news sports10: NBA schedule and results: Raptors host surging Pistons

There's four games on the NBA schedule on Monday night. We'll have full coverage in this stream.

The Memphis Grizzlies snapped out of an uninspiring stretch by topping the Phoenix Suns, 122-110, in double overtime on Sunday night. The win wasn't pretty, from the countless turnovers to the blown fourth-quarter lead, but it comes at an important time for a team in need of some good news.

Not too long ago, the Grizzlies were off to a blistering start and jockeying with the Golden State Warriors for the league's best record. Marc Gasol was starring on both ends of the floor, and the team set a franchise record by winning 21 of its first 25 games.

These days, Gasol still looks like one of the best players in the game, but the rest of the team has taken a step back. Even after beating Phoenix on Sunday, the Grizzlies are just 5-7 since Dec. 19, with two of those wins coming against the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers.

The overall numbers reveal a team that's suffering on both ends of the floor, and badly needs to figure things out soon.

Grizzlies	Record	O Rating	D Rating	Net Rating	True Shooting %
Before Dec. 17	21-4	106.6	100.2	+6.4	54.9 percent
Since Dec. 17	5-7	101.8	105.9	-4.1	52.3 percent

Some of these problems might be ironed out by the pending Jeff Green trade, but the team's issues with protecting the rim cause far more concern. Early in the season, nobody could score against Memphis' Gasol-led interior defense, but in recent weeks, few teams have been as porous near the rim.

During the Grizzlies' early 21-4 run, the team held opponents to 55 percent shooting on shots inside five feet. Only the Warriors (54.7 percent) were better, by the narrowest of margins. Since then? Memphis is allowing 62.5 percent shooting near the rim, good for 28th in the league.

That's a startling decline in a core area of dominance for the Grizzlies, and it continued Sunday night in Phoenix. The Suns' guard-oriented attack sliced its way to 19-of-27 shooting around the basket against Memphis, nearly pulling off the upset after being down 14 points in the fourth quarter.

The basket that forced overtime might've been controversial, but it also came due to some less than perfect defense allowing a chance at the rim:

Those sorts of things -- blowing big leads, poor rim protection -- make the victory somewhat bittersweet, but coupled with the incoming reinforcements via trade, it's possible this could be a turning point for the team. Green won't do much to address the issues around the basket, but his athleticism on the perimeter could take some pressure off Gasol, and he'll be a major upgrade on Tayshaun Prince offensively.

The 14-2 domination of the second overtime was also encouraging, particularly given that the Suns are a team built on depth. The Grizzlies needed to push their top guys Sunday given the short handed roster -- all five starters played 41-plus minutes -- but they all stepped up when needed.

Zach Randolph was huge, going off for 27 points and 17 rebounds before fouling out in the second OT. Mike Conley was similarly fantastic, recording 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The duo combined for 14 of the Grizzlies' 24 turnovers, but the offense was also running through those two most of the night. Gasol came alive after a weak start, scoring the first seven points of the second OT after making just two field goals in his first 37 minutes.

So this wasn't the perfect outing that the Grizzlies could've used, but it was an exciting one. Maybe that will be enough to light a fire under the team, and get Gasol back to his dominant defensive ways.

3 other things we learned

Stop doubting the Atlanta Hawks. As if we needed another reason to buy into Atlanta, the team delivered a 120-89 beatdown of the Washington Wizards on Sunday. The Hawks have now won 22 of their past 24 games, including wins over top teams like Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Portland, Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers. A 33-12 fourth quarter powered Atlanta on Sunday, with Kyle Korver's 19 points leading the way. Much of the Hawks' advantage came from behind the arc, where the team shot 16-of-31. Washington shot just 5-of-20 from three-point range.

Start buying into Hassan Whiteside . The Miami Heat don't exactly have a new Big Three, but big man Hassan Whiteside has emerged as a legitimate contributor. The 25-year-old journeyman went off for 23 points and 16 rebounds in the Heat's 104-90 victory over the Clippers, setting career highs just weeks after cracking into Erik Spoelstra's rotation for the first time. Whiteside has been a revelation in January, averaging 14.5 points, 10 rebounds and 3.3 blocks over four games, including three against Western Conference contenders. It might be time for him to get that starting nod next to Chris Bosh soon.

The Cavs are back to .500. If you thought a matchup against the struggling Sacramento Kings would fix what ailed the Cleveland Cavaliers, well, you were incorrect. Cleveland was completely overmatched in a 103-84 loss in Sacramento, dropping to 19-19 with its seventh loss in eight games. The duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay held court, combining for 49 points on 20-of-37 shooting. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, got double-doubles from Kevin Love and Timofey Mozgov, but shot 42 percent as a team. J.R. Smith continued his outrageous inconsistency since being traded from New York:

J.R. with the Cavaliers	Points	FG	3PT
vs. HOU, Jan. 7	0	0-of-5	0-of-4
vs. GS, Jan. 9	27	11-of-23	3-of-8
vs. SAC, Jan. 11	4	2-of-10	0-of-4

LeBron James, please get back soon.

Play of the night

DAME. SWEET BABY DAME.

There are guys who throw it down with crazy fervor, like Russell Westbrook, and guys who can fire off threes without conscience, like Stephen Curry. Then there's Damian Lillard, who somehow manages to fall into both camps. Sometimes I just can't handle all these point guards, you guys.