After rookie D.J. Augustin helped the Bobcats put an end to a lengthy losing streak in their last game, Charlotte hopes the return of its top veteran can help the team win two in a row for only the second time all season.

Gerald Wallace is expected to be back on the floor Friday when the Bobcats (8-18) visit the Memphis Grizzlies, who are looking to bounce back from their first loss in nearly two weeks.

Wallace, who is averaging 15.4 points on the season, has missed four of Charlotte's last six games after his father and grandmother died within a week.

Without Wallace in the lineup on Tuesday, Augustin stepped up with the best performance of his brief career.

He scored a career-high 29 points in the Bobcats' 110-101 overtime win over Chicago, snapping their season-high seven-game losing streak. Augustin, the ninth overall pick in this year's draft, was fouled on a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation, and hit all three free throws to send the game to overtime.

"It's kind of nerve-racking to up there with that kind of pressure,'' said Augustin, who made four of his career-high 13 free throws in the final 42 seconds of overtime to extend his team record to 42 consecutive made free throws. "But that's what we play for."

Emeka Okafor had another impressive performance on Wednesday, finishing with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. He is averaging 16.8 points and 13.3 rebounds in his last four games after putting up 11.0 points and 9.3 boards in his previous three.

"It feels good to get that win," Augustin said. "We've been on a losing streak, and this win will hopefully start us on a winning streak. We're just going to go out there and play hard next game."

Charlotte has won back-to-back games just once this season - Dec. 1 and 3 - and has played particularly poorly on the road. The Bobcats have lost all five road games this month, and are just 1-9 away from Charlotte on the season.

The Bobcats have also lost all four games they've played in Memphis, and are 1-7 all-time versus the Grizzlies (9-16).

While Charlotte ended its losing streak its last time out, Memphis' season-high four-game winning streak was snapped with Tuesday's 91-84 loss to New Orleans. The Grizzlies have won five of their last seven games after losing 11 of 12.

On Tuesday, Rudy Gay scored a game-high 28 points and O. J. Mayo, the third pick in this year's draft, added 20, but they were the only two Memphis players in double figures.

The Grizzlies' offense came out flat, scoring just 11 first-quarter points - a season low for any period this season - and they finished with their fourth-lowest total of the season. They had scored at least 102 points in all four games of their winning streak.

"I'm never happy when we lose," center Marc Gasol said. "I don't know if (Tuesday) was a step back, but it wasn't a step forward. We want to get back on a win streak, not another losing streak. If we can do that we're going to be better."

Memphis wraps up its five-game homestand against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.