Call last Sunday’s game a wake-up call.
After a listless, lifeless game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Memphis Grizzlies returned to the Pyramid in a big way, bouncing the Utah Jazz 86-79 in front of over 12,000. The game was never as close as the final score suggests, with the Grizzlies opening up a 51-32 point lead at the half.
“That was a great effort, an outstanding win,” Grizzlies head coach Sidney Lowe said after the game. “We had balance. The energy and our effort really stands out.”
Guard Rodney Buford led all scorers with 20 points, while forward Pau Gasol scored 19 points, and pulled down 13 rebounds. Also for the Grizzlies, forwards Tony Massenburg and Shane Battier each scored 12 points apiece, and forward Grant Long scored 10 points in the win.
For the Jazz, guard Andre Kirilenko scored 15 points, guard DeShawn Stevenson scored 14 points, and guard/forward Quincy Lewis and forward Karl Malone each scored ten points.
The Jazz were held to only 29.9% shooting, the squad’s lowest shooting percentage of the season. The 79 points is also a season low.
“We defended,” Lowe said. “Holding a team like that to 30% shooting, we’re happy for it.”
Malone took a different approach. “It was poor shooting,” the Utah star forward star said. “But if you look up there, they weren’t blazing it up either. They just did what they needed to win.
This win marks the Grizzlies second over the Jazz for the season. In the teams’ previous meeting, Memphis beat the Jazz in overtime, 97-95.
The Memphis squad heads to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday before taking the weekend off for the All-Star break in Philadelphia. The squad then travels to the Houston Rockets before returning to the Pyramid against the Denver Nuggets on February 14.
