Wizards at Grizzlies
The Washington Wizards look to build off a potential season-changing victory when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. With talented shooting guard Bradley Beal ruled out for up to two weeks earlier in the day due to a right leg injury, Otto Porter Jr. scored a career-high 28 points as Washington won at Dallas 114-111 on Saturday.
Porter is rising to the occasion and All-Star point guard John Wall has been trying to keep the Wizards afloat during a stretch in which they have won only four of 12 games. Wall is averaging 27.3 points and 10.9 assists this month and attempts to continue his surge against Memphis, which coughed up an eight-point lead in the final three minutes of a 100-97 loss at Miami on Sunday. The Grizzlies have dropped four of six contests, including the last two at home by a combined 61 points. “We’re making this season harder on ourselves by not playing our best basketball,” Memphis guard Mike Conley told The Commercial Appeal.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic Plus (Washington), FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (10-12): Wall has scored at least 26 points in five straight games – the first Wizard to accomplish that feat since Antawn Jamison in January of 2010. With injuries causing depth problems inside, center Marcin Gortat has been a force while averaging 15.2 points and 10.7 rebounds over the last six games, registering five double-doubles in that stretch. The Wizards will likely be without Nene and Drew Gooden due to calf injuries and fellow forward Kris Humphries (ankle) is questionable.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (13-12): Coach Dave Joerger changed his starting lineup Sunday, inserting Matt Barnes and Courtney Lee while leading rebounder Zach Randolph came off the bench and Tony Allen sat out with a knee injury. Jeff Green snapped out of a slump with a season-high 26 points Sunday after averaging 8.2 over his previous six contests. While Joerger is planning on going with smaller lineups to match up better, the offense still revolves around 7-1 center Marc Gasol (team-best 16.1 points per game).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Washington has scored at least 100 points in seven straight games, the longest such streak for the franchise since 2007.
2. The Grizzlies are 5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season, including a 93-92 win at Detroit on Wednesday.
3. The Wizards won both meetings last season, including a 92-83 triumph in Memphis.