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Gasol, Grizzlies hope to stay sharp vs. Bobcats

Jan 19, 2008 - 3:31 PM Memphis (11-28) at Charlotte (15-24) 7:00 pm EST

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) - The Memphis Grizzlies took advantage of a struggling team on Friday. They will try to do the same on Saturday when they visit the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Grizzlies snapped a five-game slide on Friday with a dominating 124-100 win over the Seattle SuperSonics despite the absence of leading scorer Rudy Gay, who missed the game with the flu.

Pau Gasol picked up the slack, scoring 24 points while grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out five assists and blocking four shots. The star center has a double-double in six of his last seven games and is averaging 24 points since Mike Conley moved into the starting lineup at point guard on January 2.

Memphis shot 52 percent on Friday, including 13-of-26 from 3-point range, and pulled down 53 rebounds in the victory.

The Bobcats will be looking to bounce back after getting embarrassed, 112-84, against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday. Charlotte shot just 42 percent (37-of-88) from the floor and 4-of-16 from 3-point range.

Gerald Wallace, who was averaging over 32 points per game in four previous contests, managed just 12 points against the Hornets. Emeka Okafor led the team with just 13 points.

The Bobcats are usually strong at home, owning a 13-11 mark as opposed to a 2-13 record on the road.