Grizzlies at Nets
The Memphis Grizzlies can be forgiven for struggling on the defensive end against the NBA-best Golden State Warriors, but they intend to learn from their mistakes and carry some momentum into the All-Star break. The Grizzlies will try to bounce back and earn their fourth win in five games when they visit the NBA-worst Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
Memphis, which knocked off the Warriors twice earlier in the season, committed 19 turnovers in Friday's 122-107 setback and allowed Golden State to shoot 50.6 percent from the field. "For the most part, there is a lot that we can take from this game," Grizzlies shooting guard Tony Allen told reporters. "That's paying attention to detail and not getting down when they make a run. We have to get ready for the Brooklyn Nets." The Nets are losers of their last 12 games but seem to be inching closer to the win column, with each of the last seven setbacks coming by single digits. Brooklyn took the Washington Wizards to overtime on Wednesday and held a third-quarter lead over the Miami Heat on Friday before falling off the pace and suffering a 108-99 loss - its 14th straight home setback.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (33-23): Memphis prides itself on its work in the defensive end and held its opponents under 100 points in each of its last eight wins. The Grizzlies lead the league in defensive field goal percentage, limiting foes to 43.4 percent from the floor, and were upset about their effort on Friday. "It's how they were getting the shots that frustrated us the most," center Marc Gasol told reporters. "That puts too much pressure on our offense. They obviously played us a little differently defensively and we couldn’t make the reads that we normally would. Guys start to get frustrated and we can’t really find the rhythm and we lose."
ABOUT THE NETS (9-45): Brooklyn is trying to get stronger on the defensive end and is surrendering an average of 105.9 points over the last seven games, down from its NBA-worst season average of 114. The Nets are hurting themselves on the other end of the floor and allowed 29 points of 22 turnovers in Friday's setback after giving the ball away 17 times in Wednesday's overtime loss. Part of the problem is the rotating point guard situation, with Spencer Dinwiddie and Isaiah Whitehead struggling to lock down the position while Jeremy Lin (hamstring) remains sidelined.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets C Brook Lopez scored 30 points in Friday's loss - his fifth straight game posting 20 or more.
2. Grizzlies PG Mike Conley is 9-of-13 from 3-point range over the last three games.
3. Memphis took the last four in the series, including a 109-90 triumph in Brooklyn last season.