Wizards-Grizzlies Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Feb 01 2013 1:03AM

The Memphis Grizzlies' first game without Rudy Gay was hardly one to remember, but they might have a better chance to win in their next one.

While hoping the new players from this week's trade can get on the court soon, Memphis will try to earn its eighth consecutive home win over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

The Grizzlies (29-16) had only nine players available in Thursday's 106-89 loss at Oklahoma City after sending leading scorer Gay and reserve center Hamed Haddadi to Toronto the previous day.

Memphis got Ed Davis from the Raptors as well as Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye from Detroit in that deal, but it's still waiting for those players to arrive and pass their physicals.

That means Grizzlies fans could have to wait until Tuesday's home game against Phoenix before they see the team's newest additions. Memphis also dealt three players to Cleveland on Jan. 22 for Jon Leuer and didn't have Quincy Pondexter available on Thursday due to a knee injury.

"It's a business. We have no control over it," guard Mike Conley said. "We can only control what we do on the court and we just have to be excited for the guys coming in that are going to help us try to achieve our goals."

Memphis didn't help itself Thursday by shooting 34.7 percent, its second-worst performance of the season. Zach Randolph missed his first 10 shots and finished with nine points on a 4-of-17 night.

The Grizzlies trailed by as many as 26 points in the third quarter before closing the gap. Jerryd Bayless was one of the few bright spots with a season-high 23 points, his second straight game with more than 20.

"The first half, we were a little flat, a little shell-shocked," coach Lionel Hollins said. "Everybody was trying to do too much. You had guys who just didn't make any shots in the first half. But the second half, we played our game."

Bayless will try to provide another such performance in Memphis' first home game without Gay, who was averaging 17.2 points. After facing one of the league's top teams, the Grizzlies might have a better opportunity when they take on one of the worst.

The Wizards (11-33) have lost back-to-back games after winning seven of 10 and shot 40.0 percent in a 92-84 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday, the opener of a three-game trip.

A wrist injury to rookie Bradley Beal, who is averaging 13.2 points, didn't help and neither did a third straight single-digit scoring performance for Jordan Crawford. The third-year guard, averaging 14.1 points, had just three on 1-of-5 shooting for his worst showing in eight games since returning from an ankle injury.

John Wall, tied for the team scoring lead with Crawford, finished with only nine points while missing nine of 12 shots.

"You are going to have nights like this," coach Randy Wittman said. "Their defense played real good. But you still have to get shot attempts. We had some crucial turnovers. We battled. We kept in it."

Wall had 25 points and Crawford scored 22 in last season's lone matchup with Memphis on March 18, but the Grizzlies earned a 97-92 win behind Gay's 27 points.

Memphis has won six of the last seven meetings with Washington and hasn't lost a home matchup since Nov. 3, 2004.

Prince scores 14 in winning debut for Grizzlies

Posted Feb 02 2013 12:17AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Tayshaun Prince received a standing ovation as he entered his first game as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The crowd was standing for him again down the stretch as he helped the Grizzlies pull away from the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Prince hit his first three shots, then connected on a pair of fourth-quarter jumpers to finish with 14 points as the Grizzlies defeated the Wizards 85-76.

"Getting the `W' was the main thing," Prince said. "Once we got in a good rhythm, we were able to pull through late in the game."

Mike Conley scored 18 points to lead Memphis, which was playing its first home game since Prince, Ed Davis and Austin Daye were acquired in a three-team trade this week that sent Memphis leading scorer Rudy Gay to Toronto.

Conley said his role has changed as well as that of other teammates, who now must combine to pick up the 17.2 points a game that left for Toronto with Gay.

"I feel like that's what I'm here for now. That's my role," Conley said. "I'm a role player. I'll do whatever I have to do to win the game. Now, my role is to be more offensive-minded and try to make plays, be aggressive at all times and get up as many shots as I can."

Marc Gasol added 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Grizzlies, while Tony Allen and Jerryd Bayless finished with 11 points each. Allen also grabbed eight rebounds, and Conley also had six assists and four steals. Prince finished 7 of 11 from the field.

Nene was the only Wizards player to reach double figures with 14 points, while handing out six assists. Emeka Okafor had eight points and 10 rebounds as Washington lost its third straight after winning seven of 10.

"They are a physical team," Washington coach Randy Wittman said of the Grizzlies. "They make you move the ball, and, if you don't move the ball, you end up taking bad shots."

Washington rookie guard Bradley Beal missed his second straight game with a right wrist injury.

And the Wizards got another scare when guard John Wall, who missed the first 33 games of the season with a stress injury to his left patella, went to the locker room late in the second quarter with a strained left shoulder. He returned to start the second half, and finished with nine points and six assists.

"I was scared," Wall said of the injury. "I can't catch a break, is all I was thinking. I went back out there and played. I could still feel the pain, but I just tried to play through it."

Memphis put the game away in the final 4 minutes, part of outscoring the Wizards 46-36 in the second half. The Grizzlies overtook the Wizards in the middle stages of the third quarter as Washington had trouble controlling the basketball. The Wizards had a handful of turnovers through the first eight minutes of the period.

The Grizzlies built the lead to five points helped by the Wizards' miscues, which would reach seven in the third. That led to Memphis carrying a 61-56 lead into the fourth quarter although the game was hardly an offensive display of efficiency.

Both were shooting between 41 and 42 percent and things seemed out of sync for both. Memphis ended the night hitting 45 percent, while the Wizards were at 41 percent. Prince said for Memphis the flow was off because of the new surroundings and being unfamiliar with the Grizzlies' playbook.

"Marc Gasol was pretty much directing me every time Mike (Conley) called a play," Prince said. "There were times in the first half and the third quarter where we ran plays and I was kind of going here and going there not knowing what the situation was."

Memphis couldn't extend the advantage enough to get comfortable in the early part of the fourth, and Trevor Ariza's 3-pointer with 8:22 left pulled Washington within 67-66.

Memphis eventually took the lead to 10 points, its biggest lead of the game, when Prince connected on consecutive jumpers for a 72-62 lead with 1:11 remaining.

"I was worried," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "You never know. We had new players on the bench, so we had more people to work with. But you never know how it is going to work out when you have new guys for the first game."

While Prince hit his first three shots, both teams struggled from the field in the second quarter, including Washington missing 16 of its first 18 shots in the frame. Memphis was 6 of 20 in the second, while the Wizards were 5 of 23. Memphis outscored Washington 16-10 in the second quarter.

Neither team had a player in double figures at halftime, and Memphis matched its poor shooting with 10 turnovers to seven miscues for the Wizards. For Memphis, it was an example of the first game adjustments.

"I think that's why we struggled early in the first half," Prince said. "We went through a couple of plays pregame, but obviously we know the difference between pregame and once you get out on that court, especially in a short period of time.

"It was tough, but they tried to keep it as simple as possible for the first game."

Notes: Daye and Davis are wearing their numbers - 5 and 32, respectively - from their previous teams, but Prince changed from the 22 he wore in Detroit to 21. ... The Wizards are 3-20 on the road. ... The Wizards have lost seven of the last eight to the Grizzlies, and haven't won in Memphis since Nov. 3, 2004, the first game in the FedExForum, the Grizzlies current homecourt. ... Memphis F Zach Randolph, now the team's leading scorer with Gay gone, scored seven points, his third straight game in single digits. ... Prince came off the bench, the first time he hasn't started a game since Feb. 17, 2004. Prince had started 672 consecutive games for Detroit before the trade.

Notebook: Grizzlies 85, Wizards 76

Marlon W. Morgan, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:31 PM - Updated Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:31 PM

THE FACTS: Tayshaun Prince was worried about being too nervous prior to making his debut with the Memphis Grizzlies. But after knocking down his first three shots off the bench, the FedExForum crowd embraced the newly acquired Prince, who scored 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting to help the Grizzlies beat Washington 85-76. Prince was one of three new Grizzlies who were acquired in Wednesday's three-team trade with Toronto and Detroit that sent Grizzlies star Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi to the Raptors.

QUOTABLE: "Being with the same team for so long, and seeing all these trades over the years and never being a part of that, and then all of the sudden you're a part of it is definitely different. But the guys made it easy for me, the staff made it easy for me and definitely the fans made it easy for me. I think when guys come in a different situation, everybody around him has to make him welcome. That's how I felt."
-- Tayshaun Prince

THE STAT: The Grizzlies gave up 30 points to the Wizards in the first quarter as they trailed 30-23 after allowing Washington to shoot 62 percent. However, Washington scored just 46 points in the final three quarters and finished the game shooting 41 percent.

TURNING POINT: After trailing the Wizards for most of the first half, the Grizzlies went on a 13-4 run early in the third quarter that gave them the lead for good at 52-48. During that run, the Grizzlies defense held Washington scoreless for a three-minute stretch.

HOT: Realizing he needed to step up his game until the newcomers are acclimated, Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley was more aggressive in looking for his shot. Conley scored a game-high 18 points while also dishing out six assists. Defensively, Conley had four steals.

NOT: Grizzlies All-Star forward Zach Randolph has looked like anything but an All-Star recently. Randolph scored just seven points Friday on 3-for-10 shooting. In his last three games, Randolph has scored a total of 20 points on 9-for-34 (.265) shooting.

QUOTABLE II: "I was scared. 'I can't catch a break,' was all I was thinking. I could still feel the pain, but I just tried to play through it and help my team out as much as possible. I just hoped it wasn't anything serious so that I could keep playing for the rest of the season."
-- Washington guard John Wall after straining his left shoulder in the first half. He did return in the second half.

NOTABLE: The other players acquired Wednesday, Austin Daye and Ed Davis, also got their feet wet Friday night. Davis played five minutes in the first half and scored two points, while Daye played just under five minutes and had one point. ... With the Grizzlies having two practice days before their next game Tuesday against Phoenix, coach Lionel Hollins plans to use that time to get Prince, Daye and Davis up to speed on their offensive and defensive plays. While Prince will be a fixture in the lineup, it'll be up to Davis and Daye to earn their minutes, Hollins said. With three new players in the mix, Hollins said rookie point guard Tony Wroten could be the odd man out of the rotation. ... Prince had started 672 consecutive games for the Detroit before coming off the bench Friday. ... With his 13 points and season-high 15 rebounds, Memphis center Marc Gasol had his seventh double-double of the season. The Grizzlies are now 6-1 in those games. ... Washington center Emeka Okafor had eight points and 10 rebounds, breaking his three-game streak of at least 15 points and 15 or more rebound. ... Washington forward Nene was the only Wizard in double figures with 14 points.

UP NEXT: For the Wizards, Saturday at San Antonio, Monday vs. L.A. Clippers, Wednesday vs. New York. For the Grizzlies, Tuesday vs. Phoenix, Wednesday at Atlanta, Friday vs. Golden State.

• Wizards: Martin
• Grizzlies: Pondexter

• Wizards: Crawford
• Grizzlies: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #18 Matt Boland, #72 J.T. Orr
• Attendance: 15017
• Duration: 2:04