Grizz Collapse Late to Thunder

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Carmen Patton

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The Memphis Grizzlies played their fifth game of a six game road trip last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Grizz went to Chesapeake Energy Arena 1-1 in the series with the Thunder. They were 3-1 on their road trip and were looking to get another win after winning three games in a row. A win seemed within their grasp as late as the last three or four minutes and then the wheels on the bus stopped going round and round and came completely off. Here’s a quick recap of the Gritty (good) and the Grimy (bad) in the Grizz’s 114-102 loss to the Thunder.

The Gritty

The Grizzlies three time All Star, Marc Gasol, once again showed why he’s deserving of the All Star title. It appears he’s fully embraced his role as leader of this ship as he continues to consistently deliver offensively. Gasol ended the game playing 41 minutes and scoring 31 points (14 of 24 shooting). He also led the team in assists with 8, and had 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.

Mike Conley followed Gasol with 18 points (7 of 16 shooting) in 34 minutes of action. He had 3 steals, 2 assists and a rebound.

Zach Randolph led the Grizz bench once again with 16 points (6 of 14 shooting) in 29 minutes of action. He led the the team in rebounds with 10, and had 3 assists and 1 steal.

The Grizzlies shot at 48.2 percent making 40 of their 83 shots. They had assists on 21 of those 40 shots made. They turned the ball over less (12 compared to 20 by the Thunder) and had more steals (10 to 7) and more blocks (5 to 3). Grizz also led in points in the paint (56 to 48).

The Grimy

After holding Russell Westbrook to just 10 points in the first half, the Grizz allowed him to score almost twice as many points in the second half. Westbrook ended the game with his 25th triple double of the season with 38 points (8 of 20 shooting), 13 rebounds and 12 assists in 37 minutes of play.

Steven Adams (16), Joffrey Lauvergne (16), and Anthony Morrow (15) also scored in double digits for the Thunder.

Grizz couldn’t buy a rebound Friday night. They allowed the Thunder to get 48 rebounds (17 offensive) while only securing 29. This ultimately led to 25 second chance points by the Thunder.

The Grizz bench got outscored by the Thunder bench 45 to 30.

Three point shooting was abysmal. Grizz made only 3 of their 19 attempts. However, the Thunder was able to make 13 of their 26 shots.

Grizz led 82-80 going into the 4th quarter. They led the majority of the quarter until the game tied at the 2:35 mark. From there, Westbrook went on a 12-0 against the Grizz. Not the Thunder…just Westbrook.

What’s Next

The Grizzlies head to Minnesota for the last game of the six game road trip on tonight against the Timberwolves. They’re currently 2-1 in the series. In the loss, both Marc Gasol and Mike Conley rested.

The Timberwolves are also on the second night of a back to back. They lost to the Detroit Pistons in Detroit. Grizzlies look to come out of this game with a win tonight. Will they be able to pull it off and head home with a 4-2 road trip record? Tune in tonight at 7 p.m. to see.