Grizzlies' Randolph to return from knee injury Friday

The Memphis Grizzlies will welcome back a much-needed presence to their lineup for Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Power forward Zach Randolph is slated to return to the court for the first time since Dec. 19, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. The rebounding machine participated in Friday's shootaround after practicing with the team for the last few days. 

"Zach looks like Zach," Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger said. "Hopefully, his return is seamless."

A swollen right knee forced Randolph to miss nine consecutive games and the Grizzlies struggled without him in the lineup. Memphis has gone 4-5 since he last suited up in a loss to the Chicago Bulls, losing as many contests with Randolph sidelined as it had through the 26 games he played in. 

Randolph returns with averages of 16.1 points and a team-high 11.4 rebounds, good for the fourth-best mark in the NBA. 

Despite the small stumble, the 25-10 Grizzlies have weathered the storm without Randolph and remain in first place – just percentage points ahead of the Dallas Mavericks – in the Southwest, the toughest division in basketball.