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76ers-Grizzlies Preview
Philadelphia 76ers at Memphis Grizzlies
- The 76ers lost 95-92 at Brooklyn on Sunday, and they have now dropped six of their last seven games. Philadelphia is 0-6 on the road in December. Its last road win was November 30 at Charlotte.
- The Grizzlies lost at Houston on Saturday, 121-96. The 25-point loss was Memphis' worst loss since January 1, 2012 when it lost 104-64 at Chicago. Saturday's game was also the first time the Grizzlies had given up 100-plus points in a game since opening night at the Los Angeles Clippers (lost 101-92). Memphis had kept its opponent under 100 points for 23 straight games in between.
- Memphis has won three straight versus Philadelphia and four of the last five. Philadelphia has lost four straight against Western-Conference opponents, while Memphis is 9-1 versus the East in 2012-13 and 24-4 since the start of the 2011-12 season.
- Thaddeus Young had 18 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday in Brooklyn. It was Young's second consecutive double-double and the third time this season Young has had consecutive double-doubles. Young had three consecutive double-doubles just once in his career -- 3 in a row in December of 2009.
- One bright spot about Memphis' 25-point loss at Houston on Saturday is that nobody played more than 28:36, and they will be playing at home with three full days of rest. In 2012-13, the Grizzlies are 4-0 when playing at home with two-plus days of rest.
- Zach Randolph is averaging 17.5 points per game and 13.0 rebounds per game in December. The last time an NBA player averaged 17-plus points and 13-plus rebounds in a month (minimum 7 games played) was March 2012 when both Dwight Howard, Orl -- 23.1 ppg, 13.1 rpg and Kevin Love, Min -- 30.7 ppg, 13.9 rpg did it.
By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
(AP) -- The Philadelphia 76ers have lost six straight on the road, but that's not the only reason coach Doug Collins isn't in a good mood during the holidays.
Things probably won't get any easier Wednesday night against a Memphis Grizzlies team that is 12-2 at home and coming off its worst loss of the season.
Philadelphia (13-15) is making the second stop on an eight-game road stretch after falling 95-92 at Brooklyn on Sunday. The 76ers returned home for Christmas before heading West on a trip that will be capped by three difficult sets of games on back-to-back days.
"The thing I don't like about our schedule is it's so imbalanced in that way too many home games in a stretch or period of time, way too many road," Collins said. "I don't like that kind of imbalance and the reason I don't is if you lose a key player and you're at home and you lose four or five home games, that's tough to make up. And you can get yourself in a spin, and when you get in that spin, it is hard to get out."
The daunting stretch of road games got off to a bad start Sunday, and Collins was not happy that the Nets shot 30 free throws compared to the 76ers' 10.
"I gotta be real careful because I don't want to give away my holiday money so I gotta be real careful," said Collins, whose club has lost six of seven overall.
Philadelphia is enduring its longest road slide since dropping eight straight Nov. 10-Dec. 3, 2010.
While fatigue could affect the Sixers on this trip, it looked like a major factor in the Grizzlies' 121-96 loss at Houston on Saturday. Memphis (18-7) had a four-game win streak snapped as it allowed its most points and highest field-goal percentage (53.7) of the season.
"We just had no juice, no energy and were not mentally tough," coach Lionel Hollins said. "We just kind of packed it in early and I decided to give some other guys a look in the fourth quarter and they didn't do much better."
It was an uncharacteristic effort for the Grizzlies, who are allowing a Western Conference-low 90.5 points per game.
"We're going to try to move on from this game and it's just not easy," said leading scorer Rudy Gay, who was held to a season-low six points - 12.2 below his average.
One key matchup Wednesday will be at point guard between Philadelphia leading scorer Jrue Holiday and Memphis' Mike Conley.
Holiday is averaging 18.3 points and is second among East players with 8.8 assists per game. He's also averaging 3.7 turnovers as he gets ready to face Conley - one of the league leaders with 2.5 steals per game.
Second-year Sixers center Lavoy Allen has 18 points and 16 rebounds over two games since moving back into the starting lineup and will match up against a Grizzlies frontcourt that features Zach Randolph, who leads the league with 21 double-doubles and has four straight versus Philadelphia.
"I've always said with Lavoy it's the motor," Collins said. "If the motor's running, he plays well."
The Sixers are 0-3 against Memphis since drafting Evan Turner in 2010. Turner, averaging 15.3 points this season, has totaled 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting in those games.
Updated December 25, 2012
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