Over the last week, the Memphis Grizzlies have suffered a season's worth of heartbreak, losing three games by a combined eight points. The stretch started Wednesday in Milwaukee, when 
Pau Gasol missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that could have tied the game. On Friday against New Orleans, David West scored the game-winning bucket with 8.3 seconds left in overtime, Rudy Gay missing on a subsequent chance to tie the game. The stretch culminated Saturday in Dallas, when Juan Carlos Navarro had two chances in the closing seconds at three-pointers that would have sent the game to overtime, coming up empty.
While the losses may be tough to take, they indicate that a young Grizzlies team under rookie Head Coach Marc Iavaroni is playing well early in the season despite a 2-7 record. Add in a 104-101 loss to San Antonio in the opener, and four of Memphis' seven losses have come by three points or less. Three of them have come against the Southwest Division's top three teams, who are a combined 24-6 on the season.
Leading the way amongst the youngsters is second-year forward Gay. The Grizzlies made a bold move dealing established veteran Shane Battier to Houston for the rights to Gay on the night of the 2006 Draft, and it seems to be paying dividends. After an uneven rookie season, Gay is making good on his potential this year. He leads the Grizzlies and all sophomores in scoring at 19.2 points per game. Gay has improved his shooting percentages across the board to become a much more efficient scorer.
Gay isn't the only sophomore making noise for Memphis. With their own first-round pick, the Grizzlies took Villanova point guard Kyle Lowry, only to see Lowry's rookie campaign ended by a broken wrist after just 10 games. Healthy again, Lowry is averaging 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Damon Stoudamire remains Memphis' starter at the point, but Lowry has seen more minutes at the position, with this year's first-round pick Mike Conley, Jr. (taken fourth overall out of Ohio State) also seeing spot minutes.
To their core of young players, the Grizzlies added a pair of newcomers over the summer, and both have paid dividends. Center Darko Milicic is a question mark for tonight's game after spraining his thumb during Friday's game, but has been solid in the middle when healthy. Milicic is averaging 10.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a night - as good production as the Grizzlies have gotten from the center position since moving to Memphis.
When Milicic missed Saturday's game in Dallas, the Grizzlies went small to replace him, moving Gasol to center, Gay to power forward, Mike Miller to small forward and moving Navarro into the starting lineup at shooting guard. Though an NBA rookie, Navarro is an experienced veteran of international play who has long starred on the Spanish National Team alongside Gasol. He demonstrated his long-distance marksmanship against the Hornets, scoring a career-high 28 points and connecting on eight three-pointers in nine attempts.
While the young players and newcomers have generally played well, the Grizzlies have not gotten a strong start from their cornerstone player, Gasol. The 2005-06 All-Star, who might have had his best season last year after returning from a broken foot that sidelined him the first month of the season, has been quiet through nine games. Gasol is averaging just 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks - all well down from his marks last season (20.8, 9.8 and 2.1).
Overall, the Grizzlies have been strong on offense, averaging 108.5 points per 100 possessions to rank 12th in the NBA. The Memphis defense has lagged behind, ranking just 28th in the league in Defensive Rating.
The Sonics play in Memphis tonight to close out a five-game road trip. With a win tonight, the Sonics could finish the trip at 3-2, a very strong effort on the road. These teams squared off earlier this season at KeyArena, with the Grizzlies earning a 105-98 victory. All three of Memphis' frontcourt starters recorded double-doubles in that game, and if Milicic does not play, the matchups will be very different. In that case the Sonics might try to counter Memphis' smaller lineup by using 
Jeff Green off the bench at power forward, a better matchup for Gay at power forward.
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Miller, the longest-tenured Grizzlies player after Gasol, offers solid play from both wing positions. Miller is third on Memphis in scoring at 14.4 points per game, and actually the team's leading rebounder at 8.2 boards a night. Miller hasn't shot the ball particularly well from long range in the early going, hitting 36.8% of his threes, but the Sonics can't ignore him outside. Miller had six three-pointers in the first matchup, posting 20 points and eight rebounds. Sonics swingman  Damien Wilkins had 18 points against Memphis, shooting 8-for-12 from the field. Including Friday's 41-point outburst in Atlanta, Wilkins has been on fire from downtown, knocking down a team-high 19 three-pointers at a 52.8% clip.
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LAST TIME
The Sonics were one stop away from having the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute, but Lowry's three-pointer sealed a 105-98 win for the Grizzlies Nov. 7 at KeyArena. The Sonics had their best defensive performance of the season, holding Memphis to 37.6% shooting, but a couple of familiar areas were problematic - turnovers and sending the opponent to the free-throw line.
Kevin Durant was unable to find his shot, but demonstrated an ability to contribute nonetheless, attempting 10 free throws and making them all - including big ones down the stretch. 
Chris Wilcox and Wilkins led the Sonics on offense, combining for 39 points. The Sonics showed improved help defense with their nine blocked shots - one off last year's season high.
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INJURIES
Sonics - Centers 
Robert Swift (tendinitis and contusion, right knee) and 
Kurt Thomas (strained right hamstring) are game-time decisions. Guard 
Luke Ridnour (left quad tear) is out.
Memphis - Center Darko Milicic (sprained left thumb) and Mike Conley, Jr. (strained right shoulder) are day-to-day.
For more analysis before tonight's game, listen to the Sonics Pregame Show starting at 4:30 on KTTH 770 AM
