Grizzlies-76ers Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Jan 27 2013 11:57PM

Led by their All-Star point guard, the Philadelphia 76ers are trying to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference as they await the debut of their marquee addition.

They'll try to win two straight for the first time in two months on Monday night when they host the Memphis Grizzlies, who look for their leading scorer to snap his recent slump.

Philadelphia is 8-19 since a 10-6 start to the season, but still sits ninth in the East standings. With offseason acquisition Andrew Bynum remaining sidelined because of bilateral bone bruises and weakened cartilage in his knees, Jrue Holiday has elevated his play to become the 76ers' youngest ever All-Star at 22 years of age.

Holiday leads the team with 19.4 points per game and ranks fourth in the league with 8.9 assists. He scored a career-high 35 points in a 97-80 win over New York on Saturday, only Philadelphia's third in 11 games. It was the opener of an eight-game homestand for the Sixers, their longest since 1986.

Bynum's return date is still unknown, but he continues to increase his workload.

"When he's healthy and on the court, he's one heck of a player," said associate head coach Michael Curry. Curry is filling in for coach Doug Collins, who left the game in the third quarter and is listed as day-to-day with a sinus infection.

"The fact that he's starting to do some things in shootaround, his level of activity is picked up, and he's here working three hours or so, you're going to get excited," Curry said.

Philadelphia's offense has suffered without one of its cornerstones, ranking near the bottom of the NBA at 93.3 ppg. Hoping for a scoring boost, the Sixers inserted Spencer Hawes and Nick Young as starters on Saturday for their first and fourth starts of the season, respectively.

Young responded with his second straight 20-point game while Hawes only had four points after scoring 21 against Milwaukee four nights earlier.

"I just think that Spencer and Nick have both been playing well as of late," Curry said. "They both are offensive threats out there to start the game. Hopefully it can jump-start us."

Philadelphia hasn't won two in a row since a three-game run Nov. 25-30.

Memphis (28-15) had won four of five but Rudy Gay struggled again on Sunday in a 91-83 home loss to New Orleans. Gay had 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting, including a 1-of-7 clip from beyond the arc and the Grizzlies shot 36.4 percent overall.

Gay leads Memphis in scoring at 17.0 ppg but is averaging 12.6 over his last five contests while going 24 of 82 from the field (29.3 percent). He's a 40.4 percent shooter on the season.

"Just taking too many jump shots," coach Lionel Hollins said. "We got to attack the basket. Wasn't just him."

Point guard Mike Conley is day-to-day after he turned his ankle in the first quarter and did not return. He was seen in a walking boot in the locker room afterward but Hollins said he expects him to play Monday.

Zach Randolph remains a force inside for the Grizzlies, posting 20 points and 13 rebounds in the loss for his league-leading 28th double-double.

Memphis has won three straight against Philadelphia, including an 89-76 victory on Feb. 21 in the most recent matchup. Marc Gasol had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies while Holiday scored a game-high 22 for the 76ers.

Grizzlies rally from 17 down to beat 76ers 103-100

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Jan 28 2013 10:48PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Rudy Gay to Toronto. Rudy Gay to Boston. It's easier to count the teams who don't covet Gay.

But as long as he's still with Memphis, Gay is doing what he can to help the Grizzlies win.

Gay scored 26 points and scored the winning basket off his own rebound with 13.3 seconds left to lead Memphis to a 103-100 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Gay's name is one of the hottest around in NBA trade rumors. The Grizzlies, who rallied from 17 points down to beat the Sixers, are fourth in the Western Conference and listening to offers for their leading scorer.

He showed his value down the stretch, hitting the go-ahead bucket, then sinking two free throws to seal the win.

"Whether I'm here or not, it shouldn't affect this team," Gay said. "I'm going to be a professional about it and make sure that it doesn't."

He added: "Wherever I go, I'm going to be me."

Marc Gasol scored a season-high 27 points and Jerryd Bayless had a season-high 21 to help the Grizzlies win without point guard Mike Conley. Conley sat out with a sprained left ankle suffered in Sunday's loss to New Orleans.

The Grizzlies rallied from their double-digit deficit to take control late in the fourth. Bayless missed a jumper, Gay grabbed the rebound and put Memphis up 101-100 on a bucket with 13.3 seconds left.

"When the ball's up, you've got to go it," Gay said. "I just went to go get it."

Philadelphia's Thaddeus Young missed a short attempt in front of the basket and the Grizzlies grabbed the rebound. Gay hit both attempts from the free-throw line for the three-point cushion.

Nick Young couldn't get the tying shot off at the buzzer for the Sixers.

Tied at 79-all to start the fourth, neither team could break free the rest of the quarter.

Gasol hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer for a 93-90 lead but Evan Turner came right back with a short jumper and Thaddeus Young gave the Sixers a one-point lead after Memphis was whistled for an offensive foul.

Spencer Hawes hit a jumper and Jrue Holiday followed with basket after a fortuitous bounce popped the ball straight up off the rim and through the net for a 98-95 lead. It wasn't enough. The Sixers still haven't won consecutive games since they had a three-game winning streak from Nov. 25-30.

Turner scored a season-high 27 points, Thaddeus Young had 23, and Holiday had 18 points and 10 assists.

"We're playing great," Turner said. "You think bad luck just keeps rolling? Basketball's a game of runs."

Turner said the Sixers will be better once, "the big fella comes back."

He's about ready. Andrew Bynum, their 7-foot center, has targeted a post-All-Star break return from bone bruises in his knees that have sidelined him the entire season. The former Lakers All-Star, acquired in the offseason, dunked on Sunday for the first time with Philadelphia, a "baby step," in a comeback the Sixers are counting on to lift them into the playoff race.

Bynum sprinted at shootaround for the first time, and could practice by the end of the week.

Coach Doug Collins said Bynum can't wait to play.

"I think the most important thing is he's encouraged, that he's feeling better," he said before the game. "You can always tell when guys start feeling better. When you're hurt, you don't feel like you're part of the team."

He would have helped against Memphis.

"He'll close down the middle," Turner said.

Aided by near-flawless shooting, the Sixers had their highest-scoring first quarter of the season. They made 12 of their first 14 shots, including two 3s by Nick Young, and raced to a 17-point lead. A 44-percent shooting team, the Sixers made their first seven shots and led 33-20 at the end of the quarter.

Perhaps inspired by the sharp shooting, the Grizzlies came right back with a 14 of 18 second quarter, to take a 57-54 lead at halftime. Bayless was 7 of 10 for a season-high 19 points in the half. Not his high for a half. A game.

They kept the comeback rolling in the second half and won for the fifth time in the last seven games.

"It looked like the last team that made the run, got the win," coach Lionel Hollins said. "We were the last team that made the run."

NOTES: 76ers G Jason Richardson (knee) missed his fourth straight game. ... Collins said he felt fine after leaving Saturday's game and missing practice the next day because of a sinus infection and blocked nasal passage. ... 76ers C Lavoy Allen needed stitches in his upper lip. ... Grizzlies F Zach Randolph had 12 rebounds.

Notebook: Grizzlies 103, 76ers 100

Andy Jasner, For NBA.com
Posted Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:45 PM - Updated Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:45 PM

THE FACTS: Marc Gasol scored a season-high 27 points, Rudy Gay scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from an early 17-point deficit for a gritty 103-100 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Jerryd Bayless contributed a season-best 21 points and Zach Randolph swept 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies improved to 29-15.

Evan Turner scored a season-high 27 points for the Sixers. Thaddeus Young added 23 points while Jrue Holiday had 18 and Nick Young 13. But it wasn't quite enough and the Sixers fell to 18-26.

QUOTABLE: "It was like the last team to make the run was going to win. We were the last team."

-- Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins

THE STAT: The Sixers are 0-10 when the opponent shoots 50 percent or better this season. The Grizzlies shot 54.8 percent (40-for-73).

TURNING POINT: The Sixers took a 100-97 lead with 3:05 remaining. But they wouldn't score again, and Memphis managed the final six points of the game. The Sixers did have a chance to tie, but Gasol blocked Nick Young's 3-pointer from the baseline at the buzzer.

HOT: Gasol was 10-for-15 while Gay was 10-for-17. For the Sixers, Turner knocked down 12 of his 18 shots while Thaddeus Young was 11-for-19.

NOT: Randolph missed five of his seven shots and had a season-low four points. Nick Young missed eight of his 13 shots.

QUOTABLE II: "We needed that. We showed some mental toughness."

-- Marc Gasol

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Gay played a stellar all around game and wound up with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one blocked shot. Gasol was spectacular as well with 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Turner was solid for the Sixers with 27 points, seven assists, three rebounds and one steal.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Bobby Jones, a former standout with the Sixers and a member of their 1982-83 championship team, was honored before the game as part of an ongoing celebration of a 30-year anniversary of that title team. The crowd of 15,448 got louder and louder down the stretch as the game went down to the final possession.

QUOTABLE III: "I think our next step is closing off when we have leads. It's execution."

-- Evan Turner

GOOD MOVE: The Grizzlies ran their offense through Gay and Gasol in the waning minutes and it paid off. This duo made so many big plays and basically carried the Grizzlies to a victory.

BAD MOVE: After rallying from an early deficit, the Sixers once again couldn't find a way to hold a lead. Holiday probably could have penetrated more often to the basket. But the Sixers don't typically draw many fouls. They were just 6-for-9 from the free-throw line -- as a team.

ROOKIE WATCH: Grizzlies guard Tony Wroten had six points and two rebounds in 12:54, while forward Chris Johnson had eight points in 25:53 off the bench. For the Sixers, forward Arnett Moultrie received a DNP-CD.

NOTABLE: Sixers guard Jason Richardson missed fourth straight game because of left knee synovitis. ... Grizzlies guard Mike Conley was out with a sprained left ankle. ... Injured All-Star center Andrew Bynum met with reporters about 45 minutes before tip-off and reiterated that he hopes to make his debut somewhere after the All-Star break, scheduled for Feb. 15-17. Bynum could practice for the first by the end of this week. "I have no idea," Bynum said. "It'll be up to the doctors at that point." ... The Sixers have given up 100 or more points in five of the past seven games and are 4-14 when allowing 100 or more this season. ... The Sixers have been outrebounded in 11 of the past 13 games. Memphis outrebounded the Sixers, 38-27. ... Holiday (18 points, 10 assists) registered his 12th double-double of the season. He had just one all of last season. ... The Sixers still haven't won consecutive games since a three-game streak from Nov. 25-30.

NEXT: For the Grizzlies, Thursday @ Oklahoma City, Friday vs. Washington, Tuesday vs. Phoenix. For the Sixers, Wednesday vs. Washington, Friday vs. Sacramento, Monday vs. Orlando.

• Grizzlies: Pondexter
• 76ers: Bynum

• Grizzlies: --
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 15
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #36 David Jones, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 15448
• Duration: 2:04