The Lead: This one fit the pre-game profile: A hard-fought, low-scoring slugfest between two elite defensive teams with middle-of-the-pack offenses.
- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Man of the Match: Mike Conley
The Grizzlies haven’t allowed an opponent to top 100 points since their opening-night loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and the 71 they allowed the Bulls tonight is a season low for a Grizzlies opponent.
For the Grizzlies, some of their offensive struggles — 19 turnovers, 38 shooting — were familiar from last week’s losing streak, but when asked how much of that was a continuation of recent problems, Lionel Hollins answered “None of it.”
Hollins instead credited the Bulls defense, and I think I agree. So, while recent offense trends are concerning, I’m giving the team a pass on this one.
“I don’t know what fans think, but for a coach this was a good basketball game,” Hollins said. “A good, hard-fought game from both sides.”
The Grizzlies used a much-needed bench boost to overcome a terrible offensive start and take a small lead into the half. In the second half, Mike Conley’s playmaking (10 points and 4 assists) and Zach Randolph’s rebounding (9 of his game-high 15) helped the Grizzlies maintain control.
Man of the Match: One potentially decisive trend that went the right way for the Grizzlies in this one was the play of Mike Conley, whose turnovers tended to correlate with team success this season. Conley had only 2 turnovers against the Bulls, while scoring a game-high 17 points on 6-12 shooting and quietly dominating his match-up with Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich.
