Nets at Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies have a good opportunity to snap a two-game slide when they host the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Monday. The Grizzlies are 3-5 in their last eight contests overall following a winless two-game trip to Texas, capped by Saturday's 123-108 loss to Houston.
The visit from the Nets begins a four-game homestand that Memphis hopes will key a turnaround as it jockeys for position in the Western Conference playoff race. "It's huge. Huge, we have to bounce back after these two losses," coach David Fizdale told reporters. "Obviously, this was a disappointing trip. We still have to find a way and we're still fighting for consistency. It's unbelievable how hard we're fighting for it, and we can't seem to grab it." Brooklyn snapped its 16-game slide with a win at Sacramento earlier on its eight-game road trip, but it has settled back into a familiar pattern with consecutive defeats. Saturday's 130-116 loss at Portland left the Nets at 3-27 on the road.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE NETS (10-51): Brook Lopez scored 26 points in Saturday's loss while guard Jeremy Lin added 18, his best total since returning from a lengthy layoff due to a hamstring injury. The team was without guard Joe Harris, who has been diagnosed with a concussion and a sprained shoulder following an incident in a loss at Utah the previous night. "He's in our rotation, playing well," coach Kenny Atkinson said of Harris, who has made 22-of-47 3-pointers since the start of February. "His spirits are up, hopefully he'll be back soon."
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (36-27): Chandler Parsons played both legs of the Texas trip for his first back-to-back since returning from knee surgeries, but he shot 1-for-5 and is 15-for-56 over a span of nine games. "I suck right now," Parsons told reporters. "There's no sugarcoating it. It is what it is. I'm just going to continue to work, continue to grind." Fellow forward JaMychal Green had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the loss for his eighth double-double of the season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Memphis won five straight meetings, including a 112-103 win at Brooklyn last month.
2. Grizzlies PG Mike Conley is averaging 28.3 points over his last four games.
3. Memphis entered Sunday fourth in the league in scoring defense (100.2). Brooklyn was last (114.4).