(Sports Network) - A pair of teams riding four-game winning streaks get
together Sunday, as the defending champion Miami Heat pay a visit to the
Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
Miami has won four in a row and kicked off a six-game road trip with Friday's
95-89 victory against the Atlanta Hawks. Ray Allen buried the go-ahead shot
with less than two minutes to go, finishing with 17 points, and LeBron James
just missed a triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
James left the court just before halftime after banging knees with Hawks
forward Josh Smith, but was able to pull through.
"It's a little sore right now," James said. "I knew I would get through it. It
would take a lot for me not to go back out there with my teammates."
Dwyane Wade could miss another game because of an illness and is listed as
probable. Chris Bosh had 24 points in the recent win. James has scored in
double figures in 147 straight games, one shy of Wade's team record.
The Heat, one of the highest-scoring squads in the league with 107.5 ppg, also
will visit the Rockets, Clippers, Nuggets and Suns on the current road swing.
Memphis has ripped off four straight wins since its season-opening loss to the
Clippers, and recorded a 93-85 triumph versus Houston on Friday.
Zach Randolph had 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Rudy Gay added 21 points
and Mike Conley netted 14 for the Grizzlies, who prevailed despite shooting
only 37.2 percent. Memphis scored 27 points off 20 Houston turnovers.
"We aren't a team that shoots it well all the time, but we always give forth
the effort," Conley said. "Tonight was one of those cases where we didn't
shoot the ball well. Guys stepped up defensively and made plays, got out in
transition, and once again the second group put us on their back."
Memphis has been tough on the boards this season, averaging 44.8 per game.
The Grizzlies have a challenging stretch ahead with Miami, Oklahoma City and
New York on the docket. They also tied the 2000-01 Vancouver Grizzlies for the
best start in franchise history at 4-1 and are riding a 13-game home winning
streak dating back to last season.
Memphis is 3-0 when scoring 100-plus points this season and won the only
meeting with Miami last season. The Grizzlies have won six of the last nine
matchups with the Heat.
The Sports Network