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Grizzlies-Mavericks Preview

Oct 29, 2010 - 1:13 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Memphis (0-1) at Dallas (1-0), 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Dallas Mavericks have great length in their frontcourt thanks to the addition of Tyson Chandler alongside Dirk Nowitzki.

The sight of two 7-footers is probably the last thing the Memphis Grizzlies need at this time.

The Mavericks look for a 10th straight home victory over the Grizzlies on Friday night, with Memphis short-handed in its frontcourt.

Dallas (1-0) acquired Chandler from Charlotte in the offseason to bolster its defense. The Mavericks were 15th in the league in field goal defense last season, but the new look helped them limit the Bobcats to 39.7 percent shooting Wednesday in a season-opening 101-86 victory.

"We are one game in, but our defensive numbers are better than they have been," coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's the foundation for success."

Matching up with that kind of size figures to be a problem for Memphis (0-1). Center Marc Gasol is out with a sprained left ankle, and All-Star forward Zach Randolph went down with a lower back injury during Wednesday's 119-104 loss to Atlanta.

"It's tough," said Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur, a Dallas native. "They're a big part of this team. They're the two leaders, captains of our team. When they go down it's hard."

The 6-foot-9 Randolph scored four points on 1-of-6 shooting, did not play in the second half and was replaced in the lineup by 6-6 Sam Young. Memphis was outrebounded 44-39.

"I'm very sore," Randolph said. "I just have to see how it feels, get some treatment. I'm going to come back when I'm 100 percent."

The Grizzlies have lost by an average of 12.1 points during their nine-game skid in Dallas. Third-year guard O.J. Mayo has struggled in the last four losses, averaging 13.8 points on 34.5 percent shooting.

Mayo had a quiet opener with nine points. Mike Conley scored 23 and Rudy Gay added 21 for the Grizzlies.

Memphis began 0-6 on the road last season and finished 17-24.

The Grizzlies will have to try to figure out to do a better job against Nowitzki, who is shooting 56.0 percent and averaging 24.8 points and 8.3 rebounds during the nine-game home win streak in the series.

The German superstar was efficient Wednesday with 28 points and 13 rebounds. He was more impressed with the contribution of his new teammate on defense.

"We were really scrambling out there," Nowitzki said. "Our center combo will be great all year. Tyson's all over the place."

Chandler had eight points and eight rebounds. He's been plagued by injuries the last two seasons, and hasn't faced Memphis in nearly two years.

"I've got to bring (aggressive play) night in and night out because this team is going to need it," Chandler said. "We have everything else: scorers, guys who finish, so I have to bring defensive intensity and let my team feed off of it."

Jason Kidd had 12 points and 18 assists. He will match up with the speedy Conley, who was born seven years before the 37-year-old made his NBA debut.