Grizzlies Grind Their Way to a Win at Oracle

After disappointing back to back losses against the Lakers and Clippers at Staples Center, the Memphis Grizzlies knew what they needed going into Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors: consistency and making the second and third efforts required to take home a win. Coach Fizdale said pregame, “A win against Golden State heals a lot of wounds.” They knew that they were capable of defeating Golden State after taking them down by a cool 21 points back on December 10^th. The Warriors went on to win 11-12 and 9 straight games at home. Comparatively, Memphis had a less than ideal showing since that victory, going 5-13 and suffering some pretty bad losses in games that should have been winnable.

 

Stats Breakdown:

Game Notes:

Memphis: 

*Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 27 points on 12-17 shooting and pulled down 11 boards. He also dished out 6 assists off the bench. Zbo continues to give everything he has whenever he hits the court. He plods along and smashes everything in his way with brute force and his particular brand of brutal bully ball. Don’t try to fix what ain’t broke. Zbo forever and don’t try to argue with me.

*Mike Conley had a strong showing with 27 points and a game high 12 assists. Additionally, he tied his season-high for assists. He also lived up to his “Clutch Conley” moniker with this shot to tie the game with 7 seconds left in the 4^th quarter.

*Tony Allen. What can you even say? He never stops, never quits, and never seems to slow down. He ended the night with 11 points, a team high 12 boards, and another game (as well as season) high in 6 steals. TA was held without a steal for the first time in 21 games in the loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night and we can thank our own Pete Pranica for reminding the Grindfather of that stat.

Allen played a game high 47:34, illustrating how vital he was to this team win. Never disrespect the Grindfather. EVER. One way or the other, he will make you pay. Also never forget he is #1stTeamAllDefense. If you do forget, trust that he doesn’t mind reminding you.

TA also left me with my favorite memory of the game, aside from the win, in this image. Yeah, go ahead and call me petty.

*JaMychal Green came back from a fractured maxilla near his right eye suffered in the loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. As is Grizzlies tradition, he came back at Oracle in a face mask i.e. Mike Conley.

He was also able to ease his way back into the rotation with only 20 minutes of playing time and ended with 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Expect JaMychal to play his normal load against the Jazz on Sunday.

*Marc Gasol had 23 points on 50% shooting, 5 boards, 3 assists, and a steal in 40 minutes.

*Chandler Parsons is slowly but surely working his way back into shape and ended with 10 points and 2 big shots from beyond the arc in just under 16 minutes. Parsons will be a force for the Grizzlies as soon as he is healthy.

*Troy Daniels continues to prove to the masses why the Grizzlies kept him after his slow start to the season. He had the highest +/- on the team at 29 and ended with 12 points, going 4/7 from the 3-point line. Let it fly TD, let it fly.

Golden State:

*Steph Curry led the Warriors with 40 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.

*Kevin Durant had 27 points and a team high 13 boards for the Warriors.

*Klay Thompson had 17 points and 6 rebounds.

*Draymond Green had 11 points and 8 boards.

*ZaZa Pachulia had 10 points to go along with 4 boards.

 

*Tidbits and Reactions

*Golden State is now 0-5 against some of the prospective teams they will face in the playoffs and have only lost once each to San Antonio, Cleveland, and Houston. Furthermore, Memphis is the only team to beat the Warriors twice this season. They are also the first team to beat the Warriors twice in the regular season since the San Antonio Spurs did it back in 2014-15.

*The Grizzlies ended the game on a 62-29 run which is an astonishing stat considering the opponent. They were down 18 points with 7:47 left in the 4^th quarter and trailed the Warriors by as many as 24 points (90-66). Memphis now holds the distinction of having the largest comeback of any team this season.

*Clutch time was a perfect storm that benefitted the Grizzlies. Kevin Durant went 0-5 from the field and Steph Curry was 2-7. Durant missed 3-4 from the charity stripe. Tony Allen in the same time period had 5 points, equalling the two All-Stars from the Bay. Memphis got their first lead in overtime on a Marc Gasol jump shot and proceeded to outscore the Warriors 8-15 the rest of the way.

 

Winner, winner, chicken dinner. I’m looking for this on the next growl towel please.

And now a final parting word from our esteemed Conductor…

Next Up:

 

Memphis Grizzlies vs Utah Jazz

Sunday, January 8

7:00 PM

FedExForum, Memphis