Memphis hosts New Jersey

(Sports Network) - The Memphis Grizzlies will attempt to put their current home woes behind in this evening's clash with a New Jersey Nets squad that enters FedEx Forum off a rare positive result.

Memphis has lost eight consecutive contests as the home team since besting the defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers on February 1. The Grizzlies have not dropped nine in a row in their own building since a club-record 11-game losing streak from February 16-March 31, 1996, when the franchise was then located in Vancouver.

The Grizzlies had put together back-to-back road wins over New Orleans and Chicago prior to Saturday's home test with San Antonio, but couldn't keep up with the Spurs in a 102-92 defeat.

"We have played a different caliber of teams away than we have at home," Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins said of his team's drought at FedEx Forum. "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."

Memphis had drawn within 89-83 on an O.J. Mayo basket midway through the fourth quarter, but the Spurs countered with a 9-2 burst to take a 13-point lead and the Grizzlies never got the deficit closer than eight the rest of the way. Mayo ended with 23 points in the loss, with Marc Gasol amassing 17 points and 13 rebounds for Memphis.

The Grizzlies, four games back of Portland for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference, will try to bounce back against a Nets team that owns an NBA-worst 7-55 record and is a dismal 4-27 on the road. However, New Jersey has actually won its last three times as the visitor and is fresh off Saturday's 113-93 triumph over the rival New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The Nets trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half but dominated the Knicks over the remainder of the game in halting a three-game skid. An ability to shoot from long range made the comeback possible, as New Jersey sank 14- of-24 three-point attempts on the evening.

Devin Harris made 13-of-21 overall shots for 31 points to pace the Nets, while Courtney Lee returned from a three-game absence due to a sprained ankle and delivered 25 points.

"The second team was huge for us," said Harris. "We got off to a very lethargic start. Those guys came in a did a great job getting us back in the game."

Brook Lopez finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for New Jersey, which will be aiming for its first four-game road winning streak since November 26- December 6, 2009.

Saturday's win kicked off a five-game trek for the Nets, with matchups at Dallas, Oklahoma City and Houston upcoming. The team may not have forward Yi Jianlian for any of those tests, however, after the seven-footer suffered a sprained left ankle in the first quarter against the Knicks.

New Jersey has prevailed in two of its last three visits to FedEx Forum but was a 104-94 loser to the Grizzlies when these teams squared off in the Garden State on February 21. Rudy Gay led Memphis with 29 points in that one, with Mayo coming through with 24 points and seven assists.