Memphis is sending Xavier Henry to New Orleans, along with two second-round picks to Philly, in exchange for big man Marreese Speights. Reports ESPN: “The Grizzlies were in search of added depth in the frontcourt even before star forward Zach Randolph suffered a bruised knee when teammate O.J. Mayo fell onto him in Sunday’s 40-point loss in Chicago. That’s because Memphis lost versatile forward Darrell Arthur, its most valued reserve, to a season-ending Achilles injury last month. Although Randolph’s injury was diagnosed only as a bone bruise, Memphis wants to move quickly in the wake of its 2-3 start. The Grizzlies have never faced higher expectations after upsetting top-seeded San Antonio in the first round of last season’s playoffs before losing to Oklahoma City in the second round in seven games. Randolph averaged 20.1 points and 12.2 rebounds last season and was averaging 19 points and nine rebounds before he was injured. Speights is in his fourth season with the 76ers, who selected him with the 16th overall pick in the 2007 draft but has never averaged more than 16.4 minutes per game in the NBA. Henry played in 38 games as a rookie last season in Memphis and has missed the start of this season with torn ligaments in his right ankle.”

Rudy Gay scored 23 points, Sam Young added 20 and the Memphis
Grizzlies beat the Sacramento Kings 113-96 on Tuesday night.

O.J. Mayo had 16 points, and Mike Conley _ returning from an
ankle injury _ and Marc Gasol scored 14 points each. Tony Allen
added 10 points. Gasol also had 15 rebounds as Memphis outrebounded
Sacramento 49-41. Tony Allen had 10 points.

With Memphis holding a double-digit lead for a bulk of the
second half, the Kings’ reserves got extended minutes.

Jimmer Fredette scored 17 points and fellow rookie Isaiah Thomas
had 15 to lead Sacramento as the Kings’ reserves got extended
minutes with Memphis leading by double digits for a bulk of the
second half.

J.J. Hickson was the only Sacramento starter to reach double
figures, scoring 12 points. Travis Outlaw added 11.

Memphis finished 55 percent from the field, led by Gasol at 7
for 10 and Gay at 10 for 16. The Kings shot 41 percent.

DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench, as expected, after missing
Sunday’s game against New Orleans when coach Paul Westphal told him
to stay away from the team. Cousins finished with four points on
1-for-5 shooting in 22 minutes.

The Kings were down 17 points early and rallied to tie the score
at 50-all in the final minute. However, Gay’s tip at the buzzer
gave the Grizzlies a two-point lead at the break.

Gay scored 15 points in the first half, and no Kings player was
in double digits. Both teams committed eight turnovers, but the
Kings shot 12 for 18 in the second quarter to get back into the
game.

Memphis then had a 9-0 run in the early minutes of the third
quarter and the Kings never threatened the rest of the way.

The Grizzlies got their offense back on track, scoring off
turnovers and getting out on the break. They also started
controlling the boards as they extended the lead to 23 late in the
third quarter.

Memphis outscored Sacramento 35-18 in the period and led 87-68
going into the fourth.

NOTES: Before the game, Westphal said of the Cousins situation,
“I wouldn’t say it’s resolved. We will see how it plays out. I
think DeMarcus has to continue to show maturity and a desire to go
the same direction as his teammates. We’re all hoping that
happens.” . Conley returned after missing two games with a sprained
left ankle he injured in the second game of the season. .The Kings
were playing the opener of their only stretch of three games in
three days during the compressed season. It was also the third of
five games in six nights. .During the game, it was announced that
Gene Bartow, who served as president of Hoops LLC, the parent
company of FedExForum and the Grizzlies, and a Hall of Fame college
coach, passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Rudy Gay scored 23 points, Sam Young added 20 and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Sacramento Kings 113-96 tonight at FedExForum.

O.J. Mayo had 16 points, and Mike Conley — returning from an ankle injury — and Marc Gasol scored 14 points each. Tony Allen added 10 points. Gasol also had 15 rebounds as Memphis outrebounded Sacramento 49-41. Tony Allen had 10 points.

With Memphis holding a double-digit lead for a bulk of the second half, the Kings’ reserves got extended minutes.

Jimmer Fredette scored 17 points and fellow rookie Isaiah Thomas had 15 to lead Sacramento as the Kings’ reserves got extended minutes with Memphis leading by double digits for a bulk of the second half.

J.J. Hickson was the only Sacramento starter to reach double figures, scoring 12 points. Travis Outlaw added 11.

Memphis finished 55 percent from the field, led by Gasol at 7 for 10 and Gay at 10 for 16. The Kings shot 41 percent.

DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench, as expected, after missing Sunday’s game against New Orleans when coach Paul Westphal told him to stay away from the team. Cousins finished with four points on 1-for-5 shooting in 22 minutes.

The Kings were down 17 points early and rallied to tie the score at 50-all in the final minute. However, Gay’s tip at the buzzer gave the Grizzlies a two-point lead at the break.

Gay scored 15 points in the first half, and no Kings player was in double digits. Both teams committed eight turnovers, but the Kings shot 12 for 18 in the second quarter to get back into the game.

Memphis then had a 9-0 run in the early minutes of the third quarter and the Kings never threatened the rest of the way.

The Grizzlies got their offense back on track, scoring off turnovers and getting out on the break. They also started controlling the boards as they extended the lead to 23 late in the third quarter.

Memphis outscored Sacramento 35-18 in the period and led 87-68 going into the fourth.

NOTES: Before the game, Westphal said of the Cousins situation, “I wouldn’t say it’s resolved. We will see how it plays out. I think DeMarcus has to continue to show maturity and a desire to go the same direction as his teammates. We’re all hoping that happens.” . Conley returned after missing two games with a sprained left ankle he injured in the second game of the season. .The Kings were playing the opener of their only stretch of three games in three days during the compressed season. It was also the third of five games in six nights. .During the game, it was announced that Gene Bartow, who served as president of Hoops LLC, the parent company of FedExForum and the Grizzlies, and a Hall of Fame college coach, passed away after a long battle with cancer.

After beginning the season on the road, the Chicago Bulls returned home and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 104-64 on Sunday, Jan. 1.

It was a good way to kick off the New Year after a four-game California road trip.

The Bulls got on the board after two shots from the line by Luol Deng. The game remained tight for a few minutes but the Bulls took a lead and finished the first quarter with a 25-12 advantage.

In the second quarter, Carlos Boozer stepped up. In a 13-3 run around the six-minute mark, Boozer contributed 11 of the points and helped the Bulls take a 48-27 lead.

The Bulls entered halftime with a 54-28 advantage.

After the break, Derrick Rose showed up and got the quarter started with a jumper. Success at the line helped the Bulls extend their lead and with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, they were ahead by 40 points.

The Bench Mob successfully took over and the Bulls ended the third quarter leading 84-44.

In the final quarter, the starters continued resting and John Lucas got hot with three-pointers. Rookie Jimmy Butler got some playing time and an all-team effort led the Bulls to their first home game win of the season.

This is a team that’s on a mission to win. The Bulls dominated Sunday’s game: they outrebound 55-40, outshot 46 percent to 31 percent and outscored on the break, 33-13.

With their 4-1 record, the Bulls are seeing their best start since the 1996-97 season, as they won their first 12 games.

Scoring…Boozer led the team with 17 points in scoring and 11 rebounds. Ronnie Brewer also had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

After initially struggling (missing his first shots, then going 4 for 10), Rose added 16 points for the night.

Rip Hamilton did not play on Sunday due to a groin injury and in the fourth quarter against Memphis, C.J. Watson exited the game with an elbow injury. Both players have been listed as day to day.

Next up? The Bulls will host Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

As a lifelong Bulls fan and Chicago resident, the Derrick Rose era has been a good one.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Scott Schroeder

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Jan 1, 2012 – Zach Randolph has been great for the Memphis Grizzlies the past several seasons, but the veteran power forward suffered what looked to be a knee injury during their game against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. The team announced that it was only a knee contusion, but an MRI is likely in store.

Randolph was attempting to rebound a blocked shot from teammate O.J. Mayo, but the team’s guard had too much momentum and fell into the right knee of Rondo. The veteran power forward was tended to on the baseline by the Grizzlies training staff before eventually being taken to the locker room.

Randolph is averaging 19 points and nine rebounds through the first the first three games of the Grizzlies season and had scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in the first quarter of Sunday night’s contest. If he misses any considerable time, the Grizzlies will be very light at power forward as they lost Darrell Arthur to injury during the preseason.

For more on the Grizzlies, be sure to visit Straight Outta Vancouver.

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