Double-Header: Recap: Grizzlies Grind Down Knicks in the Garden/Preview: Grizzlies vs Mavericks
Final Score: Memphis- 91, New York- 85
Friday night, beneath the bright lights of “The World’s Most Famous Arena”, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the New York Knicks.
A few highlights from tonight's win in #NYC! #GNGhttps://t.co/6pNp0JZDhF
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 6, 2016
The Knicks were without their franchise player, Carmelo Anthony, but Jose Calderon and rookie Kristaps Porzingis held it down in his absence. In the end it wasn’t enough to secure a win, but Calderon and Porzingis were still definitely the best two players wearing Knicks uniforms last night.
By The Numbers:
Overall:
Points in the Paint: Grizzlies 38 (19/35), KNICKS 22 (11/24)
Biggest Lead: Grizzlies 12, KNICKS 3
2nd Chance Points: Grizzlies 5 (1/5), KNICKS 22 (10/14)
Lead Changes: 2
Fast Break Points: Grizzlies 9 (4/5), KNICKS 5 (1/1)
Times Tied: 3
Technical Fouls – Defensive Three Second
Grizzlies: NONE
KNICKS (1): 4:40 4th
Flagrant Fouls
Grizzlies (1): 11:04 4th Chalmers-FLG2
KNICKS: NONE
Ejections
Grizzlies (1): 11:04 4th Chalmers (1st Flagrant Type 2)
KNICKS: NONE
Grizzlies:
Zach Randolph- 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Marc Gasol- 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
Tony Allen- 7 points, 3 rebounds
Mike Conley- 8 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists
Courtney Lee- 3 points, 2 assists
Jeff Green- 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Matt Barnes- 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
Ryan Hollins- 8 points, 2 rebounds
Mario Chalmers- 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Vince Carter- 9 points, 4 rebounds
A Few Things:
Vince Carter still has game. Duh, of course he does. He’s given this Grizzlies team some great effort on both ends of the floor these last few games. Carter was 0-3 from beyond the arc last night, but 4-8 overall, and split a pair of free throws. He finished with 9 points last night, and with 13 points in each of the two previous games.
Regardless of whether or not Carter has been what we hoped he’d be when he was signed, seeing him in a Grizzlies uniform is a joyous sight to behold.
This is Jeff Green’s world right now, and we’re just living in it. Yes, I do so enjoy sticking it to the Jeff Green haters whenever possible, and lately it’s been possible a lot. I actually have a theory that most of the Jeff Green hate is really just projection from salty fans that miss Tayshaun Prince a lot. But I digress.
Jeff Green is the 1st player in #Grizzlies franchise history (incl. Vancouver) to lead team in scoring in 5 straight games and win them all.
— Ross Wooden (@RossWooden) February 6, 2016
Uncle Jeff has lead the Grizzlies in scoring for the 5th consecutive game, and in the previous four he was not just the team high but also the game high scorer as well. Coincidentally or not, Memphis has also won its last five games. In those five games, Green has averaged 24 points on nearly 60% FG shooting (59.38 % to be exact).
I caught a stat last night on the TV broadcast that listed Jeff Green as the first player in 21 years to be the game high scorer, from the bench, in four consecutive wins.
Team high scorer last five games of a five game winning streak
Is it an arbitrary statistic? Probably. But no one with working vision and any sense at all can say he’s not played well in this stretch, not with a straight face.
I’m not claiming that Jeff Green is the answer, but during a stretch where this Grizzlies team desperately needs all the help (and wins) they can get, he has stepped up in a big way. So maybe, just maybe, some folks can step off and give the man the credit he’s due. We still appreciate good basketball around these parts, don’t we?
Sasha Vujacic is a flopper. He’s a flopping flopper who flops. That’s the nicest way I can put it. He way oversold that contact during the tangle up with Mario Chalmers, which ultimately led to Chalmers’s ejection on a Flagrant Foul 2. I can see the argument for that being a Flagrant 1, at most. In every clip I have watched, it appears that Vujacic was the one that initiated the contact that got their arms tangled up, and Chalmers elbowed him accidentally in his (admittedly aggressive) attempt to disentangle himself.
In an attempt to be objective, I will say that if the situation were reversed and that was a call in the Grizzlies favor, I probably wouldn’t be sad it led to an ejection. But I’d happily live with a Flagrant 1 in that scenario, and I do think that’s what should have happened in this one.
It seems that Chalmers also disagrees with the ruling, which is no surprise.
Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Courtney Lee all had zero free throw attempts. Wait, what? How can that even be possible? I’m not going to say there was bad officiating, but maybe I am going to say there could have been better, more consistent officiating on both ends of the floor. It just does not seem possible that both Gasol AND Randolph could go an entire game without a trip to the free throw line, much less simultaneously.
Our bench continues to ball. There’s been much ado about the strange multitude of changes to the Grizzlies starting lineup this year, but it seems (knock on wood) like they’ve managed to find a groove that works as of late. It’s been no surprise to me that groove includes Zach Randolph’s return to the starting lineup, and it’s been pleasantly surprising to see it also includes impressive offensive contributions from Matt Barnes and Jeff Green coming off the bench.
Moving right along…
The Grizzlies are returning home to FedEx Forum tonight to take on division rivals, the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas will be looking to avoid a 4th consecutive loss, while this Memphis team will be looking to extend their winning streak to six games, their longest of the season.
The Grizzlies are playing the second night of their first back to back game sequence in 2016. Historically, the Grizzlies have played well on the second night of a back to back, but it’s obvious the amount of rest between games throughout the month of January benefited the team greatly.
The Mavericks are also playing for the second consecutive night, and are sure to be more than a little thirsty for a win after the whipping they took from the Spurs last night. Which means this Grizzlies team will have to come out with force and focus, and maintain a consistent effort throughout the night.
What: Grizzlies vs Mavericks
Where: The Grindhouse, 191 Beale Street, Memphis, TN 38103
When: Tip-off @ 7PM
TV & Radio Broadcast: FoxSports Southeast, 92.9 WMFS
Doesn't bluff, stays grinding.
Bluff City Born and Memphis Made
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