Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay missed Monday night's game against the Wizards because of a sprained left ankle.

Gay first suffered the injury on Dec. 16 in a loss to the Hawks. He left the Atlanta game but had played in four games since.

He reaggravated the injury Saturday in a loss at Dallas.

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley has helped rebuild his confidence by playing the piano this season.

"It helps ease the stress," Conley said. "You get home, play the piano and feel better. It's something to chill with."

After a rough start to the season, Conley has appeared much more settled over the last month.

Conley is averaging 12.7 points on 49-percent shooting and 4.6 assists in December and he's shot better than 50 percent in eight of his last 12 games.

The veteran presence of Jamaal Tinsley has helped as well.

"Sometimes you have guys around you that don't want to see you do good. They want to see you mess up," Tinsley said. "I told (Conley) from the beginning 'I'm here to help you.' If we win games, everybody gets paid. At the end of the day, you've got to win.

"He's the starting point guard, and he's playing enough minutes so he has to stay aggressive. If you're not aggressive, then you have guys playing off you. You have to keep teams honest."

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace is working on a buyout with swingman Mario Jaric.

Jaric is seeking his release so that he can play for Real Madrid in Spain.

The Grizzlies and Jaric mutually agreed that he would not join the team this season. He is under contract through 2010-11, but is willing to give back about $1.3 million for his release.

The Grizzlies decided not to sign guard Von Wafer on Tuesday after he took a physical.

Memphis believes that Wafer is suffering from injuries that won't allow him to play right away.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Grizzlies are also interested in a sudden trade proposal.

The Rockets, Wafer's former team, were expected to sign the guard.

Former NBA guard Marko Jaric has signed with Real Madrid for the remainder of the Spanish league season.

Jaric has not played for the Grizzlies this season.

He averaged 7.1 points and 3.6 assists in seven NBA seasons.

Free agent guard Von Wafer went through a series of physicals on Monday and is getting closer to signing with the Grizzlies.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes that Wafer could officially sign with the club as early as Tuesday.

Wafer recently agreed to a buyout with a Greek team, Olympiakos.

Danilo Gallinari's block in the final seconds allowed the Knicks to come out on top over the Bobcats on Sunday night.

- Toronto 98, New Orleans 92

Team FIC Differential: Raptors +18.3, Hornets -18.3

The Toronto Raptors (13-17) used a balanced effort to defeat the New Orleans Hornets (12-14) at the Air Canada Centre. Chris Bosh led with 25 points and 11 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani posted 13 points and 11 boards and Jarrett Jack added 15 points, seven assist and five rebounds. Toronto held New Orleans to 38% shooting and won the rebounding battle by two. David West had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Emeka Okafor tallied 16 points and 11 boards and Chris Paul contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Game FIC Scores

Jarrett Jack, Toronto ? 17.9

Chris Bosh, Toronto ? 16.0

David West, New Orleans ? 14.6

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 13.4

- Memphis 102, Denver 96

Team FIC Differential: Grizzlies +13.3, Nuggets -13.3

The Memphis Grizzlies (12-15) withstood a late charge by the Denver Nuggets (19-9) at FedEx Field. Zach Randolph exploded with 32 points and 24 rebounds, Marc Gasol tallied 14 points and 13 boards and Rudy Gay scored 19 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Memphis outrebounded Denver by 18, including 22 offensive rebounds. Carmelo Anthony had 41 points, six rebounds and five assists, Nene posted 19 points and seven boards and Chris Andersen put up six points and 14 rebounds.

Game FIC Scores

Zach Randolph, Memphis ? 36.1

Carmelo Anthony, Denver ? 17.9

Nene, Denver ? 16.6

Marc Gasol, Memphis ? 13.0

- Boston 122, Minnesota 104

Team FIC Differential: Celtics +38.5, Timberwolves -38.5

The Boston Celtics (21-5) jumped out an early lead and never looked back against the Minnesota Timberwolves (5-23) on Sunday evening. Paul Pierce had 29 points and seven rebounds, Kendrick Perkins posted 14 points and 11 boards and Rajon Rondo chipped in 13 points and 15 assists. Boston shot 51%, including 9-for-18 from three-point land. Jonny Flynn scored 21 points, Al Jefferson tallied 20 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin Love totaled 15 points, 11 boards and five assists in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Paul Pierce, Boston ? 21.9

Kevin Love, Minnesota ? 20.0

Damien Wilkins, Minnesota ? 19.4

Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 19.0

- L.A. Lakers 93, Detroit 81

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +27.3, Pistons -27.3

The Los Angeles Lakers (22-4) scored just 10 points in the fourth quarter, but held on to beat the Detroit Pistons (11-16) at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Kobe Bryant led with 28 points, Pau Gasol tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds and Ron Artest added 14 points, nine assists and five boards. Both teams shot 41% from the field, but Detroit turned the ball over 22 times. Rodney Stuckey scored 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting, Jones Jerebko posted 15 points and six rebounds and Ben Wallace grabbed 10 boards.

Game FIC Scores

Ron Artest, Los Angeles ? 20.2

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles ? 17.4

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 16.2

Kwame Brown, Detroit ? 10.4

- Portland 102, Miami 95

Team FIC Differential: Blazers +9.2, Heat -9.2

The Portland Trail Blazers (17-12) narrowly defeated the Miami Heat (13-12). Brandon Roy starred with 28 points and eight assists, LaMarcus Aldridge posted 23 points and eight rebounds and Joel Przybilla contributed eight points and 12 boards. Portland hit 51% of their shots, while Miami turned the ball over just seven times. Dwyane Wade had 28 points and 10 assists, Michael Beasley tallied 17 points and eight rebounds and Quentin Richardson scored 22 points on 7-for-7 shooting.

Game FIC Scores

Brandon Roy, Portland ? 25.1

Quentin Richardson, Miami ? 21.0

Michael Beasley, Miami ? 15.2

Martell Webster, Portland ? 13.0

- Dallas 102, Cleveland 95

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +16.4, Cavaliers -16.4

Even without Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks (20-8) were able to knock off the Cleveland Cavaliers (20-8). Tim Thomas led with 22 points and six rebounds, Shawn Marion tallied 12 points and eight boards and Jason Kidd put up 10 points and nine assists. Dallas went 19-for-20 from the foul line and committed just five turnovers. LeBron James had 23 points and six assists, Delonte West posted 18 points and seven rebounds and Anthony Parker scored 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 17.2

Delonte West, Cleveland ? 14.5

Tim Thomas, Dallas ? 14.4

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 13.9

- New York 98, Charlotte 94

Team FIC Differential: Knicks +13.3, Bobcats -13.3

The New York Knicks (10-17) made their free throws in the final seconds to ice a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats (10-16) at Madison Square Garden. Wilson Chandler led with 26 points and four rebounds, David Lee posted 13 points, 14 boards and six assists and Danilo Gallinari scored 23 points on 7-for-15 shooting. New York attempted 13 more foul shots than Charlotte, but the Bobcats won the rebounding battle by thirteen. Raymond Felton starred with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, Tyson Chandler tallied 13 points and 14 boards and Derrick Brown chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.

Game FIC Scores

Raymond Felton, Charlotte ? 22.0

David Lee, New York ? 17.1

Wilson Chandler, New York ? 15.8

Tyson Chandler, Charlotte ? 13.4

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.? Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph exploded for 32 points and 24 rebounds in a win over the Nuggets on Sunday night.

Memphis point guard Mike Conley said that he knew Randolph was good, but not as good as he's been lately.

"I knew he'd be good. I had no idea it would be like this," Conley said. "Shockingly, people here were down on him. But he's 100 percent different than what people thought."

Randolph downplayed his performance after the game.

"I tried to go with the flow," he said. "I was feeling good. I was being aggressive the entire game. I go into every game thinking like this. I just go out and play hard. That's all I do."

Randolph is averaging 19.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo is learning how to let the game come to him more in his second NBA season.

"I just want to win," said Mayo. "... As a competitor you want to do well. But I will take winning over me averaging 30 points any day. Our team has that mind-set. We just have to keep it that way."

He is averaging 17.6 points and shooting 47 percent, up from 43.8 percent a year ago.

"He's learning how to play with other players who have talent," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "He's learning to fit in and get his shots within the system. He knows that when he pushes the ball he can pull up and take a shot. There are plays for him to score but there are also plays for him to create. He's figuring out the balance and he's getting better all the time."

Grizzlies guard Jamaal Tinsley will face his former team, the Pacers, in Memphis on Friday night.

Tinsley says he has no animosity toward the Pacers, who asked him to stay away from the team after the 2007-08 season.

Indiana forced him to sit out last season while removing his name from all team-related materials and promotions.

"It didn't hurt my feelings at all," Tinsley said in a phone interview with the Indianapolis Star. "I gained a lot of stuff out of the situation. You realize and learn more stuff as you get older. I can't control how they feel about me. I have no bad feelings about them.

"I don't dislike them. It's a business. They wanted to move on, and I wanted to move on, too."

Tinsley signed a one-year contract with the Grizzlies in November.

"Just another game, a game we need to win," Tinsley said of Friday's matchup with the Pacers.

He is averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 assists in Memphis.