Memphis Grizzlies Team Report - January 26

(Basketball News) - The Memphis Grizzlies will have an uphill battle on Wednesday, when they take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gund Arena without the services of star forward Pau Gasol.

Gasol was placed on the injured listed on Tuesday due to a left foot plantar fasciitis injury. The Grizzlies did quite well without him last night, as they registered a 95-83 victory over Orlando at the FedExForum.

To fill Gasol’s roster spot, the club activated forward Ryan Humphrey from the injured list. Humphrey, who scored two points in four minutes of action, had been sidelined with a sprained right ankle.

Cleveland snapped a four-game series losing streak with a 92-86 victory in Memphis on December 13. Overall, the Grizzlies have won five of seven and six of their last nine meetings. Memphis has won its last two trips to Cleveland.

Stromile Swift picked up Gasol’s slack with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Lorenzen Wright and James Posey each posted 12 points for Memphis, which has captured 12 of its last 14 games. Shane Battier and Earl Watson added 11 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who have also won eight of their last nine at home.

Brian Cardinal and Jason Williams chipped in 10 points each in the winning effort. For the game, the Grizzlies shot 41.3 percent from the field, including 9-of-22 (.409) from three-point range. Memphis drained 20-of-26 (.769) from the free throw line.

Memphis, which has two of its next three games on the road, is 10-11 in foreign buildings this season. The Grizzlies have won eight of their last 12 road tilts overall.

The Grizzlies play just once more this week, as they are scheduled to host the Atlanta Hawks. It will be the second and final meeting of the season between the clubs. On December 8th, Memphis knocked off the Hawks, 97-89, at Philips Arena.

Swift has scored in double-digits in six of his last seven games. He is averaging 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in his last 10 contests.