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Grizzlies try to tame Irving, Cavs

Mar 8, 2013 - 3:43 PM (Sports Network) - The Memphis Grizzlies look to stay on track when they invade the Forest City Friday night in a matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Grizzlies have won two in a row and 10 of their last 11 games, including Wednesday's 91-85 victory versus the Portland Trail Blazers. Marc Gasol scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Mike Conley added 20 points and six assists for the Grizzlies.

Jerryd Bayless had 13 points off the bench in the win. Memphis rallied from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter.

"(Not every team is) going to lose leads like that, but that just shows the character of our team. We are grinders. We all play together and play hard for 48 minutes," Memphis guard Tony Allen said. "We come back and rally and get the win, but we can't keep doing that."

Zach Randolph (ankle) and Darrell Arthur (neck/back) did not play versus the Blazers and are both listed as day-to-day.

The Grizzlies are fourth in the West standings and 16-11 on the road.

Cleveland will close out a five-game homestand Friday and halted a two-game slide with a 104-101 win over the Utah Jazz Wednesday night.

Kyrie Irving scored 11 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter and also collected 10 assists and seven rebounds. The Cavs went on a 12-1 run in the last few minutes to pull out the victory.

Wayne Ellington finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while Tristan Thompson chipped in 16 points and 12 boards for the Cavs, who have won five of their last eight games.

"We got lucky. That was a gift, basically," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "With 15 minutes left, I told them, 'Right now, you're showing no interest in this game. You better start playing because you've still got a chance to win.'"

The Cavs are 2-2 on the homestand and 12-18 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Rookie Dion Waiters (flu) and Daniel Gibson (flu) both missed the game and are questionable versus Memphis. Irving (knee) is also questionable.

Cleveland dropped an 84-78 decision at Memphis back on Nov. 26 this season and has lost three in a row in this series. The Cavaliers are still 11-5 in the previous 16 meetings between the teams.

The Cavs are unbeaten in seven straight matchups at home versus Memphis, which has lost 13 of the 15 contests played in Cleveland.