Pelicans at Grizzlies
The New Orleans Pelicans have been struggling for road wins all season and must finish another difficult trip without superstar forward Anthony Davis in the lineup. Davis is expected to miss at least a week with a finger injury, leaving him on the sidelines when the Pelicans cap the five-game trip at the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
The injury to Davis occurred during Friday's 128-112 loss at Portland, which left New Orleans with a 6-19 road record and seemingly pushed coach Alvin Gentry over the edge. "At some stage, you have to take a little pride in what you are doing," Gentry told reporters in a rant aimed at his team's lackluster defense. "That's what you’ve got to do. It's frustrating as hell. It is. I know we're capable of doing it. I don't know why we're not doing it." The Grizzlies may offer up a soft landing spot for the Pelicans, having lost five in a row and 11 of their last 12. Included in that slide is a 19-point loss at New Orleans on Jan. 7.
TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, TNT, FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (21-25): Since New Orleans held Memphis to 95 points in the matchup earlier this month, it has allowed an average of 125.2 points over a five-game stretch, and Gentry pointed to very basic issues on the defensive end. "You've got to keep your man in front of you, and if you can’t do it we've got to find somebody who can," he told the media in Portland. "It doesn't have anything to do with anything. It's just you've got to guard your position. Until we decide that that's going to be the most important for us having a good season, then we're going to struggle. We're going to struggle just like this." The Pelicans give up an average of 115.8 points on the road.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (19-27): Memphis was also without a pair of big men in Saturday's 119-90 loss at Toronto, as Marc Gasol (back) and Joakim Noah (personal) missed the contest. It has been held under 100 points in 15 of the last 22 games and was hampered by 26 turnovers against the Raptors. "Until we find that consistency from the offensive end, things will be challenging and we'll have to keep fighting," guard Mike Conley told reporters.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Conley shoots 30 percent from 3-point range at home, compared to 39.9 percent on the road.
2. Pelicans PG Jrue Holiday is 6-for-26 from 3-point range over his last five games while shooting 59.1 percent inside the arc.
3. Grizzlies PF JaMychal Green had 24 points off the bench to lead Memphis to a 107-103 win at New Orleans on Dec. 7.