Magic-Grizzlies Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Apr 26 2012 1:13AM

The Memphis Grizzlies are looking to enter the playoffs with a great deal of momentum, and locking up home-court advantage for the opening round may just keep that going.

Also headed to the postseason are the Orlando Magic, but they're limping to the finish line.

The Grizzlies attempt to tie the longest home winning streak in franchise history as they face the injury-riddles Magic in the regular-season finale at FedExForum on Thursday night.

Memphis (40-25) is one of the hottest teams in the NBA heading into the playoffs, winning 13 of 16 while holding opponents to 91.2 points per game.

The Grizzlies have also been dominant at home, winning 10 in a row there after beating Cleveland 109-101 on Monday to move within one game of their longest winning streak there set from Dec. 18, 2009-Jan. 25, 2010.

Equaling that run would give Memphis home-court in the opening round of the playoffs, where they'll face the Los Angeles Clippers, who completed their regular season with Wednesday's 99-93 defeat at New York. A Grizzlies loss would mean starting in Los Angeles since the Clippers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Grizzlies are among the best home teams in the NBA with a 25-7 record.

Things are even clearer for the Magic (37-28), who will finish sixth in the East and face No. 3 Indiana in the first round.

A 5-10 stretch, though, isn't inspiring much confidence heading into the postseason for Orlando as injuries continue to mount.

The team beat league-worst Charlotte 102-95 on Wednesday, but suffered another blow as forward Glen Davis sprained his right ankle. He is the latest injury to strike the Magic's roster and drain an already shallow pool of Magic big men following Dwight Howard's season-ending back surgery last week.

Forward Hedo Turkoglu has missed 10 games with a facial fracture and while X-rays taken on Davis' ankle were negative, he's considered day-to-day.

"There was definitely some worry (about Davis)," guard J.J. Redick said. "You immediately think to yourself 'How are we going to go forward if he's out for an extended period of time?' But it sounds like he'll be back this weekend. Hopefully he'll have a great recovery."

Due to the injuries, Redick may play a key role again after scoring a career-high 31 points while connecting on 6 of 10 3-pointers against the Bobcats. He is averaging 16.0 points while hitting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc over the last 10 games - all starts.

The Grizzlies have won eight of their last nine at home against the Magic, including three in a row after a 100-97 victory on Jan. 31, 2011.

Marc Gasol has scored 19 points with eight rebounds in each of the last two home matchups, during which he has made 14 of 19 from the field. The center may play a key role again due to the Magic being thin under the basket.

Tony Allen is looking to build on an impressive performance from Monday, totaling 13 points and eight rebounds while setting a team record with eight steals.

"That's crazy," forward Marreese Speights said of Allen's milestone accomplishment. "But that's what he does. He plays defense. He's probably one of the best defenders in the league."

Grizzlies beat Magic to claim West's No. 4 seed

Posted Apr 27 2012 12:31AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies continue to set new franchise standards as they gear up for the playoffs.

With Thursday night's 88-76 win over the short-handed Orlando Magic, Memphis grabbed the Western Conference's fourth seed and will have homecourt advantage in the opening round - the first time in team history the Grizzlies have enjoyed such a lofty postseason start.

"It's a big accomplishment from a historical perspective," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "I told the players it means nothing except that we get the first two games at home. ... We have to go play and we have to go out and win."

Marc Gasol scored 22 points and Rudy Gay added 20 to lead the Grizzlies, whose best previous seed for the playoffs was fifth in 2006. The Grizzlies, who also matched a franchise-best 11 straight home wins, will open the postseason Sunday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, who dropped to the fifth seed with the Memphis victory.

"We're going to play here. We don't have to go anywhere," Gay said. "It's easier on our bodies. We have time to prepare here. And it's big for the city. It's good to have this for the city."

O.J. Mayo had 15 points and Zach Randolph, returning to the starting lineup, finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis, which won its sixth straight and 11th in 13 games.

Hedo Turkoglu, playing for the first time in 10 games because of a facial fracture, led the Magic with 18 points, hitting 7 of 13 shots. Justin Harper scored 16 points and Von Wafer added 11, although he was 4 of 13 from the field.

"It was OK," Turkoglu said of his return. "Of course, I was winded a little bit at the beginning. But once I got up and down a little bit, I was feeling better."

The Magic rested all their starters after earning the No. 6 seed in the East. They will travel to Indiana for their first round series against the third-seeded Pacers beginning Saturday.

"It's a really quick turnaround," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We don't have much preparation time. Some of the guys that we need to play had to play minutes (against Memphis), so we'll really have to think about how much we can do. You are not going to be able to go crazy in terms of adjustments for Game 1 because you don't have much time."

The Grizzlies made sure early they were staying home for the opening two playoff games. Memphis scored the first eight points of the game, had a 27-9 lead after one and built the advantage to as many as 24 before carrying a 54-30 lead into the break.

"It was just a terrible start," Van Gundy said. "In the first quarter, we were inept. So, it was a bad start. From there, I thought we got a little better."

Gay was 6 of 8 from the field, his only two misses coming from outside the arc, for 15 points in the first half, while Gasol had 12 points.

No Orlando player was in double figures, Harper leading the Magic with nine points.

The Magic were limited to 35-percent shooting while committing 10 turnovers, leading to 17 Memphis points. That shooting percentage included missing 11 of 13 from 3-point range.

Memphis wasn't much better at 2 for 9 from long range, but the Grizzlies controlled the boards 27-13. The Grizzlies outrebounded the Magic 45-34 overall.

Memphis tried to coast home too early with its halftime lead.

"Once (we) got up and saw that Orlando didn't have enough firepower, our guys relaxed a little," Hollins said. "In the third quarter, we could barely make a shot."

Orlando opened the second half with a 21-4 run, knocking the lead down to 58-51 after Turkoglu connected on a 3-pointer, giving him eight early points in the third quarter.

That was close enough to remind Memphis it was playing for homecourt advantage. The Grizzlies answered by closing the period with a 9-3 run and carried a 67-54 lead into the final quarter.

"Guys are looking forward to the playoffs," Conley said. "Even (Orlando) was looking forward to the playoffs. Both teams were trying to get it over with. It became a game for a little bit. Luckily, we got it turned around."

Memphis held a double-digit lead throughout the fourth, and by the time the reserves hit the floor with about 3 minutes left, the Grizzlies faithful were on their feet in preparation for the opening round, chanting `'Beat L.A."

In the past two seasons, Memphis has gone from being winless in three previous playoff appearances to winning a playoff game, a road playoff game and a playoff series, after defeating the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round last year.

Now, they have taken another step up the ladder by adding homecourt advantage for the first round to the accomplishments.

"I've pretty much experienced the good, the bad and the ugly," said Mayo, who along with Mike Conley, Gay and Gasol were around before the playoff run. "As I was coming off the court, I told Mike, Rudy and Marc, I remember when we were just trying to get 25 wins. There was a December where we didn't get a win the entire month, and we were just trying to get a win.

"It's crazy. Eventually, the young guns got older and got better and pretty much became the new kids and the best kids on the block."

Notes: Randolph's start was his first since March 24. Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said he wanted to get Randolph into the flow of starting, but would not commit that the plan would continue into the playoffs. ... Turkoglu, playing for the first time after missing 10 games with a facial fracture, played with a plastic mask. ... Memphis G Mike Conley had a steal, pulling him even with Shane Battier for second place on the franchise list with 523. ... The Grizzlies are 17-1 when leading after the first quarter at home. .By finishing at 41-25, Memphis recorded a franchise-best 62.1 winning percentage.

Notebook: Grizzlies 88, Magic 76

Posted Friday April 27, 2012 12:06AM

By L. Jason Smith, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Memphis Grizzlies earned homecourt advantage in a playoff series for the first time in franchise history Thursday by closing out the regular season with an 88-76 win over the Orlando Magic at FedExForum. Marc Gasol had 22 points, Rudy Gay had 20 and O.J. Mayo added 15 off the bench for Memphis (41-25), which locked up the fourth seed in the Western Conference. It was the Grizzlies' 11th straight home win, tying the franchise record. Memphis, making its second consecutive playoff appearance, will host the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday in the first round. Orlando (37-29), the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, got 18 points from forward Hedo Turkoglu on Thursday, but couldn't overcome a 26-point third-quarter deficit. The Magic will travel to face third-seeded Indiana on Saturday.

QUOTABLE: "I have to say, 'Mission accomplished. First-term goals set.' Obviously there's plenty more work to be done, but this is what we set out to do. We've got to stay focused. Guys, all year, have been playing hard, playing together; had a sense of urgency to move up in that win column. It just shows a lot of character from this group of guys."
-- Memphis guard Tony Allen on the Grizzlies earning homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

THE STAT: With Thursday's win over Orlando, Memphis set a franchise record for regular-season winning percentage (.621). The Grizzlies' previous best regular-season mark was .610, which they set during the 2003-04 season.

TURNING POINT: After trailing by as many as 26 points early in the third quarter, the Magic used a 21-2 run to cut Memphis' lead to seven points (58-51). Turkoglu, who started for Orlando Thursday after missing the team's last 10 games with a facial fracture, scored eight of his 18 points during the run. But Gasol and Mayo combined to score eight of Memphis' next nine points in the quarter, helping the Grizzlies push their lead back to 13 (67-54) by the end of the third quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "It's a really quick turnaround. We don't have much preparation time. Some of the guys that we need to play (Saturday) had to play minutes tonight, so we'll really have to think about how much we can do. You're not going to be able to go crazy in terms of adjustments for Game 1 because you don't have much time."
-- Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy on the Magic's one day of preparation before Saturday's playoff opener against Indiana.

HOT: Starting for the first time in the last 21 games, Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph was sharp, going 6-of-12 from the field for 13 points while grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.

NOT: Orlando went 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) from 3-point range in a first half in which it was outscored 54-30. The Magic finished 7-of-26 from beyond the arc, a far cry from the 14-of-38 performance it turned in from deep a night earlier in a home win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

NOTABLE: As the last few seconds ticked off Thursday, the fans in attendance began chanting, "Beat LA! Beat LA!" ... In addition to registering its best regular-season winning percentage in franchise history this year, the Grizzlies also set a franchise record for best home winning percentage in a season (.788). Memphis hasn't lost a home game since March 16, when it lost to Toronto in overtime. ... Van Gundy held out starters Ryan Anderson, Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick and Jason Richardson. Glen Davis, who sprained his ankle Wednesday against the Bobcats, was inactive. Quentin Richardson also sat out (coach's decision).

UP NEXT: For the Magic, Saturday @ Indiana. For the Grizzlies, Sunday vs. Clippers.

• Magic: Davis, Howard
• Grizzlies: Arthur, Selby

• Magic: --
• Grizzlies: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
• Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #27 Dick Bavetta, #68 Marat Kogut
• Attendance: 17215
• Duration: 2:05