Memphis has healthy roster for playoff push in stretch run
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies' latest injury reports need a second glance, they appear a bit suspect.
Nobody is listed as hurt or nursing an injury. If someone is out, it's simply for rest.
No knee problems requiring forward Chandler Parsons to sit. No ankle issues for reserve forward Brandan Wright. No lingering problems from point guard Mike Conley's broken back earlier this season, and no more groin issues for defensive stalwart Tony Allen.
There's not even foot problems for All-Star center Marc Gasol.
Having no injuries to report is a relief for a team that has been hit hard the last two years. The Grizzlies are 34-24 and sixth in the Western Conference heading down the stretch.
''I think our chemistry is starting to come,'' forward Zach Randolph said. ''Guys are starting to fill into their roles and starting to play a lot better, especially on the defensive end.''
It was just a year ago on Feb. 20, 2016, that Gasol had season-ending surgery to repair his broken right foot, sending the Grizzlies spiraling into a historical season for injuries that finished with Memphis using an NBA-record 28 players . Memphis limped into its sixth consecutive playoff appearance and was mercifully swept out of the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.
Memphis' injury woes seemed to pick up where last season left off for the first three months of this season. Conley missed 11 games, nine with broken vertebrae in his lower back . Wright, hampered by knee issues after signing with Memphis in 2015, dealt with left ankle issues the first 49 games. Parsons, the Grizzlies' major free agent acquisition last offseason, missed 17 games with knee problems and still doesn't look completely healed.
That left Memphis with only nine players for a few games.
''It's nice to have more bullets, definitely,'' first-year coach David Fizdale said. ''It was fun winning with the Nasty Nine, but it didn't feel good going into every game with the Nasty Nine, I tell you that.''
Fizdale, hired away from Miami where he assistant head coach, has had players miss a combined 130 games forcing him to adjust lineups regularly while settling into his first head coaching role. As the Grizzlies prepare for the stretch run, Fizdale says he feels prepared for anything.
''I think that was the good part about everything that has happened to us this year,'' Fizdale said. ''It has prepared me for different things. Our team doesn't panic when guys go down or when we have to rest a guy. I think that part of it was good for me from a learning standpoint.''
Gasol has recovered so well that he made his third All-Star appearance Sunday. He is averaging 20.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, along with 4.3 assists. At Fizdale's urging, Gasol has added a new weapon to his post play and midrange jumpers. The 7-foot-1 Spaniard has converted 77 3-pointers this season - a stark improvement from the 12 combined over his previous eight seasons.
Conley also has improved, averaging 19.3 points and 6.2 assists shooting 41 percent from outside the arc. He says he doesn't notice the back bones he broke Nov. 28 against Charlotte at all.
''I (don't) think twice about going in the paint or anything,'' Conley said. ''I'm excited about that and looking forward to a healthy second half.''
With 24 games left, Memphis is only two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage to start the playoffs. The Grizzlies, who visit Indiana on Friday night, also have an eight-game lead ahead of Denver for the final playoff spot, putting them on course for a seventh consecutive postseason appearance. Only San Antonio and Atlanta have longer active streaks in the NBA.
If the Grizzlies' current run of good health continues.