I wasn’t able to do a full post-game report last night, so a few thoughts about the game and other issues here, with more to come:
Last Night’s Game: There are many reasons for the Grizzlies’ 109-95 home loss to the Suns last night. Marc Gasol having a rare bad game on both ends of the floor was a killer for the Grizzlies. In shooting 4-12 from the floor and 3-11 from the line, Gasol might have single-handedly squandered enough points to make up the 14-point difference. And at the defensive end, he was a non-factor, with Suns starting center Robin Lopez logging an out-of-character 18 and 10 and the Suns as a whole outscoring the Grizzlies in the paint 58-32. The Grizzlies couldn’t stop penetration, were late on rotations, and couldn’t protect the rim. A total defensive meltdown, but with Gasol as the back line of defense and generally most reliable defensive player among the starters, his lackluster play was perhaps the biggest problem.
Or maybe it was O.J. Mayo, who had one of those games where his lackluster size and athleticism for the two-guard position really hurt him. The bigger, more explosive Jason Richardson had a big game for the Suns, scoring 27 points on 12-17 shooting.
