The Sports Network
(Sports Network) - The Memphis Grizzlies will try to shake off a bad loss
Monday night when they visit the City of Brotherly Love to take on the
Philadelphia 76ers.
The Grizz fell 91-83 at home Sunday night to the New Orleans Hornets. The
bigger loss wasn't in the standings, but in the form of point guard Mike
Conley going down with a sprained left ankle after 4:20 of game action.
Conley was seen in the locker room after the game in a walking boot. Head
coach Lionel Hollins indicated Conley would be available for Monday night's
game.
Hopefully, because Sunday night's was a disaster.
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol both had double-doubles and Rudy Gay and Jerryd
Bayless both scored in double figures.
New Orleans crushed the Grizzlies beyond the arc. The Hornets shot 45 percent
from the field, highlighted by a 7-for-13 night from Ryan Anderson. Memphis
shot 18.8 percent from the 3-point line.
"They played their game," Gasol said of the Hornets. "We tried to play our
game but they played better. They executed better and played tougher than us
and they got the win."
The Sixers ended a two-game losing streak with an emphatic Saturday night
against the Atlantic-Division leading New York Knicks. The Sixers clobbered
New York, 97-80, in a game that wasn't even as close as the final score
indicated.
Jrue Holiday certainly didn't rest after being named to his first All-Star
game. The point guard scored a career-high 35 points versus the Knicks and
handed out six assists against only one turnover, a category he unfortunately
leads the NBA.
Philly jumped out to a five-point first-quarter lead, then took a 12-point
advantage into the locker room at the half. The Sixers jumped on New York in
the third quarter and were 26 points ahead and cruised in the fourth.
"It's been a while since we came out and took care of business early," Holiday
said. "We made them work."
Sixers coach Doug Collins left the game in the third quarter to be treated for
a sinus infection and blocked nasal passage. He didn't run practice on Sunday,
assistant Michael Curry did, and Collins' availability for Monday night is
unknown.
The Sixers beat the Grizzlies in Memphis on Dec. 26 in the middle of a long
road trip. This is the second of an eight-game homestand for the Sixers, who
are 12-10 at the Wells Fargo Center. The Grizzlies have won two in a row in
Philadelphia.
Philadelphia hasn't won two in a row since closing November with three
straight victories.
The Sports Network