Let the Good Times Roll: Grizzlies vs. Pelicans Recap

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Carmen Patton

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It’s Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, and the Memphis Grizzlies headed down for the third of four match-ups against their Southwest Division rival the New Orleans Pelicans. The Grizzlies won the first two games.

Both teams were looking to get a win. The Pelicans, who had a rough start to the season, are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. So, a win for them would make the road to the 8th spot a little shorter. A win for the Grizzlies would help them stay securely in the 5th spot in the Western Conference, while shortening their gap to the 4th spot.

It was a game of runs that saw the teams pull away from each other just to get close and trade leads again and again. But in the end, the Grizzlies went on one last run (24-6) that the Pelicans simply couldn’t answer allowing the Grizzlies to come away with their 29th victory of the season with a final score of 110-95.

Head to Head Difference Makers

Field Goal Percentage:

The Grizzlies connected on 61% of their shots. Yes, you read that correctly, SIXTY ONE PERCENT. They took 17 fewer shots than the Pelicans, but made 7 more. Grizzlies were 43/71, while Pelicans were 36/88 (41%).

Points in the Paint:

The Grizzlies won the battle in the paint with 50 points scored to the Pelicans 32.

Three Point Shooting:

The Pelicans took 10 more three point shots than the Grizzlies. However, they only connected on one more. The Grizzlies were 9/16 from three point range (56%), while the Pelicans were 10/26 from three point range (39%).

Free Throws:

The Grizzlies connected on 83% of their free throws (15/18), and the Pelicans connected on just 62% of theirs (13/21).

Bench Points:

The Grizzlies bench outscored the Pelicans bench by 22 points, 48 to 26.

Grizzlies Leaders

Shooting Percentage: Vince Carter made 5 of his 6 shot attempts (3/4 from three point range). In 19 minutes of play, he had 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Leading Bench Scorer: Jeff Green, once again, led the bench in scoring. He, like Carter, connected on 3 of his 4 three point shots. He played close to 34 minutes and contributed 24 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal connecting on 8 of his 13 shot attempts.

Leading Starting Scorer: Zach Randolph, playing just under 33 minutes, led all starters with 22 points on 10/15 shooting with 12 rebounds and 1 assist.

Other Notables: Mike Conley had a double double with 17 points and 10 assists. Marc Gasol and Courtney Lee both had 2 blocked shots. Gasol also contributed 7 assists, and Chalmers had 4. Chalmers led the Grizzlies in steals with 2.

The Memphis Grizzlies have won 8 of their last 10 games. They remain in the 5th spot of the Western Conference. They’re 2 games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, and 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers. The Grizzlies are also now in the 7th spot in the league.

Yes, after a rocky start to the season, before All Star Break, the Grizzlies are the 7th team of 30 in the league. They’re slowly but surely finding their way. The Grizzlies don’t play again until Friday in New York against the Knicks. Let’s look to get that 30th win then. Go Grizzlies!

**Statistics from nba.com**