Memphis @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 15, 2017 ) Memphis 98, Chicago 91

The Chicago Bulls dropped six of their last seven games and are one of several teams in a race to the bottom in the Eastern Conference, but they are no match for the Memphis Grizzlies when it comes to losing. The Grizzlies will be trying to snap a 14-game skid when they visit the Bulls on Wednesday.

Memphis is getting more competitive recently and suffered the last four losses by single digits, including a 100-98 setback at the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. "We go out there and play hard, and to not be able to close out games like this is definitely challenging for us," forward Jarell Martin told the team's website. "But we've got to keep our focus, go into practice and keep getting better and better. I feel it (the pressure of the losing streak), and I definitely want to break it. No one should like losing, so I definitely feel that we all should come out with that eager mindset and try to get us a victory." The Bulls had a chance for rare back-to-back wins on Monday but instead fell 105-89 at home to the Boston Celtics. "Things got tough and we just shut down and we quit playing," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters. "Our offense was brutal, absolutely brutal. We got stagnant, we quit moving, and again, when things got tough and they got into us, we just kind of gave in and said, 'OK, this is too hard for us tonight.' As opposed to getting tough and getting them off you and making plays and getting into the paint. Very disappointing."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), NBCS Chicago

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (18-45): Memphis owns the worst record in the NBA and is spending the rest of the season on player development, a plan to which even the veterans seem to be buying in. "Right now, winning cannot be the only goal -- it's got to be a consequence," center Marc Gasol told reporters. "It's about how can we find enough things that happen as a consequence that also results in a win? The losing streak cannot be an excuse for you not to do your job. Worrying about that will only bring more frustrations. You want to do all the right things and may the chips fall where they may. That's where we're at." Gasol scored a team-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds in Monday's setback.

ABOUT THE BULLS (21-42): Chicago was down 86-53 at the end of the third quarter and never challenged Boston while shooting 39.5 percent from the floor. "Terrible all around," Bulls guard Zach LaVine told reporters. "There's no excuse for what we did out there. It's on all of us. It starts with me and goes down the line; this was terrible. We've got to be better, we have to be able to fight. We'll pick it up next game, have a hard practice tomorrow and this won't happen again." LaVine went 1-of-11 from the floor in the loss and is shooting 38.9 percent in 19 games since returning from knee surgery.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Grizzlies SG Xavier Rathan-Mayes made his NBA debut on Monday after being signed to a 10-day contract and scored eight points in 26 minutes off the bench.

2. Bulls SF Denzel Valentine matched a season-high with 20 points on Monday.

3. The road team took each of the two meetings last season, with Memphis earning a 98-91 victory at Chicago on March 15.

PREDICTION: Bulls 106, Grizzlies 103