Bears Roll In Motor City : Grizz at Pistons Recap

Posted on by
Share the joy
     

On Wednesday night the Memphis Grizzlies took on the Detroit Pistons in The Palace of Auburn Hills.  After suffering their worst home loss in Grizzlies history (since moving to Memphis) on Tuesday night to the OKC Thunder in a 88-125 blowout, the Grizz were out to get back on the winning track.  Detroit also lost on Monday night in a 84-104 thumping by the Hornets.

Observations:

*The Grizzlies are now 5th in the West at 13-10 with this 93-92 victory.

*Courtney Lee had a good night with 14 points on 6-9 shooting.

*The Brothers From Another Mother, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, had a productive night.  Gasol ended the night with 19 points on 50% shooting, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.  Randolph had 21 points on 10-18 shooting and 16 rebounds.

*Mike Conley bounced back from his scoreless performance in the OKC game with 11 points and 8 assists.  Conley is still struggling though.  His 11 points came on 4-13 shooting, 1-6 from beyond the arc.  Some of the wide-open 3’s he normally hits just aren’t falling.  I’m not sure what the problem is, but the Grizz need Conley to get back to his old self.

*Turnovers were a huge problem for the Grizz.  Grizzlies had 17 turnovers (the biggest culprit being Gasol with 5) while the Pistons had 12.

*What is it with Memphis and missed free throws?  As a team the Grizz went 7-13 from the charity stripe.  Randolph missed 3 of his 4 free throws in the crucial 4th quarter while Gasol and Conley each missed 1 of their free throws in the last 3 minutes.

*The Marc Gasol/Andre Drummond matchup was a good one.  Drummond ended the night with 18 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 6 turnovers.

*MATT BARNES. Yes, the Matt Barnes that once kicked over a trashcan in the Grindhouse, cursed James Harden’s mama, and has never minded saying exactly what he thinks, was a game-changer for the Grizzlies.  Barnes ended the night with only 8 points, but he had 11 rebounds and 3 assists.  Barnes came into the game and impacted it in too many ways to list.  Did I mention his 43-foot 3 point game winning shot at 1.1 left in the game?

Matt Barnes plays hard.  There is no quit in his game.  Thank goodness he’s playing for us and not against us.

received_10154348302023102

In his postgame interview, a new catchphrase was born.

GrizzNation is now patiently waiting on this on a tshirt with this motto.

Matt Barnes (photo courtesy of Randy Hensley)

Matt Barnes (photo courtesy of Randy Hensley)

Barnes shot was ill-advised. It wasn’t supposed to happen.  Coach was attempting to call time out.  But it went in.  The collective ‘NOOOOOOOO’ turned into ‘YESSSSSSSSSSSS”.  Sure it wasn’t the plan.  But give Barnes credit.  He did what he did and it worked out.  It likely won’t ever work out that way again, but give the man credit he’s due for having the cahones to do it.

 

*Then there’s this…

Good to know this one was in our favor.

*Until Matt Barnes hit that 43-foot 3 to win the game, the Grizzlies had not led in the 2nd half.

*Rebounds were big in this game.  The Grizz had 53 (16 offensive, 37 defensive) while the Pistons had 43 (13 offensive, 30 defensive).

*Marc Gasol recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds.  Zach Randolph recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 21 points and 16 rebounds.

*The Grizzlies are now at 29-15 on the second night of a back-to-back under Coach Joerger since the 2013-14 season – currently ranked 3rd in the NBA.

 

Next Up:  Grizzlies VS Hornets at 7pm CST at FedExForum.  It’s Star Wars night in the Grindhouse.  Get there early to get the Tony Allen Jedi Robe available to the first 3000 people!

Elizabeth Smith
Latest posts by Elizabeth Smith (see all)

Share the joy
     

Related posts:

Grizzlies Dethrone Kings Default ThumbnailRockets Give Grizzlies A Problem: A Tale of Too Many Turnovers All Heart Grizzlies Season Preview