Pelicans at Grizzlies
The New Orleans Pelicans just jumped in front of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the race for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference, though the schedule is not doing them any favors. The Pelicans will complete a brutal back-to-back when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
New Orleans used a big second half to overcome the top-seeded Golden State Warriors 103-100 on Tuesday and now faces a Grizzlies squad battling for the No. 2 spot. Memphis held that position below the Warriors for most of the season but was recently passed by the Houston Rockets and sits one game back, with several other teams threating from behind. The Grizzlies won the first two of their four-game homestand but suffered a letdown in a 92-83 loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday. “The last couple of days we have been trying to work on what we have been lacking and not doing well in the previous five or six weeks,” Memphis coach Dave Joerger told reporters, “and we are going to continue doing that for now and keep working on a very important game against New Orleans as kind of a mini-playoff prep to get us in our mindset as we are getting ready for the playoffs.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, SportSouth (Memphis)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (42-35): Anthony Davis scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half as New Orleans overcame a 12-point deficit at the break. The victory, coupled with Oklahoma City’s loss to San Antonio, moved the Pelicans one-half game ahead and into the No. 8 spot with five games to play in eight days, including a trip to No. 2 Houston and a closing date with San Antonio. The closing stretch looks a lot more manageable with a thriving Davis, who went 8-of-11 form the floor in the second half Tuesday after going 16-of-47 in the previous 2 1/2 games.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (52-25): Memphis went 1-of-15 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 15 times in the loss to Washington as guards Mike Conley and Courtney Lee struggled to find a rhythm. “We missed a lot of shots,” Lee told reporters. “We also didn’t take care of the ball. We had a couple of unforced turnovers. I know I had a couple.” The Grizzlies also are banged up along the wings with Tony Allen (hamstring) expected to be out another week and Jeff Green (back spasms) day-to-day after leaving Saturday’s game early.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies F Zach Randolph (back) missed practice the last two days and is questionable.
2. New Orleans G Quincy Pondexter is shooting 68.2 percent from 3-point range in the last five games.
3. The home team has taken each of the previous three meetings this season, with Memphis earning a 93-81 win Nov. 3.