Grizzlies at Wizards
The Memphis Grizzlies are not having much recent success on the road and will try to avoid a losing record on the trip when they wrap the four-game excursion at the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The Grizzlies are enduring the second night of a back-to-back after failing to fight off the Boston Celtics down the stretch Wednesday. The Wizards are looking to put together back-to-back wins for the first time in more than a month.
Memphis sandwiched losses to New Orleans and Boston around an impressive win at Chicago on Monday, and its No. 2 position in the Western Conference is suddenly vulnerable. Washington is sitting in fifth place in the East and is just beginning to pull out of a lengthy slump. The Wizards have won three of their last five games after dropping 11 of 13 and are coming off an impressive defensive performance in a 95-69 shellacking of the Charlotte Hornets on the road Monday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, SportSouth (Memphis), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (45-19): Memphis’ strength is on the interior, but the combination of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph was held to 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting in the 95-92 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday. Mike Conley had a strong game with 20 points but had to be helped off the court with an ankle injury before returning late and will be watched carefully with the Grizzlies playing on consecutive days. Memphis owns the best scoring defense in the league and can have some troubles of its own on the offensive end – scoring 92 points or fewer in each of its last seven setbacks.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (36-28): The Grizzlies could have trouble scoring again Thursday if Washington is able to carry over a defense that held Charlotte to 32.5 percent from the field Monday. The Wizards have the size up front to match Randolph and Gasol, and Marcin Gortat and Nene combined to 13-of-16 from the field against the Hornets. Gortat has been particularly strong of late and is averaging 14.4 points on 66.7 percent shooting while adding 12.4 rebounds in the last five contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies G Courtney Lee failed to score in double figures in any of the last five games and is shooting 24.4 percent in that span.
2. Wizards G Garrett Temple (hamstring) is not expected to play Thursday.
3. Memphis has taken five of the last six in the series, including a 110-104 win in the trip to Washington last season.