G Tony Allen injured his knee in warmups and was replaced in the starting lineup by G Courtney Lee, who scored nine points.

Allen came off the bench in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Rockets, while Jeff Green served as the starter at small forward.

Allen finished with five points (2-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt) and two rebounds in his 11 minutes. The veteran guard has previously chafed at the notion of coming off the bench, but with coach Dave Joerger perhaps intent on adding a jolt of offense to his starting unit this season, Green may be afforded the greater minutes load of the two players. Rather than a clear first/second unit distinction between the two players, Joerger may ultimately swap Allen and Green in and out of the starting lineup. Allen still brings all-world perimeter defense to the table, so it could be advantageous for Joerger to run him with the starters when opponents roll out small-ball lineups.

Allen averaged 8.6 points (49.5 FG, 34.5 3Pt, 62.7 FT), 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.5 blocks in 26 minutes per game during 63 regular season contests in 2014-15.

This is the third time Allen has earned first team all-defensive honors in his career. He has established himself as one of the league's top perimeter defenders, producing essentially the same stats off the bench as a starter. However, having gone 10-29 from beyond the arc in the regular season his three-point percentage is definitely deceiving. In the postseason Allen averaged 6.6 points (49.1 FG, 14.3 3Pt, 75.0 FT), 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in 28 minutes per game. The 33-year-old stopper is under contract with the Grizzlies through the 2016-17 season.

Allen (Hamstring) will not return to the second half of Friday's Game 6 against the Warriors, according to the ESPN telecast.

Allen scored just two points in five minutes in the first half, and it is clear the hamstring injury is still an issue. Jeff Green started the second half and will likely see big minutes at the small forward position as Memphis fights for their playoff lives.

Allen will play and start in Friday's Game 6, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

While it has been made clear that Allen is not 100 percent healthy, he will be put into the starting lineup for Game 6 after sitting out the blowout loss in Game 5 on Wednesday. This moves Jeff Green back to a bench role, and even though he is starting, it is possible Allen's minutes are still somewhat limited given that he is not fully healthy.

Allen (hamstring) told reporters Friday morning that he will play in Game 6, despite being only "60 percent" healthy, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

While it sounds as though Allen won't be close to full health, he'll return to action after sitting out Wednesday's Game 5 blowout loss. With the Grizzlies facing elimination, Allen said he expects to start, though it's unclear if coach Joerger will stick with Jeff Green, who was inserted into the Game 5 startling lineup in hopes of jumpstarting the offense.

Allen (hamstring) is officially listed as questionable for Game 6 on Friday, Michael Wallace of ESPN reports.

Even though Allen said on Thursday that he plans to play in a crucial Game 6, he is still listed as questionable heading into the must-win matchup with the Warriors. Seeing as though Allen sat out the 20-point loss in Game 5, it would take a lot of discomfort to keep him out of Game 6, especially with the Grizzlies facing elimination.

Allen (hamstring) plans to play during Game 6 on Friday despite dealing with a hamstring injury, Yahoo's Marc J. Spears reports.

Allen had to sit out Wednesday's matchup against the Warriors, leading to a brutal 20-point loss, so it's great news for Memphis. He knows the Grizzlies need him in order to slow down the Warriors' superior offense, so it's not a surprise he plans to return, especially with their playoff lives on the line. Jeff Green was in the starting lineup Wednesday and it's still questionable whether or not Allen will jump back into the starting lineup. The Grizzlies were considering putting Green with the starters even before Allen went down with the injury in order to generate some much needed offense, so we'll have to wait and see who coach Dave Joerger plans to use come Friday.

Allen (hamstring) has officially been ruled out for Wednesday's matchup with the Warriors, Grizzlies' sideline reporter Rob Fischer reports.

Allen did everything he could to convince the coaching staff he could play, but he'll sit this one out in an attempt to get as healthy as possible for game six on Friday. Consider him day-to-day moving forward. With Allen set to be inactive, expect Jeff Green to be in the starting lineup.

Allen (hamstring) is in danger of missing Wednesday's Game 5 against Golden State, Marc Stein of ESPN reports.

Allen has been considered questionable with a hamstring issue, and coach Dave Joerger hinted earlier Wednesday afternoon that Allen is "more hurt than people realize." Stein is reporting that barring a serious turnaround, Allen will likely be held out, leaving Memphis without its best perimeter defender.

Allen (hamstring) is considered a game-time call for Wednesday's Game 5 against the Warriors, Michael Wallace of ESPN reports.

Allen is battling a hamstring injury, which was likely part of the reason he played only 16 minutes in Game 4 on Monday. Given his reputation as one of the NBA's toughest players, it's difficult to imagine him sitting out, but coach Dave Joerger indicated that the injury is fairly serious. "I think he's been more hurt than people realize," Joerger said. Allen is the Grizzlies' best perimeter defender and played a major role in Memphis taking Games 2 and 3, so if he's ultimately held out it would be a major blow with the series knotted a two games apiece.

Allen (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's Game 5, Peter Fleischer of FOX13 Memphis reports.

This might explain Allen's lack of playing time in Game 4, where he only logged 16 minutes despite starting and playing 33-plus minutes in the first three games. But it also might be the fact that Allen has been a bit of a liability on offense for majority of this series. Through the first four games of the series, Allen has averaged 9.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 3.0 steals, and the Warriors essentially dared Allen shoot in Game 4. Allen will be a game-time decision come Wednesday, and while he still has value as a defensive stopper, it shouldn't be expected that he makes any significant offensive contributions.

Allen recorded nine points (4-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, two assists, four steals and one block in 38 minutes during the Grizzlies' 97-90 win versus the Warriors on Tuesday.

The 38 minutes were a team-high, and his defense on Klay Thompson was a pivotal part of the Grizzlies' Game 2 win on the road. With the series shifting back to Memphis tied 1-1 expect Allen to continue seeing plenty of playing time so long as he's able to avoid foul trouble.

Allen is starting Wednesday's contest against the Blazers, The Oregonian reports.

Allen entered the postseason with a hamstring issue, but it didn't stop him from putting up four points (2-3 FG, 0-1 FT), three rebounds, three steals, two assists, and one block in 25 minutes in Game 1. With a potential for expanded run, he'll also push Jeff Green to the pine.

Allen (hamstring) will play in Game 2 on Wednesday, Clay Bailey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.

Allen admitted that his hamstring was still bothering him after Game 1, but he said that once he loosened up and got into the flow of the game it was fine. As expected, he'll be available for Game 2 and will likely continue to come off the bench while Courtney Lee starts alongside Mike Conley in the backcourt. In Game 1, Allen finished with four points, three rebounds, two boards and three steals in 25 minutes.

Allen admitted that his hamstring is still bothering him, but he said he felt fine in Game 1, Peter Fleischer of Fox 13 in Memphis reports.

Allen returned to action in Game 1 after missing the final nine games of the regular season. He said he was rusty, but the hamstring loosened up as the game went on. At this point, Allen's status doesn't look to be in jeopardy, though with the hamstring at less than 100 percent it's possible he could re-tweak it.

Allen (hamstring) stuffed the stat sheet in a Game 1 win against the Blazers on Sunday. He posted four points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block in 25 minutes of action.

In spite of his lack of scoring, Allen was still able to contribute heavily for the Grizzlies on the defensive end. This is something that we'll see as the Playoffs goes on, as Allen is a crafty veteran defender, and his strong production will be heavily dependent on his performance on the defensive end.

Allen (hamstring) will play in Sunday's Game 1 against Portland, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports.

Allen missed the final nine games of the regular season but he'll make his long-awaited return Sunday to kickoff the playoff campaign for the Grizzlies. Although, Allen may be used less than his normal 26.2 minutes per game as to not further injure his strained hamstring.

Allen (hamstring) is now listed as a game-time decision for Sunday's playoff opener against Portland after getting the green light earlier in the day, The Oregonian reports.

Allen was originally scheduled to play Sunday but now the Grizzlies are a bit hesitant to push Allen onto the court after missing the final nine games of the regular season. If he's unable to play, expect Vince Carter to see added time on the court yet again.

Allen (hamstring) will play in Sunday's Game 1 against Portland, Rob Fischer of Sports 56 WHBQ-87.7FM reports.

Allen missed the final nine games of the regular season and there's concern that he'll be rusty when he takes the court Sunday. As a result, his workload may fall short of the 26.2 minutes that he averaged over the course of the season since he needs to be eased back into action after such a prolonged absence.