**Spurs at Grizzlies**

--San Antonio (28-9 straight up, 15-21-1 against the spread) had lost two of its last three games before knocking off Memphis on Saturday, 80-79. The Spurs, listed as eight-point favorites, failed to cover the number for the fifth straight time. Tim Duncan scored the winning bucket with seven seconds left, converting a perfectly executed alley-oop on a pass from Manu Ginobli off an inbounds play. Ginobli finished with a team-high 20 points, while Duncan had 19 points and 13 rebounds.

--Gasol scored a game-high 26 points against the Spurs. His basket with 8.8 seconds left put the Grizzlies ahead and on the verge of an outright upset. They trailed by as many as 15 in the third quarter, but eight straight points from Mike Miller helped Memphis get back in the game. Bobby Jackson was also instrumental in the comeback, scoring 16 of his 19 points in the second half.

--Memphis (23-12 SU, 22-13 ATS) is 13-5 SU at home, 12-6 versus the number. The 'under' is 14-4 for the Grizzlies at home.

--Mike Fratello's club is in fifth place in the West, four games back of the Spurs. The Grizzlies lead the sixth-best team in the West (the Clippers) by three games.

--The Grizzlies own a 4-1 spread record in its last five head-to-head meetings against San Antonio. The 'under' is 4-1 during that stretch, 7-3 in the last 10 encounters.

--The 'over' is 9-6-1 for the Spurs on the road.

--The 'under' is 6-1 in San Antonio's last seven games.

--Most sports books are listing the Spurs as 1 1/2-point favorites with an extremely low total of 169.

--TNT will provide television coverage at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.


**Heat at Lakers**

--This will be the fourth time these teams have tangled since the infamous Kobe-Shaq break-up. Miami has won the first three meetings, but the Lakers have covered the spread twice as underdogs.

--Most spots have installed the Heat as 3 1/2-point favorites with a total of 202. The Lakers are plus 150 on the money line.

--Miami (23-15 SU, 19-19 ATS) has won four consecutive games, including Saturday's 100-94 win at Utah as a three-point 'chalk.' The Heat started this road trip with back-to-back losses by double digits, at New Orleans and at Phoenix. But they have responded and can conclude the seven-game trek with a 5-2 record with a win tonight at Staples Center.

--Los Angeles (20-17 SU, 20-17 ATS) is in third place in the Pacific Division, 4 1/2 games behind division-leading Phoenix. If the season ended today, the Lakers would be the seventh seed in the playoffs from the West. They are 1 1/2 games in front of Minnesota and Denver, one game back of the Clippers for the sixth slot.

--These teams met on Christmas Day with the Heat collecting a 97-92 win as 6 1/2-point favorites. Gary Payton led the way with 21 points, while Shaquille O'Neal had 18 points and 17 rebounds. Kobe Bryant scored 37 points in a losing effort, but he made only 12-of-30 (40%) shots from the field and missed all eight of his 3-point attempts.

--Pat Riley's team is 11-11 SU on the road, 13-9 ATS.

--The Lakers have struggled at home, especially for our purposes. They are 9-8 at Staples Center with a mediocre spread record of 6-11. On the bright side for L.A. backers, it is 12-9 ATS when playing on one day of rest between games.

--The 'over' is 12-10 for the Heat on the road, 11-6 for the Lakers at home.

--The 'over' is 7-3 in the last 10 head-to-head meetings between these teams. However, the 'under' has cashed in the last two encounters.

--Tip-off on TNT is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. Eastern.