Memphis Grinds Down Detroit – Grizzlies vs Pistons Recap

The Detroit Pistons came into the game hoping to avenge their 93-92 December 9^th loss to the Grizzlies due to a 43-foot 3pt game winner by Matt Barnes with 1.1 left in the game.  The Pistons stood at 21-17 (7^th in the East) while the Grizzlies came in at 21-19 (6^th in the West).

Grizzlies Notes:

*The Grizzlies started Mario Chalmers, Courtney Lee, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Tony Allen.  The Pistons started Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Andre Drummond, Ersan Ilyasova, and Marcus Morris.

*Game highs for MEMPHIS:  Mario Chalmers 25 points; Tony Allen 7 rebounds; Mario Chalmers with 8 assists; Tony Allen and Mario Chalmers each had 4 steals; Marc Gasol 3 blocks.

*Marc Gasol finished the night with 19 points on 8-20 shooting, had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.  He also had 5 personal fouls.  He was a -11 for the night, the worst +/- on the night for the Grizzlies.  He airballed several times and was visibly frustrated at times, leading to a technical foul for kicking the ball across the court in frustration.

*Zach Randolph finished with 13 points on 6-10 shooting and was fouled on a 3pt attempt (going 1-3 from the line).  Replacing Jeff Green in the starting lineup, he came in and just did what Zbo does, trash talking with Ilyasova and doing work.

*Jeff Green had a decent 1^st half with 12 points and 3 rebounds. He ended the night with 16 points on 6-10 shooting and 4 rebounds after being benched for the 2^nd half of the Rockets game.

*Matt Barnes showed out and made a huge impact on the floor in his return from injury.  He went 6-6 from beyond the arc, missing only 1 shot on the night.  He also had 3 rebounds and 2 steals.  He hustled, ran the floor, and made big plays.  Let’s hope he saved some of that firepower for Saturday night.

*Mario Chalmers was in extreme Super Mario mode.  In another start for an ailing Mike Conley (sore left Achilles) Chalmers was a +7 in 41:48.  He had 25 points (his 2^nd highest scoring game of the season) on 9-15 shooting.  He went 2-6 from beyond the arc and was 5-6 from the charity stripe while notching 8 assists.

The Grindhouse crowd went crazy when Chalmers lost the ball, got it back, and hit this crazy basket with .8 seconds left on the clock, getting fouled on the shot.  He missed the ensuing free throw but this was of little consequence in the end as the Grizz were able to grab the win.

 

His game winner even made CBS This Morning!  Coach Dave Joerger praised management for the trade that brought in Chalmers after the game and the fans praised Rio on social media.

Yes Aimee, Rio did ALL THE THINGS!

 

*The Other Guys:

*Detroit rookie Stanley Johnson had himself a game with 19 points on 50% shooting including 5-9 from beyond the arc, grabbed 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.  To think the guy is only 19 years old…He’s a fun player who I look forward to watching in the League in the coming years.

*Andre Drummond had 11 points and 11 rebounds, notching his 33^rd double-double, good for #1 in the NBA.  His was also the only double-double for the team tonight.

*Detroit went 15-32 (36.9%) from beyond the arc, 5 of those coming in the 4^th quarter during a 23-2 Pistons run.  The Pistons previously shot 33.8% for the season.

*Game highs for DETROIT:  Stanley Johnson 19 points; Andre Drummond 11 rebounds; Reggie Jackson 6 assists; Stanley Johnson 2 steals; Andre Drummond 2 blocks.

 

*Also of Interest:

*According to Grizzlies stats guru Ross Wooden (follow him on Twitter at @RossWooden for tremendous Grizz related info), Matt Barnes was the 1^st player in Grizz history to make 6 3-point baskets without a miss since Mike Bibby in 2000.  Also, Wooden says that Matt Barnes 6 treys were the most by a Grizz since Wayne Ellington’s 6 on 1-7-13.

*Zach Randolph made history again, moving up to #49 in NBA career rebounding.

*This was a fun night.  It was just another game against the Pistons that the Grizzlies probably shouldn’t have won, but Chalmers saved the night.

My personal favorite of the night:

Kudos Grizz Social Media guy! 🙂

 

Next up:  Grizz vs Knicks

Where:  FedEx Forum, Memphis

When:  Saturday January 16^th at 7pm CST

Where To Watch/Listen:  FoxSports Southeast, 92.9 Memphis

This is another Hardwood Classics game so we will be wearing the sweet Memphis Sounds uniforms.  The Adidas item of the game is a Memphis Sounds Basketball for $15.  The giveaway will be the first of the Grizzlies four-part Mount Grizzmore series featuring Tony Allen.  The Mount Grizzmore series is a great collector’s item for GrizzNation, so get there early and be one of the first 4,000 people to get the Grindfather statue!

 

*stats via NBA.com*