Pelicans at Grizzlies
Standout power forward Anthony Davis is off to a scintillating start but all his production just can’t seem to get the New Orleans Pelicans any victories. Davis already has scored 35 or more points on three occasions and he will attempt to help New Orleans halt an 0-4 start when it visits the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Davis had 35 points, 15 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals Tuesday but the Pelicans suffered a 117-113 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. “We can’t get a win. It’s frustrating,” Davis said afterward. “But whatever we need to do, we need to do it fast.” Memphis was annihilated 116-80 by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday as first-year coach David Fizdale rested both point guard Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol as the club finishes a stretch of four games in five nights against New Orleans. “We just thought it was best that we rested them,” Fizdale told reporters. “Then you load up and you try to get a win at home (on Wednesday).”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (0-4): Davis is averaging 37 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and 2.5 steals but the team’s leaky defense has been a major problem as two of the defeats occurred when New Orleans scored 114 and 113 points. Coach Alvin Gentry was frustrated with the effort in the loss to the Bucks as Milwaukee had a 58-38 edge in points in the paint and scored 29 or more points in three of the four quarters. “There’s just no excuse for not talking defensively and we talked about the fact that when you play this team, they’re going to drive the ball,” Gentry said afterward. “They got half of their points in the paint. We’ve got to do a better job.”
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (2-2): Conley (Achilles’ tendon) and Gasol (foot) are both coming off surgeries so Fizdale has indicated that both players will occasionally be rested on back-to-backs for at least the early portion of the season. Veteran shooting guard Tony Allen (knee) played for the first time this season and had four points and four rebounds in 19 minutes. Memphis was plagued with careless ball-handling without Conley and committed 22 turnovers against the Timberwolves and was a woeful 4-of-24 from 3-point range.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Grizzlies went 4-0 against the Pelicans last season and have won the past five meetings.
2. New Orleans PG Tim Frazier had 20 points and nine assists against Milwaukee and is averaging 15.3 points and 9.3 assists.
3. Memphis SF Chandler Parsons (knee) will miss his fifth consecutive contest.