Grizzlies at 76ers
Philadelphia is enduring its second double-digit losing streak of a season that is only 29 games old. The 76ers will try to avoid an 11th straight loss when they make a brief stop at home to host the Memphis Grizzlies before heading out on a six-game road trip.
Philadelphia just finished a stretch with five of seven on the road, capped by a 108-86 loss at Cleveland on Sunday, and will not see home again until Jan. 4 after Tuesday. “We’ve been on the road, and we getting ready for another long road trip,” 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan told reporters. “So any home game is good for us, and just try to keep our fans engaged, and tell them to just be patient with us, and everything else will just be fine.” The Grizzlies are looking to post back-to-back wins for the first time this month after snapping a two-game slide with a win over Indiana on Saturday. “I think we have too many weeks where we go one out of three games and play (hard) like this,” Memphis guard Mike Conley told reporters after the win. “We played really hard and upbeat and a lot of energy. We have to continue to learn from what we’re doing in the good moments and continue to learn with the transitioning of guys and different lineups and the way we’ve been playing and continue to work.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (15-14): Memphis moved to a smaller starting lineup earlier this month and is committed to the experience, which is beginning to yield positive results on both ends. The Grizzlies held the Pacers to 5-of-28 from beyond the arc in Saturday’s win while Matt Barnes and Jeff Green combined for 26 points from the forward spots. "We're still not going to score 125 points a game, that I'm pretty sure of,” center Marc Gasol told reporters. “Defensively, we need to do the things we're supposed to do.”
ABOUT THE 76ERS (1-28): Nerlens Noel was the only player to score more than 10 points with 15 as Philadelphia shot 34.9 percent from the floor in the loss to the Cavaliers. “I think it’s tough to teach age, it’s tough to teach weight,” 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. “But sometimes, no matter what you do or what you draw, if it gets physically busted up, it’s hard." The Philadelphia offense is getting busted up a lot of late and its average of 91.2 points in the lowest in the NBA.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies G Tony Allen (knee) missed the last five games and is questionable for Tuesday.
2. Philadelphia F Robert Covington is 6-of-23 from 3-point range in the last four games.
3. Memphis has taken six straight in the series, including a 92-84 win on Nov. 29.