Kings at Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are enduring another down season, leading to reports that franchise cornerstones Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are on the trade block. The Grizzlies should still have the two around on Friday, when they attempt to snap a seven-game slide with the Sacramento Kings visiting.
Memphis looked primed for a playoff run after starting the season 15-9 but then fell off a cliff with losses in 20 of the last 24 games, capped by a 118-107 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. "I hate excuses and now I'm in the middle of it and I don't even want to use it as an excuse," Gasol told reports after the loss when asked about focusing on winning with trade rumors swirling. "I don’t want excuses. To me, it's a losing kind of mentality or mindset where you always look for an excuse to why you lost. You've got to find a reason to win and be in and fight. It's easy to quit. Losing is really easy. Winning is hard." The Kings are ahead of the Grizzlies on the rebuilding curve but are struggling on the current road trip with losses in three of the first four games. Sacramento, which finishes the six-game trip at the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, was crushed at Brooklyn and at Toronto by a total of 44 points in the last two contests.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE KINGS (24-24): The lopsided nature of Wednesday's 120-105 loss to the Raptors gave rookie Marvin Bagley III a chance to shine and he responded with a season-high 22 points and 11 rebounds in a season-high 38 minutes. The 19-year-old scored in double figures in six of seven games since returning fully from a knee injury. Bagley did his damage on Wednesday without the help of standout point guard De'Aaron Fox, who missed the game with a toe injury and is day-to-day.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (19-29): Gasol, 33, can be a free agent after this season or can opt into a player option for next season at nearly $25.6 million, making his trade prospects difficult. The center is averaging 15.4 points and recorded a triple-double on Wednesday with 22 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists but is just interested in winning with his current team. "Any good game or stats in a loss is obviously not enough and as a player and as one of the leaders of the team, we've got to figure out a way to win games and be a good defensive team that's not as fragile as we have been in the past and for so many stretches," Gasol told reporters.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Conley scored 31 points on Wednesday, matching his high for the month.
2. Kings PF Nemanja Bjelica (back) missed Wednesday's game and is day-to-day.
3. Sacramento took three of the last four meetings, including a 102-99 home win on Dec. 21.