SACRAMENTO - The Grizzlies (16-15) reach the midway point of their four-game road trip seeking their first victory in five contests when they face the Kings (16-15) on Friday at the Golden1 Center.
Bear Necessities is a game-day spotlight on some Grizzlies notes of note to stay informed entering tonight's matchup.
Here are a few things to watch:
- The Grizzlies and Kings have split the first two matchups of their four-game series this season, with the Kings winning 97-92 at home on Oct. 24 and the Grizzlies getting a 112-104 victory on Nov. 16 at FedExForum. Both carry 16-15 records into Friday’s game, and are tied with Houston for the eighth-best record in the Western Conference standings.
- Both teams also enter with significant injury issues. The Grizzlies officially listed Mike Conley (hamstring) and Kyle Anderson (ankle) as probable, but both players participated in the full morning shootaround and are expected to play. Meanwhile, Omri Casspi (illness), JaMychal Green (hamstring) and Joakim Noah (heel) were listed as questionable. Casspi did not attend Friday’s shootaround; Green participated in some conditioning drills and Noah was held out of shootaround but did individual work after the session. Their status will be updated at game-time. Memphis is also listing Chandler Parsons (return from injury management) and Dillon Brooks (knee) as out. For the Kings, Marvin Bagley III (knee) is ruled out while Bodgan Bogdanovic (foot) and Iman Shumpert (hip) are questionable.
- The Grizzlies are seeking their first road win over a Pacific Division opponent this season after losing their first five games. But Memphis is 7-4 on the road against all other divisions, including a 5-2 mark against Western Conference teams outside of the Pacific Division. The Kings are 7-7 at home and are one of three teams in the league with a better road record (9-8) than at home.
- Since returning from a one-game absence with an ankle injury, Anderson is averaging 14.5 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block over his past two games for the Grizzlies. He is shooting 76.4 percent from the field and has not missed a free-throw attempt during that stretch. Anderson is having his most productive month of the season, averaging 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 61.1 percent shooting from the field in December.
- Memphis is averaging 95.6 points per game in 10 games during the month of December (3-7 record) after the team averaged 104.9 points in 21 games during October and November (13-8 record). The Grizzlies are making just 7.4 three-point shots (28.9 percent) in the last nine games after averaging 10.3 makes (36.9 percent) through their first 22 contests on the season.
For the Grizzlies complete game notes, check here: Grizzlies Game Notes.