The Associated Press is reporting that the Charlotte-Memphis game was delayed and almost 12,000 people had to be evacuated from FedEx Forum Sunday afternoon after authorities said a small fire broke out in an elevator shaft.

It was quickly extinguished and fire officials were venting smoke and preparing to let people re-enter the arena at about 3:20 p.m. -- nearly 20 minutes after the game against Charlotte was scheduled to begin, said Latina McNeil, spokeswoman for the Memphis Fire Department.

No one was reported injured, she said.

The alarm sounded about a minute before game time and fans were told to leave the building, which took about 10 minutes to clear.

Memphis forward Brian Cardinal dressed in uniform for a second straight game Friday night after spending several weeks on the inactive list to undergo a strengthening regime for his surgically repaired left knee.  Cardinal's goal, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal is reporting, is to break into the Grizzlies' rotation by the time the playoffs arrive.

"I was trying to get it better, trying to get it stronger," Cardinal said of his inactive period. "You ask anybody in the league that knows me, and they'll tell you that I'm a competitor and I go out there and do the best I can. It's been killing me being on the sideline and being hurt. But I'm the last person who wants to be over there."

"I know there's going to be soreness," Cardinal said. "It's never going to be 100 percent. I have an arthritic knee. I'm just trying to maintain the strength and deal with the pain, and trying to contribute the best I can."

A free-agent target could be Memphis center Lorenzen Wright, who is averaging five points and 4.9 rebounds in 56 games. He will be a free agent and is not expected to return to Memphis.

Memphis guard Eddie Jones received some good news Wednesday when he learned that he did not have a stress fracture on his left foot.

"All the tests showed that I don't have a stress fracture like I thought," Jones said Wednesday. "But the pain is still there. I'm just trying to feel better."

His availability will be re-evaluated daily.