Grizz Scorched In Phoenix – Grizzlies vs Suns Recap

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Elizabeth Smith

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This should’ve been a game Memphis easily won. Alas, nothing seems to be easy for these Grizzlies. The Phoenix Suns came into the game at 14-44 and losers of 13 in a row, having last won on January 24^th. The Grizzlies came in at 34-23 and winners of 13-17. Memphis started Matt Barnes, Brandan Wright, Zach Randolph, PJ Hairston, and Mike Conley while Phoenix started PJ Tucker, Alex Len, Tyson Chandler, Devin Booker, and Ronnie Price.

The game started slow, even by Grizz standards. In fact, at the end of the 1^st quarter, Phoenix was up 25-18. This stands in stark contrast to the Grizzlies last 2 games against the Lakers, in which they had 36 & 32 at the end of the 1st.

Brandan Wright was having a productive game, scoring 6 points on 3-3 shooting and pulling down 4 rebounds as well as 3 steals in just under 15 minutes before leaving the game after banging knees with Ronnie Price less than a minute into the 3^rd quarter. Unfortunately, Wright had to be helped off the court and back into the locker room. Also further complicating the situation is the fact that the knee he hurt is the same one that he had his recent surgery on. The same one that kept him out for 3 months. As of now, we have no idea of his status.

On a brighter note, Zach Randolph continued to climb up the rankings of NBA history.

After passing Joe Dumars earlier tonight, @MacBo50 now passes Jerry Stackhouse (16,409) for 95th in @NBAHistory for career points scored.

— Ross Wooden (@RossWooden) February 28, 2016

Randolph ended the night with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Game Notes:

*Points in the Paint – Grizzlies 38 (19-40); Suns 42 (21-40)

*2^nd Chance Points – Grizzlies 12 (3-6); Suns 26 (11-13)

*Fast Break Points – Grizzlies 12 (3-6); Suns 14 (6-12)

*Biggest Lead – Grizzlies 1; Suns 12

*Grizzlies in Double Digits – Matt Barnes bounced back from his 0-point performance on Friday night with 16 points and 6 boards. Zach Randolph had 16, Mike Conley had 19, Mario Chalmers had 15, and Lance Stephenson had 12.

*Suns in Double Digits – PJ Tucker had 17 points and 11 boards. Alex Len really killed the Grizz with 22 points, 16 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Devin Booker had 15, Ronnie Price had 12, Mirza Teletovic had 18, and Archie Goodwin had 12.

*The Grizzlies shot 30% (6-20) from beyond the arc while the Suns shot 37.5% (12-32).

*The Grizz shot 40% (32-80) from the field while the Suns shot 46.2% (37-80).

*The Grizzlies were smashed on the boards. Phoenix had 16 offensive boards to the Grizzlies 7. Phoenix really killed it on the defensive boards, hustling their way to 49 boards vs the Grizzlies 27.

*Free Throws – Grizz 85.7% (36-42); Suns 71.4% (25-35)

*Turnovers – Grizz 8; Suns 18

*Against the Lakers, the Grizzlies made shots. The defense though…was subpar. The fact that the Grizz made shots against the Lakers just masked the poor defense. Last night when the shots weren’t falling…especially from beyond the arc, then the poor defense really was obvious. This showed up loud and clear against Phoenix.

*The Suns definitely won the hustle game all night long. They looked like the hungrier team who just wanted the win more. The Grizzlies just didn’t look ready. Now you can blame it on the back-to-back, the integration of new players, on injuries, on missing key players, or any number of things but the fact is that the Grizzlies just must play every game like it is their last chance at a playoff spot. At some point, it might be…

To sum it all up…