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Nets-Grizzlies Preview

Mar 7, 2010 - 5:53 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

New Jersey (7-55) at Memphis (32-31), 8:00 p.m. EDT

The Memphis Grizzlies have not won at home in five weeks. The way the New Jersey Nets have been playing on the road, the Grizzlies' woes at FedEx Forum could continue.

Memphis tries to avoid its ninth straight home loss Monday night when it faces the Nets, who are looking to win four in a row on the road for the first time in two seasons.

Since winning a franchise-record 11 straight at FedEx Forum from Dec. 18-Jan. 25, the Grizzlies (32-31) have lost nine of 10 there. They defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 95-93 on Feb. 1 in Memphis before dropping their next eight home contests.

"We've played a different caliber of teams away than we have at home," coach Lionel Hollins said following a 102-92 loss to San Antonio on Saturday. "We just haven't been able to raise our caliber of play. We execute better on the road. We make a better effort and better decisions on the road.

"At home, we haven't been able to do that."

A loss Monday would give the Grizzlies their longest home slide since dropping a franchise-record 11 in a row from Feb. 16-March 31, 1996, when the team was based in Vancouver.

Facing the Nets (7-55) would seem to be a good opportunity to snap that skid, but New Jersey has won three straight on the road. The Nets won 113-93 at New York on Saturday, and defeated Boston and Charlotte in their previous two road games.

"We can't take New Jersey lightly at all. They've been playing a lot better," Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley said. "They are a different team the second half of this season."

New Jersey missed 12 of its first 13 shots Saturday but rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to open a five-game trip.

"From probably three minutes of the first quarter on we seemed like a confident team," point guard Devin Harris said after scoring a season-high 31 points. "That first 10 minutes or so we looked a little lost out there, but we got it together."

The Nets need three victories to avoid matching the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA's worst all-time record.

New Jersey will likely start a stretch of four games in six nights without Yi Jianlian, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the first quarter Saturday. If he is out, Josh Boone or Kris Humphries could start at forward alongside center Brook Lopez, who scored 17 of his team-high 26 points in the first quarter of a 104-94 home loss to the Grizzlies on Feb. 21.

Memphis overcame an 18-point first-half deficit in that game. Zach Randolph had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Rudy Gay had 29 points and O.J. Mayo scored 10 of his 24 during a 17-0 second-half run.

New Jersey won 99-88 in its last visit to Memphis on Jan. 24, 2009.