Grizzlies return home, entertain sluggish Hornets
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Memphis Grizzlies return home for a showdown with the New Orleans Hornets at FedEx Forum.
The Grizzlies have won six in a row at home and are a dominant 24-8 in Memphis. They are unbeaten in three straight overall and 11 of 12 games.
Memphis recorded a 103-92 win at Cleveland Friday night as Marc Gasol tallied 22 points and eight rebounds. Mike Conley had 17 points, a game-high 11 assists and five steals for the Grizzlies, who are fourth in the West standings -- one game behind the Los Angeles Clippers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Conley has recorded a steal in a franchise-record 51 games in a row.
The Grizzlies rebounded from a sluggish second quarter to outscore the Cavaliers 32-18 in the third.
"We made a stand in the third quarter," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "I thought Ed Davis came out and got every rebound and played really strong and got us off to a good start. Marc (Gasol) got hot. In the fourth quarter, Mike Conley and (Bayless) took over on the scoring. We just kept defending and rebounding. We were able to get a win."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Davis contributed 12 points and nine boards in the victory. Memphis was without leading scorer Zach Randolph, who missed his third straight game due to a sprained ankle. It is unknown if Randolph will play Saturday.
The Grizzlies are second in the NBA in points allowed (89.5 ppg) and have held 52 of their 60 opponents under 100 points. They are 12-4 since dealing Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors and 11-1 when shooting at least .500 from the field. Memphis is 30-2 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than the opponent.
Memphis will start a four-game western trek Tuesday at Portland.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Hornets have lost two in a row and seven of nine games, including Wednesday's tough 108-102 loss to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
L.A. erased a 25-point deficit and was led by Bryant, who scored 18 of his game-high 42 points in the fourth quarter. The Hornets were outscored by a 33-9 margin in the final period.
"I was really disappointed in the fact that we didn't execute down the stretch," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "(It) is tough to swallow."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hornets guard Greivis Vasquez recorded his 23rd double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 assists, while Robin Lopez had 13 points and 11 boards for New Orleans, which had a 52-36 advantage in rebounds and had seven players with at least 10 points.
New Orleans is just 10-21 outside the Big Easy and has split two meetings with Memphis this season with each team winning on the road. The Grizzlies have won six of the past eight showdowns with New Orleans.