Grizzlies Gobble Up Nuggets for 91-84 Win
We won a game on defense ya’ll. We won a game on defense and three-point shooting.
The Grizzlies didn’t win tonight’s game by shooting well from the field, they shot 36.6% to be exact. They didn’t win on the boards, they didn’t win on the free throw line. Instead they won with good ‘ole fashioned, grit ‘n grindin’ defense. The Grizzlies forced 18 Denver turnovers and had 10 steals. Oh, and there was the whole nailing 8 three-pointers thing. They shot 44.3% from the three-point line. The Grizzlies shot better from beyond the arc than they did from the field tonight. I’ll let you chew on that for a minute.
The Grizzlies headed into tonight’s game severely short handed. Both Mike Conley and Courtney Lee were out. Conley with an Achilles injury and Lee due to his hip. It was up to Mario Chalmers to carry the point position. He had a solid showing against the Thunder and tonight would be no different. Chalmers played with fire. He played with intent. The man was ready to take on Josef Nurkic. He reminded us all again that he is a Champion and without question a solid addition to our roster.
The first quarter kept the Grizzlies neck and neck with the Nuggets. The Grizzlies kept themselves in the game by hitting 4 three-pointers, 2 apiece for Matt Barnes and Jeff Green. Denver’s Gallanari dominated the first quarter, scoring 14 points. Denver had their way with the boards and out-rebounded the Grizzlies 17 to 5. It was just not looking good, again.
The second quarter would be chapter in the Book of Grit ‘N Grind written by the Grindfather himself, Tony Allen. Tony Allen did Tony Allen things. He injected defense and energy into the team, he created stops and shots, he got two nasty dunks that brought the Forum to their feet and the Nuggets to their knees. He would not be stopped in the second quarter. On his performance post game Tony Allen stated “Grit and grind forever honestly. But it’s just that we don’t play consistently with that grit and grind focus.” He showed us grit and grind focus. He reminded us what that focus looks like when it’s played consistently throughout the game.
ICYMI: movin' in slow motion for you. #grindfather https://t.co/KhGPAalMOF
— All Heart (@AllHeartInHoopC) January 9, 2016
And the #Grindfather keeps on grindin' https://t.co/rguFTL0ha8
— All Heart (@AllHeartInHoopC) January 9, 2016
Denver shot 14.3% in the second quarter and scored 7 points. Yes, you read that right, 7 points. The Grizzlies locked down and made their way to the boards. The game was won in this quarter as the remainder of the game would be a battle back and forth. The third quarter woes that follow the Grizzlies would remain. Beyond hitting 2/4 from three in that quarter the Grizzlies struggled to score. Their 12 point halftime lead was nearly erased. It was not until the end of the fourth that the Grizzlies would find their defensive heart again and take control of the game. That jolt came from the near tussle between Nurkic and Chalmers that I referenced earlier. Chalmers made both of his three pointers in the last 1:44 of the game. In the end the game felt like the Grizzlies of old and I enjoyed it more than words can say.
All eyes were still on Grizzlies’ big man Marc Gasol. Gasol has been struggling and tonight, with his fellow cornerstone player Conley out, he needed to step up. While Gasol did not have a true “Wendigo” performance he did show spurts of the aggressiveness this fan base has come to know and love. In one of the big plays from Tony Allen it was a solidly beautiful pass from Gasol that set him up for that second dunk. Gasol made his presence known defensively, nabbing 5 steals. However, his shooting struggles continued. Gasol shot 29.4% tonight, connecting only 5 of his 17 shots. Sadly, tonight’s performance seems “on trend” for our beloved “Big Spain.”
Marc Gasol is now 18 of his last 60 from the field (30%) over the last four games.
— Peter Edmiston (@peteredmiston) January 9, 2016
Marc Gasol must find a way to step up as a leader for this team. Gasol cannot continue to rely on Zach Randolph, Tony Allen or any other player to create energy on the court. It is time for him to be the Center of this team, both in position and in leadership.
Quick Look Recap Stats:
– Zach Randolph was your leading scorer for the night with 24 points.
Side note: Randolph continues to find a way to be a leader to the Grizzlies from the bench. Since the first game he came off the bench in Miami his is shooting 52.9%. On Randolph’s performance Coach stated “He was fantastic. I mean, he’s an alpha, ‘I want the ball. I’m going to score it. Bring it over here,’”. If you ask me, his “brother from another Mother” should really start to take some notes.
– Matt Barnes and Jeff Green combined for 6/10 from the three point line and 9/12 on their free throws.
– The Nuggets shot 21.1% from three.
– The Grizzlies were out-rebounded 59 to 43. They struggled on the boards, giving up 19 offensive rebounds to Denver.
– The “Italian Stallion” Danilo Gallinari finished the game with 29 points and was the Nuggets leading scorer.
Tonight was the first game in a six game home stand. If Memphis can continue to play with the heart that we saw tonight they have an excellent opportunity to work their way up in the West and get January off to a good start.
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It was so good to see the grit and grind, uncle Tony and Zach back into their rythmn and that outside shooting was the bomb. If we continue to play that way and Mac step up, we will be ready for the play offs. I love me some Grizzlies. I pray coach feels better.