Defense wins game for Grizzlies

Share the joy

Notes from Grizzlies 93-71 win over the Wolves

1. JaMychal Green got his jam on against the Wolves. Green led the Grizzlies with 19 points and eight rebounds.

2. Fiddy for the city Zach Randolph showed the young fellas how it’s done. Zbo finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. He went 7-of-11 from the field and shot the first three pointer of the night for the Grizzlies after 16 unsuccessful tries.

3. Andrew Harrison is growing before everyone’s eyes. Harrison chipped in 13 points, seven assists (team-high) and four rebounds. He is slowly becoming a fan favorite.

4. The Timberwolves had two players in double figures. Zach Lavine led the Wolves with 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points.

5. James Ennis has a nice bounce back game. He racked up 11 points, seven rebounds and a team-high two steals.

 

Stats of the Game:

Field Goal Percentage: Grizzlies 38.2 percent (29-76), Wolves 39.1 percent (25-64).

Rebounds: Grizzlies 46 (13 OREB), Wolves 34 (5 OREB)

Points in the Paint: Grizzlies 36, Wolves 32

Fast Break Points: Grizzlies 11, Wolves 8

Three Point Field Goals: Grizzlies 11.1 percent (2/18), Wolves 31.8 percent (7/22)

Bench Points: Grizzlies 40, Wolves 14

Assists: Grizzlies 15, Wolves 16

Steals: Grizzlies 8 Wolves 5

 

Takeaways

The Grizzlies have won four games in a row. They have performed better since that little talk Coach Fizz had with them after the Bucks game. In the past four games, they have held teams to an average of 84.5 points. The last two games, they held the Mavs and Wolves to an average of 67.5 points. This team has moved up to 11th in the league in defense.

The offense is not where it needs to be and the defense is the reason they have won the last two games. This game was hard to watch at times and they were in the mud early. Somehow, they were able to score 93 points.

The bench has been remarkable once again and Zach Randolph is a big part of that. For the season, Zbo is averaging 14.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He is making his case for the NBA’s 6th man of the year.

 

What They Said!!!

GRIZZLIES HEAD COACH DAVID FIZDALE

 

On the Grizzlies defense the past couple of games:

“The guys are fully committing to the system. They have been healthy and understanding. Seeing our rotation and the guys aren’t really hesitating to make that next effort. They are really working hard at it and this team really wants to be considered one of the elite teams in the conference. I told them we have a lot of work to do to get into that category. We are really working at it.”

 

On the surprising development of Andrew Harrison:

“It’s not surprising for me. I think it’s just young guys, at some point they start to get it. I think playing in the D-League really helped him. Went through Summer League with me and had a really good training camp. He understood what I was going to ask of him, whether it was playing on the ball or off the ball, offensively and defensively.

He went from one minute guarding the point guard to the next minute, he was chasing Zach LaVine. He gives us a lot of luxury because of his size. The kid is 6’4 or 6’5 and he plays physical. He’s really starting to understand his role – keep it simple. All I need him to do is defend, keep us organized but at the same time stay aggressive about what he’s good at. He’s really buying into that.”

 

On JaMychal (Green) over the first few weeks:

“The kid is a big time defender. No matter how you slice it, this kid takes the challenge. Whether it’s Anthony Davis or (Harrison) Barnes the other night, and tonight he had Big Kat (Karl-Anthony Towns), he takes that challenge. He had the ability to switch stuff, change to different coverages; he helps our pace by running the floor. He really gives us a lot of versatility.

It’s not in any way disrupting Z-Bo’s (Zach Randolph) game. Z-Bo is still playing at an incredible level. If he’s not the leading vote getter for Sixth Man of the Year award, I don’t know who else is. Most guys are playing into their roles that I am expecting of them. Some nights, it’s different minutes than others but I just like the commitment to what we are trying to accomplish.”

 

GRIZZLIES CENTER MARC GASOL

On the defensive intensity of the game for Memphis:

“It was good. It was good. That’s what won the game for us. Obviously offensively, [our] main guys didn’t score a lot of points, didn’t have a good shooting night, but defensively I thought we were really consistent, very few breakdowns, not many turnovers. We were able to run back, something we’ve been hurt before on against that team. Overall, a good win.”

 

On contributions of the Grizzlies’ role players tonight:

“We moved the ball. We found the open guy and trusted them to make the next play. [Minnesota] did different things. They played the pick-and-roll, they doubled from the baseline, then they doubled from the top and then the shots that we had, good looks, they didn’t fall. But the guys did a great job. Our defense fueled us, gave us our confidence, allowed us to win the game in a pretty good way.”

 

On the four-game win streak and how the team is jelling:

“We’re going to get our rest, recover as fast as possible. We’re not really home. We’re home for a few hours and we head right back tomorrow [on the road]. Obviously, being on the west coast and Dallas, and from Dallas we got in real late last night. Today we get in our beds, and tomorrow we’re flying away again. So try to get rest as much as possible, recover, and get ready for Charlotte, who’s playing really good basketball.”

 

GRIZZLIES GUARD TONY ALLEN

On the team’s defensive efforts to limit Andrew Wiggins (37.0 points per game over his last 3 games):

“He averaged 37? Man, you know I’ve got to credit my big fella. He was talking to me when the pick and roll was coming. I’ve got to credit Mike [Conley], James [Ennis], those guys, helping, the switches, showing. Like I said, whenever we’re tied together on the defensive end, we’re a tough team to beat. A lot of teams try to get us in transition, because they don’t want to see our half court on defense. I think whenever we play hard, play together on that end, the sky’s the limit for us.”

 

On the team’s fourth straight win and settling into Coach Fizdale’s system:

“Just [taking it] one game at a time. Understanding who we’re playing, respecting each opponent, coming out and playing hard and holding our hats on the defensive end. Some nights are better than others for some guys, but ultimately we do it together and we hold our hats on the defensive end.”

 

On Charlotte, the Grizzlies’ next opponent:

“I know they’ve got Kemba Walker. He’s amazing, he’s electric man. We’ve got to have our antennas up on him. But they’ve got a lot of shooters and a lot of great players, and we’ve just to come out there and be ready.

 

Up Next

The Grizzlies travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Monday, November 21st.

Gametime: 6pm CST

Sharon Brown
Follow me
Latest posts by Sharon Brown (see all)

Share the joy