Grizzlies at Spurs
After flirting with last place in the Western Conference nearly all of last season -- finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA -- the Memphis Grizzlies are eyeing the top spot in the conference. The Grizzlies aim for their fifth straight win when they open a two-game road trip at the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
A 98-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday put Memphis, a 22-win team a season ago, into a tie atop the West with three other teams as they approach the quarter pole, and the Grizzlies continue to do it with their trademark defense. "I think for our guys to come in here on a back-to-back, there's always those built in excuses, and for us to hold them to 14 points in the fourth quarter says a lot about our group of guys," coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters after Monday's win. "You could be tired. You could be worn out, no legs, and all that but our guys stepped up and defended. That’s special." The Spurs had a very different experience Monday in New Orleans, allowing the Pelicans to shoot 57.8 percent from the floor in a 140-126 loss. At 8-8, San Antonio is in danger of falling below .500 for the first time since opening the 2015-16 season at 0-1.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), FS Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (11-5): Memphis entered Tuesday leading the league in scoring defense (100 points allowed per game) and turnover differential (-4.6) while ranking second in steals (9.8), but there's a development on the other end of the floor that could mean even more. After a cold-shooting start following an injury-plagued season, point guard Mike Conley is heating up and scored 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting against Dallas. "I think over the last few weeks, it's slowly starting to come around," Conley -- who is hitting 38.7 percent from 3-point range this month after making 28.2 percent in October -- told reporters. "My coaches and teammates have done a great job of trying to get me going, and tonight it all came together."
ABOUT THE SPURS (8-8): Monday marked San Antonio's fifth straight road loss and made a recent four-game streak of holding opponents under 100 points a thing of the past. "We scored 120-something points," guard DeMar DeRozan told reporters. "That's more than enough to win an NBA game. We just can't give up 140-plus points. That's just unacceptable." DeRozan carried the weight on the other end with 21 points while forward LaMarcus Aldridge continued his struggles by shooting 2-for-11 and scoring seven points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Aldridge, who averaged 23.1 points per game last season, scored seven or fewer three times in his last seven contests.
2. Grizzlies C Marc Gasol has three straight double-doubles and averages 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds this month.
3. San Antonio won each of the last six meetings.