grizzlies will get a chance to bounce back against the lowly Washington Wizards. Slightly less interesting in the highlight department now that JaVale McGee has been traded, the Wizards have dropped four of five.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSW (Washington), SSO (Memphis)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (10-33): McGee was good for at least one highlight per game, whether that was a windmill dunk or a questionable decision that went viral. Washington looked strong the night of the trade deadline, getting 26 points and 12 assists from John Wall without McGee or Nick Young. The second night of the back-to-back did not go as well, with the Wizards dropping a 102-88 decision at Atlanta. Washington is waiting on the prize of its two trades, center Nene, to be cleared and ready to play. The loss in Atlanta dropped the Wizards to 1-3 on their current six-game road trip. Washington is just 4-17 away from the Verizon Center.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (24-18): Perhaps Memphis just needs some more practice time to get used to having Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph on the court at the same time. The two returned to the lineup on Friday, putting the Grizzlies at full strength for the first time since Jan. 1. Randolph did not start but scored 25 points in 25 minutes off the bench and Gay collected 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 114-110 overtime loss. With a frontcourt rotation of Randolph, Marc Gasol, Marreese Speights and Gay, the Grizzlies should be able to match up with anyone in the West.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Wall has committed 14 turnovers in the last two games, matching his total from the previous seven contests.
2. Randolph has averaged 15.7 points and 9.5 rebounds in 18 career games against the Wizards.
3. Memphis has taken five of the last six in the series.