Mavs go for eighth straight win at home against Grizzlies

The Grizzlies have lost nine straight at Dallas. The last time the Grizzlies defeated the Mavericks on the road was on December 7, 1999.

Dallas has won five straight and six of the last seven meetings in this series. The winning team has scored over 100 points in 14 of the last 15 contests.

Josh Howard had 25 points, 11 rebounds and sparked a key fourth-quarter run as Dallas continued its winning ways with a 103-90 triumph over the Miami Heat on Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

All-Star Dirk Nowitzki added 23 points and eight boards in the win over Miami for the Mavs, who have won seven straight games overall and three in a row on the road. Marquis Daniels finished with 14 points and nine rebounds for Dallas, which last lost on November 9th at Philadelphia.

The Mavericks are a perfect 5-0 at home this season. They started the 2003-04 season with 10 straight wins at home.

Memphis plays the first of a brief two-game road trip. On Friday, Shane Battier scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Grizzlies to an 86-81 victory over the slumping Houston Rockets at FedExForum.

Eddie Jones added 17 points in the win over the Rockets for Memphis, while Damon Stoudamire netted 15 to help the Grizzlies overcome an early 11-point deficit and a halt a two-game slide.

On the injury front, Memphis guard Mike Miller left Friday’s game in the first quarter with a head laceration and concussion. He is questionable for tonight’s game.

The Grizzlies are 4-3 on the road this season. They will visit Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday at Air Canada Centre.